Farley portrayed as cold-blooded killer
|
The battle lines were drawn Thursday in the trial of Margie Farley, 32, who is charged with robbery and murder in the May 2000 beating death of Old Smithville Highway resident Louie Johnson, 63. He was found dead in his backyard near his trailer on the afternoon of May 5, 2000 after being killed the night before.
Farley faces the charges along with co-defendant Eric Sullivan, who will be tried separately at a later date. They were arrested a few weeks after the slaying and have remained behind bars in lieu of bond for over three years.
A 12-man, two-woman jury listened as prosecutors lined out their case in the opening day of testimony yesterday, with District Attorney General Dale Potter telling jurors Farley saw Johnson as her “sugar daddy” and that she and Sullivan went to his home to get money the night of the murder. The money, prosecutors maintain, was to be used for a trip to Georgia where they planned to sell meth.
TBI forensic scientist Michael Turbedville testified blood and hair belonging to Johnson were found on a tire tool discovered by lawmen a short distance from the crime scene. The victim’s wallet, empty of money, and a bandana allegedly worn by Sullivan were also found nearby.
The tire tool is the alleged murder weapon, used to strike Johnson numerous times. In later testimony, Farley’s former boyfriend, Bill Lewis, would testify the tire tool found was similar to one which had been in Farley’s trunk. Investigators said the tire tool and jack were missing from Farley’s car when it was searched weeks after the murder.
Also of interest, investigators testified, was the fact the interior of the car had been cleaned with some chemical agent which would have wiped away any trace of blood.
Staying with Farley’s alleged cover-up, Lewis testified she convinced him to replace all four of her tires and then dispose of them by throwing them over a ravine shortly after the murder. Lewis said Farley wanted the new tires because she said her vehicle had been at Johnson’s residence and she feared lawmen had found her tire tracks. Prosecutors also used several witnesses to show Farley changed her appearance after the crime by cutting and dying her hair red.
Prosecutors then used Farley’s own words against her when they played a video-taped interview of her being questioned by Sheriff’s Chief Investigator Herb Rowland. In the interview, made the week after the slaying, Farley maintained she had not seen Johnson in months before his death. She went on to claim she was in Georgia at the time of the crime.
“I do a lot of things, but killing is something I’m not capable of,” Farley said in the taped interview, saying she was friends with Johnson
While grasping for an alibi in her first interview, where she denied any knowledge of the slaying, former friend Phillip Smith testified Farley had asked him to provide an alibi for her whereabouts the night of the murder. Smith, who had seen Farley and Sullivan together the afternoon before the slaying, said he at first lied for Farley but then backed out of the alibi a day later, confessing to lawmen that he could not vouch for her whereabouts. Witnesses told the court Farley had bonded Sullivan out of Cumberland County Jail the day before the killing.
Another Farley friend, Andres Allen, said Farley took it a step further with him, asking him to falsely confess to the crime. Allen said he understood Farley had at one point told authorities it was he (Allen) who committed the murder.
Allen said the request was made to him in a letter he received while he was in jail, a letter he said he flushed down the toilet after reading. However, unknown to Farley when she made the request was the fact Allen had been in jail the day of the murder.
“That’s the first time in my life I was lucky to be in jail,” Allen said from the stand, noting he is currently incarcerated.
Allen said Farley made the unusual request for him to confess to the crime because she was scared of Sullivan, saying he had threatened to kill her and her child if she told on him. Allen said he understood Sullivan had a history of violent behavior and had “whooped” five deputies in Spencer at one time.
It was Farley’s alleged fear of Sullivan which was seized upon by the defense as defense attorney Bob Peters consistently asked witnesses about his client’s fear of Sullivan. That fear is expected to be the centerpiece of Farley’s testimony when she takes the stand today in her own defense.
In his opening statement, Potter told jurors they do not plan to say Farley was actually the person who killed Johnson. Prosecutors believe it was Sullivan who fatally beat the victim. Instead, Potter said prosecutors will show Farley voluntarily participated in the robbery of Johnson and the planning and covering of the crime, making her guilty of the crimes of murder and robbery.
Testimony resumes this morning at 9 a.m. at the Warren County Courthouse.