Day 1 of trial: Alleged retaliation for robbery led to shooting death

Justin Edward Patterson may have mistaken Mikki Jay Dauntain, the man he allegedly shot to death in 2013 in Morgan City, for another person he believed was one of the people who robbed him six weeks earlier in the city of Patterson.

That’s what the prosecutor said on the first day of Justin Patterson’s second-degree murder trial, and some witnesses testified to parts of that version of events.

Patterson, 28, of Morgan City, was indicted by a grand jury on the charge of second-degree murder in the May 20, 2013, shooting death of Dauntain, 23, also of Morgan City. The shooting is alleged to have taken place at about 11 p.m. in the area of Federal Avenue and Garber Street.

Opening statements and witness testimony in Patterson’s trial began Tuesday at the St. Mary Parish Courthouse in Franklin.

Fourteen state witnesses testified on the trial’s first day, including Dauntain’s girlfriend, Natasha Garner, who almost immediately identified Patterson as the shooter after the shooting.

In opening statements, Prosecutor Anthony Saleme said Patterson intended to kill Brandon Scott, who he thought was involved in robbing Patterson and his girlfriend, Ashley Rudolph, but inadvertently shot Dauntain, Saleme said.

Patterson’s attorney, Suzanne deMahy, said the jury should find “reasonable doubt” of Patterson’s guilt because police never considered any other possible suspects after Garner identified Patterson as the shooter, despite the fact the shooter was wearing a mask.

Patterson’s sister, Jessicah Charisse Johnson, 24, was also indicted on a second-degree murder charge in the case. She has yet to go to trial.

Officers with the Patterson Police Department testified that Justin Patterson had reported that he and Rudolph, were robbed April 4, 2013, at a Wise Street home, where they had been living. Patterson Police Capt. Clyde Phillips said Justin Patterson reported being hit several times with a gun during the robbery. Jewelry and $600 was reported stolen in the robbery, Phillips said. Detective Larry Jones said that Justin Patterson stated that six people broke into the Wise Street home.

Garner testified that, on the night of the shooting, she was driving a car with Dauntain in the front passenger seat and Scott in the back seat. She was headed to work, but was first going to drop off Dauntain and Scott at Shannon Homes.

Several women flagged down Garner’s car on Federal Avenue, and she immediately stopped the vehicle, Garner said. Garner got out of the car and talked with the people who flagged her down about Scott. Johnson was among the women that flagged down Garner’s car, Garner said.

Next, Scott and Johnson got into a fight outside of the car. Scott then went back to the car, at which time Johnson busted the car’s back window, Garner said.

Garner said she saw Patterson coming toward her between a house and Big Phil’s Barbershop looking for Scott.

Patterson then attempted to fire the gun once, and then successfully fired it a second time, the bullet hitting Dauntain in the head, Garner said.

Garner said she knew Patterson and could tell he was the shooter by his dreadlocks and the upper part of his face that was exposed.

After shooting Dauntain, Patterson pointed the gun at Garner, but his gun appeared to jam, Garner said. Garner ran away and came back a short time later to check on Dauntain, who was lying in the road. Garner checked his pulse and knew Dauntain “was gone,” she said.

Morgan City Police Sgt. Richard Briscoe said he responded to the scene of the shooting and tried to find witnesses. Garner approached Briscoe, and right away gave Briscoe the name of the shooting suspect, Briscoe said Garner was “very alert” despite being in a “highly excited emotional state.”

Witness Sean Patterson Jr., said he was leaving a friend’s house when he saw a person running away from the scene of the shooting and saw someone lying on the ground. He couldn’t provide any description of the person he saw running from the scene. Sean Patterson Jr. knew Justin Patterson, but couldn’t identify him as the running person, he said.

Justin Patterson’s co-worker at Halimar Shipyard, James DiNicola, testified that Justin Patterson had been at DiNicola’s home on the night of May 20, 2013. Justin Patterson and DiNicola owned a music production company together, and DiNicola was mixing and mastering tracks while Justin Patterson recorded music that night, DiNicola said.

DiNicola referred to Justin Patterson by his musician name of “Grippa.”

While at DiNicola’s home, Justin Patterson received a phone call from someone, and Justin Patterson seemed annoyed by the call, DiNicola said. But Justin Patterson didn’t show much emotion during and after the call, DiNicola said.

DiNicola said he brought Justin Patterson home shortly after the call. DiNicola didn’t know who called Justin Patterson or what the conversation was about, he said.

Another one of Justin Patterson’s co-workers at Halimar Shipyard, Roman Bagley, said Justin Patterson had come to work one day several weeks before the shooting saying that a few people broke into his home, robbed him and “pistol whipped” him and his girlfriend.

Justin Patterson told Bagley that he was going to get back at the people who committed the robbery and attack, Bagley said.

Rudolph’s mother, Linda Mejia, formerly known as Linda Madise, who was charged with accessory after the fact to second-degree murder and tampering with evidence, testified that Rudolph brought a bag of Justin Patterson’s clothes to her home a few days after the shooting. Mejia learned that the clothes may be evidence in a crime, she said.

Mejia was worried her daughter, Rudolph, would go to jail, she said. She eventually went with Rudolph and another woman to the horse arena in Morgan City to burn the clothes, which included a black ski mask, black socks, a long-sleeve hoodie, blue jeans and white shoes, she said.

Mejia later burned red and white gloves Rudolph told her Justin Patterson was wearing the night of the shooting. Mejia burned the gloves at the home of her ex-husband, Patrick Madise, after she said he’d been trying to burn the gloves, but they weren’t burning easily, she said.

Madise said he didn’t participate in burning the gloves. Madise was charged with accessory after the fact to second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice by tampering with evidence in the case.

Madise said Rudolph woke him up the night of May 20, 2013, around 10:30 p.m. or 11 p.m. Madise became aware that Rudolph was looking for Patterson and went with Rudolph to the couple’s home on Franklin Street in Morgan City. They picked up Patterson near Federal Avenue, Madise said.

Patrick Madise never went in the Franklin Street home with Patterson and Rudolph he said. Rudolph showed her father the garbage bag, but he didn’t know what was inside and never saw the bag’s contents. Madise eventually learned the items had been involved in a crime, he said.

District Judge Lewis Pitman ordered the trial and witness testimony to resume at 9 a.m. Wednesday.