By CARY ASPINWALL World Staff Writer and ZIVA BRANSTETTER World Enterprise Editor on Jul 15, 2013, at 12:22 PM Updated on 7/15/13 at 11:18 PM
Two of James Poore's relatives testified today that he admitted to killing women in an apartment in January.
The testimony came during the first day of a prelinary hearing for James Poore and his brother Cedric Poore, who are charged with first-degree murder in the January homicides of Julie Jackson, 55; Misty Nunley, 33; Rebeika Powell, 23; and Kayetie Powell Melchor, 23, at the Fairmont Terrace subsidized housing complex.
Cedric Poore's daughter, Quashaun Poore testified that her uncle, James Poore, told her “not to worry” about the quadruple homicide at Tulsa’s Fairmont Terrace because he was the one who shot the women there on Jan. 7.
The hearing that began today is to determine whether there is enough evidence for a murder trial.
Casey Poore, Cedric Poore's wife, also testified that James Poore acknowledged shooting the women in the head.
Testimony also was heard from Laura Moore, a neighbor at Fairmont Terrace. She testified about finding the victims' bodies. Moore said she had gone to check on Rebeika Powell after she didn't answer her phone.
Police discovered four bodies “tied and executed” on Jan. 7 in a bedroom at the Fairmont Terrace complex, near 61st Street and Peoria Avenue, according to court records.
Quashaun Poore, 19, testified Monday during a private conversation at her grandmother’s home the day after the shootings that her Uncle James told her he shot the women.
Quashaun Poore would sometimes visit the Fairmont Terrace apartment where James Poore lived with his girlfriend, Jamila Jones, to have her hair done, she said.
Her hair was half-finished shortly before she learned of the Jan. 7 quadruple homicide there on the news, she testified.
She told her uncle she was scared to return to have her hair finished before she returned to college in Miami, Okla., for the spring semester.
James Poore told her it was OK to return to Fairmont Terrace, she testified.
He told her, “Don’t worry about that,” that he did the shootings and no one suspected him, Quashaun Poore testified.
Her uncle told her that “they were doing what they normally do and something went wrong,” she told the court.
Her testimony was part of a contentious day in court, with defense attorneys for both Cedric and James Poore objecting frequently.
Both defense attorneys objected strongly to the testimony of Quashaun Poore, saying the District Attorney’s Office had not given proper notice of her potential testimony through discovery.
If her story was true, why had she not told anyone until she was interviewed by the District Attorney’s Office's investigator in May, a defense attorney asked.
“Because it’s my uncle and he just told me he killed somebody,” she replied.
Cedric Poore sat stonefaced through Monday morning’s proceedings. The bailiff had to quiet Eric Poore, the defendants' brother, during a small outburst at one point during Quashaun Poore’s testimony.
According to the two brothers’ arrest reports, the men told witnesses they were “going to pull a lick” — a robbery — at Powell’s apartment. Cedric Poore was armed with a .40-caliber pistol, according to police.
Witnesses told police that the men said they shot the women because the women could identify them.
Quashaun Poore also testified Monday that her father had given her a .40-caliber pistol to fire on New Year’s Eve, a few days before the homicides. Family members also fired a shotgun and a revolver during a gathering at their grandmother’s house.
District Attorney Tim Harris has not announced whether his office will seek the death penalty in the case. Tulsa County prosecutors typically make that decision after the preliminary hearing.
Moore, the neighbor who found the victims, said Powell's son was playing outside and helped her open the door.
Moore sobbed loudly as she described walking into the bedroom's doorway and seeing Rebeika Powell's lifeless body, hands bound, on the floor and blood surrounding her head. She then saw two more women's bodies on the bed and the feet of a fourth body visible from behind the bed.
"How could somebody do that to those women?" Moore wailed after seeing a photo prosecutors showed her of the crime scene.
Moore said her boyfriend returned to the apartment to check the victims for a pulse. Family members sobbed in the courtroom during Moore's emotional testimony.
Casey Poore, Cedric Poore's wife, testified about events before and after the killings. The two were married in October 2012 and lived in a home on North Boston Avenue with other relatives.
She said that on New Year's Eve, relatives took turns firing a .40-caliber handgun into the air. Casey Poore said she later learned that James Poore had possession of the gun.
Casey Poore said that on the morning of the killings, her husband was home playing with the couple's dog. She said she went to sleep later that morning and doesn't know whether he left the house.
Casey Poore said her husband was arrested Jan. 14 on a misdemeanor parole violation after a visit to his parole officer. She said she then went to stay with James Poore and his girlfriend, Jones, at Fairmont Terrace. The unit was near the unit where the women were shot.
She testified that she and James Poore went to visit her husband at the Tulsa Jail and that on the way, he talked to her about the killings.
"He told me he was having sex with the blonde twin, Kaytie. She told him that her sister always had drugs and money at her apartment," Casey Poore said.
She said James Poore said he robbed the apartment and that "his name was said by two different people. He tied them up and shot them in the head," Casey Poore testified, crying and wiping away tears with a tissue.
She said her brother-in-law said he told her about the killings "so I would know what he was capable of." She said she initially was afraid to tell police about the conversation.
During her testimony, Casey Poore acknowledged being on probation and having used a variety of illegal drugs.
