Longtime business associate takes stand in Lee trial

Jul. 30—LA GRANDE — Union County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Powers on Thursday, July 28, denied the defense attorney's motion for a mistrial in the Ronald Lee murder trial.

Lee is charged with killing his wife, Loretta Williams, in Cove in November 2018. They were in the process of getting divorced at the time.

Deva Williams — a longtime business associate of Lee's — took the stand the day before. While he shares a last name with the deceased, they are not related.

During the course of his testimony, Chief Deputy District Attorney Ryan Rodighiero asked Williams why he did not go to the police with concerns, given he said Lee had asked him to buy a gun and walkie-talkies and made statements about Loretta Williams.

"I thought about it, but just knowing ... he's kind of a (explicative) artist," Deva Williams said.

Lee's attorney, Dean Gushwa, objected to this statement. Witnesses on the stand are not allowed to speak about the credibility of another witness or defendant. Powers upheld the objection and struck the comment from the record, which turned the trial back to Rodighiero for a new question.

After taking a pause, Rodighiero rephrased the question, asking, "Without telling us anything about his character, can you tell us why you didn't go to the police?"

Williams began answering, saying other things Lee had said did not add up. Gushwa again objected for the same reason, but this time Powers overruled and instructed the witness to continue.

"He lied a lot. Make things up, say he's a millionaire," Williams said.

There was a brief pause before the courtroom exploded into action. The jury was removed from the courtroom and Gushwa motioned for a mistrial. Court was adjourned early for the day to give everyone a chance to review legal precedent and craft responses.

"All 15 of our jurors are here," Powers said. "The question is whether we will call them back into the courtroom to resume testimony or not."

Gushwa did not believe that members of the jury would be able to ignore Williams' comments, even if instructed by the judge.

District Attorney Kelsie McDaniel countered that there must be an overwhelming probability that jurors are unable to set aside the statements, but there was no actual evidence the defense provided that would lead the court to believe that was the situation.

Powers broke down the issue into two separate parts. He ruled to strike the second comment from the record as well, but denied the motion for a mistrial. Powers decided instructing the jury to disregard what Williams said about Lee's credibility would be an appropriate response.

Williams' testimony

Deva Williams met Lee when he started working next door to his shop. He picked up side jobs from Lee before the pair had a falling out over labor rates. After a couple of years, Lee asked Williams to do another job for him and gave him a raise.

Around 2017, he started driving Lee around for $30 an hour. According to Williams, Lee had him drive out to the house he owned with Loretta Williams, so that Lee could check on the property.

Deva Williams said he stopped driving Lee after his pickup was attacked by a neighbor, finding the whole situation had turned too volatile. He also said Lee's demeanor had started to change and he was quicker to lose his temper.

Rodighiero asked Williams if he and Lee ever spoke about Lee's upcoming divorce given that Deva Williams also was divorced. Williams said Lee often spoke about the matter — telling Williams he did not want to end up like him, always having to look over his shoulder. According to the witness, Lee told him getting rid of his wife was the only way.

The line of questioning turned to guns. Deva Williams had been brought in by law enforcement for an interview after the slaying of Loretta Williams, which eventually led to the search of his pickup where three 10-millimeter Glock casings were found.

Williams told jurors that Lee had asked him to shoot the Glock to test how loud it was. He said that after firing the gun, he put the casings in his truck. Williams also said Lee asked him about buying a threaded barrel and silencer for the firearm, but he refused because it is illegal. He also shot a .22-caliber revolver for Lee that day.

Law enforcement at the scene of Loretta Williams' death collected Glock 10mm and .22 revolver ammunition.

Gushwa asked Williams why he originally did not tell law enforcement the gun belonged to Lee and why his answer had changed. Williams said he did not know, but possibly due to nerves.

The defense asked Williams if he remembered wanting Lee to buy the 10mm Glock so they could put together silencer parts to get around the legality issue, but Williams said that was not the case.

Gushwa inquired if Williams had ever driven Lee to buy a gun. He confirmed he drove Lee to buy a .22-caliber revolver at Oregon Trail Trader, which was a duplicate of a gun he had purchased through either Craigslist or a Nickel ad. According to Williams, Lee said the gun was untraceable back to him.

Rodighiero also asked Williams about a spring-loaded center punch — typically used to mark metal. He said Lee had him try it on a piece of glass to see if it would break. Rodighiero turned the line of question to a plasma cutter — a piece of machinery Lee and Deva Williams had in their shops to melt metal. Williams responded that Lee stated he could plasma the barrel of his gun to get rid of evidence.

There was some dispute over whether Deva Williams ever actually took over ownership of Lee's shop. During questioning from Rodighiero, Williams told members of the jury that Lee had him sign a lot of papers because he helped out with insurance work at the shop and later found out Lee had signed over the business to him. He said he went along with it because Lee could be obstinate, but there was no deal worked out or payment made. Williams said he believed Lee wanted him to take over the business because of the divorce. No official change in ownership occurred.

Gushwa presented the witness with a handwritten letter authored by Deva Williams taking over ownership that he had notarized, but which Lee never signed.

Gushwa also pointed out that Deva Williams did not turn over home security footage to law enforcement for over 24 hours. He had offered the footage voluntarily from both his shop and home surveillance system.

The state is aiming to wrap up witness testimony by Aug. 4, according to McDaniel, and Gushwa anticipates needing only one day for defense witnesses. It remains to be seen whether Lee himself will take the stand.

Isabella Crowley is a reporter for The Observer. Contact her at 541-624-6014 or icrowley@lagrandeobserver.com.