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Strickland takes the stand in his trial for wife’s murder
By VANESA BRASHIER
Accused murderer Rodney Cameron Strickland, 52, took the witness stand on Thursday, the fourth day in his trial for the fatal shooting death of his wife Mary Bazzoon Strickland, who died on Jan. 17, 2007 at her home on CR 2187. Strickland also is accused of severely injuring his stepdaughter, Barbara McFarland, who was shot in the abdomen and arm.
Prior to Strickland’s testimony, jurors in the 75th District Courtroom of Judge C.T. “Rusty” Hight had heard the 9-1-1 tape in which he admitted to shooting his wife and daughter. Strickland’s defense seemed to be that he was not in control of his faculties at the time of the shooting. Blame was placed instead on the medications he was taking on the day of the shooting, including Cialis, Flomax and Avandia.
Strickland said he had noticed problems with his hearing, and was “dizzy and unbalanced,” in the days before the shooting. He claimed the medicines were ordered on the Internet without prescriptions by his deceased wife.
Strickland’s testimony had a few inconsistencies, particularly when he said he didn’t remember getting into an argument with his wife just moments before she was shot and killed.
DA Mike Little asked, “Do you remember fighting with Mary?”
Strickland answered, “No, sir, we didn’t have no fight.”
Later on in his testimony, Little confronted Strickland about the 9-1-1 recording in which he reportedly told the police dispatcher that he and his wife were indeed arguing.
“You told the dispatcher, ‘My temper ran away with me,’ isn’t that right?” pressed Little.
Strickland’s response was that he was not going to dispute the 9-1-1 tape because “there’s a place in there where I don’t remember nothing.”
The last memory Strickland said he has of the moments before the shooting are of him going into the bedroom and getting his SKS assault rifle.
Little also pointed out that not only had Strickland gone for the weapon, but he had also removed the scope covers, suggesting that he was preparing to shoot something or someone.
“Why did you get the gun?” asked Little.
Strickland replied, “I don’t know. I guess my head was screwed up. I was even hallucinating. I heard a voice telling me, ‘Go ahead. Go ahead.’ Something took control of me. I just wasn’t myself.
“When I came back to my senses, I thought, ‘Oh, God, what have I done?’”
Strickland’s claim is that he is not aware of the brief moments from the time he walked into the room where his wife and stepdaughter were standing until after they were shot.
“I saw my wife laying on her stomach. Blood was forming under her face,” said Strickland, followed by a couple of sentences that were incomprehensible because he was crying.
Wendell Odom, one part of a two-man defense team with Neal Davis, had Strickland revisit the moments following the shooting.
Strickland told the court that he had cooperated with law enforcement and had called for the sheriff’s department and ambulance.
He also explained why he had held onto the rifle in the moments after the shooting, saying that he was afraid that his stepson would show up at any time and didn’t want anyone else to be in possession of the rifle.
When it was his chance to cross-examine Strickland again, Little jumped on Strickland’s phrasing that he “had cooperated” with law enforcement.
“As the sheriff’s deputies drove up, I walked out of the house,” said Strickland.
Little replied, “That’s what you call cooperation?”
Strickland said that his interpretation of cooperating with police is his willingness to surrender.
Little also prodded Strickland to be specific about when he claims to have been out of control and when he wasn’t.
“Were you hallucinating when you made the 9-1-1 call?” said Little. Strickland replied that he wasn’t.
“So the hallucinations started right before the shooting and ended right afterward?” the DA asked.
“Yes,” answered Strickland.
One of the more relevant arguments during Strickland’s testimony had to do with whether or not Mary Bazzoon Strickland could have pulled the strap on the gun, causing Rodney Strickland to fire the weapon.
Strickland claims that his finger was on the trigger and that his wife had grabbed the strap, forcing him to reflexively jump backward and pull the trigger.
In earlier testimony by Dr. Tommy Brown of the Jefferson County Medical Examiner's Office in Beaumont, Brown showed the jurors the trajectory of the bullet and how he believes Mary Strickland was positioned at the time she was shot and killed.
“She had a gunshot wound to the back of the head,” said Brown, adding that he had ruled that the case was a homicide.
DA Little helped with this portion of the trial by lying down on the courtroom floor and having Brown hold a “demonstrative item,” which was actually a replica of the rifle.
The jurors stood and watched over the railing as Brown showed the distance that he believes Strickland stood from his wife as he shot her. He explained that his tests were based on scientific information, such as stipling (presence of gunpowder residue).
By lying on the ground, Little hoped to debunk Strickland’s claims that Mary had grabbed the strap of the rifle. As Brown held the makeshift weapon, Little reached up to try to grab the strap, but it was several inches from his fingertips. Little also pointed out that while he is over six feet tall, Mary Strickland was only 5’ 4” tall, making it impossible for her to have reached the strap.
In addition to Brown and Strickland, two other witnesses were called to the stand on Thursday. Alie Strickland, the accused’s mother, was asked by the defense attorney Wendell Odom if she had knowledge of her son’s medical problems and prescriptions; however, parts of her testimony were not allowed because they were considered “hearsay.”
Though she claims to have personal knowledge of her son’s medical conditions and prescriptions, she was unable to confirm whether or not he had taken the medicines on the day of the shooting.
“I didn’t see him take medicines that day,” she said, adding that she couldn’t have because of her distance from his home.
The other person to testify on Thursday was Douglas Castleberry, a firefighter and part-time paramedic with the City of Cleveland. By chance, Castleberry was with Strickland’s brother, Travis, when he got the call for the shooting.
According to Castleberry’s testimony, Travis, also a paramedic, was unaware that the shooting was at his brother’s home until they arrived on the scene. Travis was not allowed to assist Castleberry because of his family ties.
Castleberry’s purpose at the trial was to reveal what was said by shooting victim Barbara McFarland after paramedics began working on her.
“What did she tell you happened?” asked Odom.
Castleberry replied, “She said, ‘He shot between us.’”
The direction of the testimony then seemed to be if Strickland had intended to shoot between the two women and if they had been struck by a single bullet.
Under cross-examination, Little asked Castleberry if he was aware that the bullet that killed Mary Strickland was found in her abdomen.
“Would that change your opinion?” asked Little.
“Yes, sir,” Castleberry replied.
The prosecutor and the defense are expected to call one more witness each on Friday. Closing arguments will follow and then it will be up to the jurors to decide Strickland’s fate. The Advocate hopes to provide more information as it becomes available.
Prior to Strickland’s testimony, jurors in the 75th District Courtroom of Judge C.T. “Rusty” Hight had heard the 9-1-1 tape in which he admitted to shooting his wife and daughter. Strickland’s defense seemed to be that he was not in control of his faculties at the time of the shooting. Blame was placed instead on the medications he was taking on the day of the shooting, including Cialis, Flomax and Avandia.
Strickland said he had noticed problems with his hearing, and was “dizzy and unbalanced,” in the days before the shooting. He claimed the medicines were ordered on the Internet without prescriptions by his deceased wife.
Strickland’s testimony had a few inconsistencies, particularly when he said he didn’t remember getting into an argument with his wife just moments before she was shot and killed.
DA Mike Little asked, “Do you remember fighting with Mary?”
Strickland answered, “No, sir, we didn’t have no fight.”
Later on in his testimony, Little confronted Strickland about the 9-1-1 recording in which he reportedly told the police dispatcher that he and his wife were indeed arguing.
“You told the dispatcher, ‘My temper ran away with me,’ isn’t that right?” pressed Little.
Strickland’s response was that he was not going to dispute the 9-1-1 tape because “there’s a place in there where I don’t remember nothing.”
The last memory Strickland said he has of the moments before the shooting are of him going into the bedroom and getting his SKS assault rifle.
Little also pointed out that not only had Strickland gone for the weapon, but he had also removed the scope covers, suggesting that he was preparing to shoot something or someone.
“Why did you get the gun?” asked Little.
Strickland replied, “I don’t know. I guess my head was screwed up. I was even hallucinating. I heard a voice telling me, ‘Go ahead. Go ahead.’ Something took control of me. I just wasn’t myself.
“When I came back to my senses, I thought, ‘Oh, God, what have I done?’”
Strickland’s claim is that he is not aware of the brief moments from the time he walked into the room where his wife and stepdaughter were standing until after they were shot.
“I saw my wife laying on her stomach. Blood was forming under her face,” said Strickland, followed by a couple of sentences that were incomprehensible because he was crying.
Wendell Odom, one part of a two-man defense team with Neal Davis, had Strickland revisit the moments following the shooting.
Strickland told the court that he had cooperated with law enforcement and had called for the sheriff’s department and ambulance.
He also explained why he had held onto the rifle in the moments after the shooting, saying that he was afraid that his stepson would show up at any time and didn’t want anyone else to be in possession of the rifle.
When it was his chance to cross-examine Strickland again, Little jumped on Strickland’s phrasing that he “had cooperated” with law enforcement.
“As the sheriff’s deputies drove up, I walked out of the house,” said Strickland.
Little replied, “That’s what you call cooperation?”
Strickland said that his interpretation of cooperating with police is his willingness to surrender.
Little also prodded Strickland to be specific about when he claims to have been out of control and when he wasn’t.
“Were you hallucinating when you made the 9-1-1 call?” said Little. Strickland replied that he wasn’t.
“So the hallucinations started right before the shooting and ended right afterward?” the DA asked.
“Yes,” answered Strickland.
One of the more relevant arguments during Strickland’s testimony had to do with whether or not Mary Bazzoon Strickland could have pulled the strap on the gun, causing Rodney Strickland to fire the weapon.
Strickland claims that his finger was on the trigger and that his wife had grabbed the strap, forcing him to reflexively jump backward and pull the trigger.
In earlier testimony by Dr. Tommy Brown of the Jefferson County Medical Examiner's Office in Beaumont, Brown showed the jurors the trajectory of the bullet and how he believes Mary Strickland was positioned at the time she was shot and killed.
“She had a gunshot wound to the back of the head,” said Brown, adding that he had ruled that the case was a homicide.
DA Little helped with this portion of the trial by lying down on the courtroom floor and having Brown hold a “demonstrative item,” which was actually a replica of the rifle.
The jurors stood and watched over the railing as Brown showed the distance that he believes Strickland stood from his wife as he shot her. He explained that his tests were based on scientific information, such as stipling (presence of gunpowder residue).
By lying on the ground, Little hoped to debunk Strickland’s claims that Mary had grabbed the strap of the rifle. As Brown held the makeshift weapon, Little reached up to try to grab the strap, but it was several inches from his fingertips. Little also pointed out that while he is over six feet tall, Mary Strickland was only 5’ 4” tall, making it impossible for her to have reached the strap.
In addition to Brown and Strickland, two other witnesses were called to the stand on Thursday. Alie Strickland, the accused’s mother, was asked by the defense attorney Wendell Odom if she had knowledge of her son’s medical problems and prescriptions; however, parts of her testimony were not allowed because they were considered “hearsay.”
Though she claims to have personal knowledge of her son’s medical conditions and prescriptions, she was unable to confirm whether or not he had taken the medicines on the day of the shooting.
“I didn’t see him take medicines that day,” she said, adding that she couldn’t have because of her distance from his home.
The other person to testify on Thursday was Douglas Castleberry, a firefighter and part-time paramedic with the City of Cleveland. By chance, Castleberry was with Strickland’s brother, Travis, when he got the call for the shooting.
According to Castleberry’s testimony, Travis, also a paramedic, was unaware that the shooting was at his brother’s home until they arrived on the scene. Travis was not allowed to assist Castleberry because of his family ties.
Castleberry’s purpose at the trial was to reveal what was said by shooting victim Barbara McFarland after paramedics began working on her.
“What did she tell you happened?” asked Odom.
Castleberry replied, “She said, ‘He shot between us.’”
The direction of the testimony then seemed to be if Strickland had intended to shoot between the two women and if they had been struck by a single bullet.
Under cross-examination, Little asked Castleberry if he was aware that the bullet that killed Mary Strickland was found in her abdomen.
“Would that change your opinion?” asked Little.
“Yes, sir,” Castleberry replied.
The prosecutor and the defense are expected to call one more witness each on Friday. Closing arguments will follow and then it will be up to the jurors to decide Strickland’s fate. The Advocate hopes to provide more information as it becomes available.
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