The Des Moines Register from Des Moines, Iowa • Page 15

AROUND IOWA Wednesday, July 1 8, 2007 Page 3B The Des Moines Register ST Trial opens in gruesome cemeteiy killing The first defendant to be tried believes he's a sorcerer with magical powers, a defense attorney tells the jury. aH-': i 3 Police say bus dragged pedestrian for 10 feet ACCIDENT, from Page 1B Investigations by police and DART are continuing. DART officials said Cozad was hired by the regional Stegman to killing him. "Honestly, I thought they were talking out their rear end, but it scared me," she testified. Mennear said her fear caused her to leave the apartment alone that night to return home.

When she returned the morning of Sept. 3, Williams took her into the bathroom to discuss the night before. "He said, 'We did what we set out to do, and I'm not proud of what I did. I know what I did is she said. Sgt.

David McDermott of the Des Moines Police Department described the scene of the murder and later described being summoned to the apartment, where Christina Fulce, 25, presented him with the murder weapon wrapped in a shirt. Fulce told police she had found it in the apartment of her boyfriend, David Flores. Foritano displayed to the jury the weapon, a small curved-blade hunting-style knife. Testimony for the prosecution is scheduled to continue today. Reporter Abby Simons can be reached at (515)284-8136 or aslmonsdmreg.com cemetery the morning after his death, was the result of a conspiracy among the group of young adults to kill Stegman, prosecutors told the jury.

Stegman, along with all of the suspects, lived at a 1519 Grand Ave. apartment rented by Fisher. It was a plot that went so far that the accused established an alibi before Williams lured Stegman to the cemetery that night, a prosecutor said. "The plan was to beat Mr. Stegman to make the killing easier," said Assistant Polk County Attorney Steve Forita-no.

"Terry Williams, during the course of the beating, took out a knife to slit Mr. Stegman's throat. It was then that he took the knife and placed it at the back of his neck to silence the screaming." Defense attorney Charles Kenville told the jury that the murder is "not a whodunit" and that most of the prosecution's accounts of what happened the night of the murders will not be challenged. Kenville By ABBY SIMONS REGISTER STAFF WRITER One of the five people accused of killing Matthew Stegman cut Stegman's throat, attempted to sever his spinal cord and left his body in Woodland Cemetery as the result of a vision he had that Stegman would rape a teenage girl, a defense attorney said Tuesday during the first-degree murder trial of Terry Joe Williams. Opening arguments began Tuesday morning in the trial of Williams, 23, known to friends as "Trenchcoat Terry" and one of five suspects in the Sept.

3, 2006, slaying of Matthew Stegman, 18. Williams and four others were charged days after the killing. Robert "Wolf" Myers, 25, Robert "Teardrop" Johnston, 28, Sheri Fisher, 22, and Andrew Johnson, 23, will be tried separately by Polk County prosecutors. Stegman's bloodied, shirtless body, discovered by passers-by in the central Des Moines 1 transit agency in March. Spokesman Brian Litchfield said DART uses an online background check for prospective drivers.

If potential drivers have a sex offense or a crime involving a firearm in their histories, they are not eligible for jobs. But applicants are eligible to work if they have not had drug or drunken-driving offenses in the past three years. Cozad's legal troubles occurred outside that period. 1 He was charged with drunken driving in January 2000. The charge was initially listed as his second drunken-driving offense, but he pleaded guilty in May 2000 to a reduced charge of first offense drunken driving.

In September 2001, he was charged with driving without a license, a charge that was dropped. In March 2002, he pleaded guilty of possession of methamphetamine. Litchfield said of Cozad's record: "There were a number of criminal activities that showed up on his record and also a number of items that showed up on his driving record." Litchfield added: "There is a large number of applicants that have some sort of charge on their background. They're looked at on a case-by-case basis." DART conducts an annual review of bus drivers' criminal records, Litchfield said, and the Iowa Department of Transportation alerts the agency if any drivers are charged with drunken driving. "The policy has been set that if someone has not had an offense in that time period, and they make it through the application process and train ing program, and trainers feel comfortable with them, then we are comfortable with that driver being on the street," Litchfield said.

Bus-pedestrian accidents are rare in Iowa. Scott Falb with the Iowa Department of Transportation said that fewer than 10 such accidents occur annually. Reporter Tom Alex can be reached at (515) 284-8088 or talexdmreg.com Stegman Williams Myers Johnston Fisher Johnson said the defense will focus instead on the circumstances of Williams' life and his mental stability. "You have to understand the world these people live in, where they come from and why they did what they did," 1 yts.v change, said Rob Shumaker, the trust's lead scientist on orangutan research. "This is good for us as scientists, as well," he said.

"It keeps us on track." The program will be free of charge for the school district. The first-year cost will be covered by Great Ape Trust, which eventually plans to offer the program to students of all ages throughout Iowa. I Kenville said. Kenville described Williams as a self-professed sorcerer with magical powers, with a history of mental issues. The plot to kill Stegman stemmed from a vision of Williams, who believes he can read minds, that Stegman planned to rape the daughter of a woman Myers was dating.

It wasn't true, Kenville said, but it was what Williams believed. "It's clear that in Terry's mind there was no alternative. In Terry's mind, that was the only thing he could do," Kenville said. Eight witnesses took the stand for the prosecution Tuesday, with much of the evidence provided by 20-year-old Shaada Mennear, who dated Williams at the time of the murder. Shaking and occasionally sneaking glances at Williams, Mennear described meeting with Williams and the others Sept.

2, 2006, at the downtown bus depot, where Williams first told her of the plot. It was later brought up at the apartment, she said. The conversation soon turned from beating up The trust was established in 2002 to focus on the four great ape species: bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans. Three orangutans and seven bonobos live at the facility. The collaboration with the schools will help promote knowledge about great apes, whose numbers continue to dwindle in the wild, Shumaker said.

The United Nations in 2005 a goal of mine," Smith said. Besides, Sieman said, speed of speech isn't Smith's only asset. "He is the most efficient, detailed person I know in the world," she said. "He can put a budget together down to the very penny, and he can tell you exactly where every penny goes." Quickly. Reporter Jared Strong can be reached at (515) 284-8075 or lstrongdmreg.com 1 Wmm Des Moines schools Superintendent Nancy Sebring, center, flanked by, from left, Great Ape Trust scientists Rob Shumaker and William Fields and trust founder Ted Townsend, talks Tuesday about a program that will bring together more than 1,000 middle school students and the trust.

D.M. ape project aimed at fostering research RODNEY WHITETHE REGISTER reported that all great ape species face extinction within 50 years because of deforestation, poaching and disease, among other threats. Action and awareness are "obviously paramount," Shumaker said. "We desperately need more people to care about this." Reporter Jason Pulliam can be reached at (515) 284-8214 or jpulliamdmreg.com APES, from Page 1B editors and reporters. "We simply don't have a way within the constraints of our mission to welcome lots of visitors," he added.

The program will begin in the fall when 300 students visit the facility on regular public tour days. Students will be exposed to research in language, cognition, culture and tool making. ft They will also learn how to incorporate such research into other academic fields such as math, ecology, history and geography, organizers say. The project is a chance "for our students to get a glimpse into that world, to see how the scientific process works," Des Moines schools Superintendent Nancy Sebring said. Scientists studying apes will also benefit from the ex $180 million plan unveiled last month.

It includes a new six-story courthouse and $21.5 million in renovations to provide room for estimated space needs through 2030. Polk County judges for years have bemoaned the condition of the 150-year-old courthouse, which was designed for six courtrooms and now contains 27. They say the building lacks fire stairs and has security shortcomings. Court officials previously have pushed, however, to keep all court functions together under a single roof. Chief Judge Arthur Gamble declined to comment on the supervisors' decision Tuesday other than to pledge that "we'll work with them to explore other options." Reporter Jell Eckholl can be reached at (515) 284-8271 or jeckholfdmreg.com Fasttalkingclerldivensupmeetings For in-depth local and national news, log on to DesMoinesHsijistet.com (Mis i is.

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POLK, from Page 1B Blue Shield. Wellmark officials have said they hope to build a new headquarters somewhere in the Des Moines area before 2010, when leases are scheduled to expire on the rented office space. The new building would be partly financed with the sale of a company-owned warehouse and a former J.C. Penney building at 222 Fifth Ave. in Des Moines.

The former J.C. Penney building, which is assessed for tax purposes at 1 1 .27 million, is across the street from the courthouse at Fifth and Mulberry streets. County officials say architects briefly contemplated the Wellmark building when they studied the court system's needs. That study led to the Try it yourself "An ordinance amending the city code of the city of West Des Moines, Iowa, 2004, by repealing Title 8, Building Regulations, Chapter 2, Building Codes, Article Electrical Code, consisting of the 2002 edition of the National Electrical Code and in lieu thereof adopting the 2005 edition of the National Electrical Code and the 2006 edition of the ICC Electrical Code administrative provisions, regulating the installations of electric conductors and equipment within or on public and private buildings or other structures and other premises such as yards, parking and other lots in the city of West Des Moines, Iowa; providing for the issuance of permits and collection of fees therefore; and describing the powers and duties of the building division." ON THE WEB: Hear Smith at work at DesMoinesRegister.comaudio. Dong la i Ave I RAMSEV 1 It Hitkmai.Rd -py RAMSEY SUBARU 9625 Hickman, Des Moines LOCAL TOLL FREE: 888-582-8853 www.ramseysubaru.com "According to RL Polk retail registrations in the state of Iowa tor the 2006 calendar year..