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Defendant in two sisters' killings: I'd never hurt them
Friday, March 3, 2000
By ELAINE PORTERFIELD
A man accused of the aggravated murders of two Burien sisters calmly told a jury yesterday that they were his friends and that he would never harm them.
Derrick Jones is accused of shooting 24-year-old Shawna and 19-year-old Autumn Peterson in their South King County apartment the morning of Jan. 10, 1999.
Facing life without parole if convicted, Jones took the stand in his own defense for several hours yesterday, continuing testimony started Wednesday afternoon.
Jones, 24, acknowledged he once had a romantic relationship with Shawna Peterson. But he said he had broken it off and wanted to remain her friend.
"I believe Shawna cared for me a whole lot," Jones testified. "I loved her for some of the things she did."
Prosecutors claim Jones killed the sisters because he was angry about a debt owed him by Shawna Peterson. They say he also shot Jaselle Scott, Autumn Peterson's boyfriend, who was sleeping in the apartment at the time.
Scott survived the wound to his arm and testified earlier in the trial that he watched Jones shoot Autumn Peterson. The witness also said he saw Jones enter Shawna Peterson's bedroom and heard gunshots a moment later.
Jones has been charged with two counts of aggravated murder and one count of attempted murder in connection with Scott's shooting.
The defendant says he was with a girlfriend at the time of the shootings and couldn't have been at Shawna Peterson's apartment.
Defense attorney John Henry Browne has emphasized during the trial that no blood was found on Jones' clothing after the slayings and that no traces of blood were found in his car.
But Senior Deputy Prosecutor Tim Bradshaw questioned Jones at length about several threatening-sounding voice mail messages he left for Shawna Peterson in the weeks before her death.
In the messages, Jones, sometimes using profane language, refers to a debt and tells Peterson that if he doesn't get his money, he'll "start with your car, your family."
"I never meant them to be interpreted as any threats," Jones said yesterday of the messages.
During cross-examination by Bradshaw, Jones denied telling detectives after the shootings that Shawna Peterson owed him $1,000, despite statements to the contrary.
On Wednesday, Dave Ryan, who is prosecuting the case with Bradshaw, was fined $500 by Judge Joan DuBuque for asking questions she previously had ruled out of bounds. Ryan and other officials at the prosecutor's office said they could not comment since the case is still before the jury.
The trial has been packed since it started Jan. 16, with friends and relatives of the slain sisters and Jones claiming every available seat. Although a few heated words have been exchanged in courtroom hallways, it has remained calm inside the courtroom.
Testimony resumes Monday, with several rebuttal witnesses to be called by prosecutors.
P-I reporter Elaine Porterfield can be reached at 206-467-5942 or elaineporterfield@seattle-pi.com
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