Clearlake shooter: Robbery revenge

The day before he shot and killed two home invasion robbers, Clearlake resident Shannon Edmonds reportedly had a heated confrontation in which one antagonist threatened to bomb his house and another kicked his shin.

Police say there's no connection between that confrontation and the next morning's deadly robbery, which authorities believe was an attempt to steal marijuana.

But Edmonds believes there is, and his contention has become part of a defense attorney's argument that the surviving robbery suspect should be set free.

During a preliminary hearing for robbery suspect Renato Hughes Jr., defense attorney Steve Carter raised the possibility that someone other than his client participated in the robbery attempt early on the morning of Dec. 7.

"That path doesn't seem to have been pursued" by police, Carter said.

The preliminary hearing continues Tuesday, at which time Edmonds may be called to testify.

Hughes, 21, was arrested several hours after the home invasion that left his two alleged accomplices dead and a 17-year-old boy living in the home, Dale Lafferty, in a coma.

Carter contends there's inadequate proof that Hughes participated in the crime and says that, if there was a third robber, it was someone else.

Edmonds implicated others in the crime immediately after the early-morning robbery and shooting.

As he stood in the street in front of his home, a 9 mm pistol at his feet, Edmonds pointed out to police the bodies of the two men he'd shot multiple times as they fled.

He then began yelling at a young man walking up to the crime scene.

"You were in the house. You're gonna be next," he hollered at the 18-year-old, according to a police statement used to obtain a search warrant for Edmonds' home.

The young man was detained but released after questioning and is not considered a suspect.

However, he did know one of the dead suspects and had befriended two boys who had been feuding with Edmonds' family.

The 18-year-old, whose name is being withheld because police do not consider him a suspect, said he arrived at the scene after hearing the commotion on his police scanner.

A 13-year-old boy who arrived at the crime scene with the 18-year-old, but who stayed in their car, also was detained briefly. His identity also is being withheld by The Press Democrat.

The 13-year-old earlier had threatened to have his "homies" beat up Lafferty and another teen they'd been fighting, both of whom were living in Edmonds' home, according to court testimony.

Police didn't say what the fights had been about, but the 13-year-old and his brother had once been friends with Lafferty and had spent time in the Edmonds' home, according to testimony at the preliminary hearing.

Edmonds had become part of the ongoing fight and apparently had made enemies as local residents took sides in the boys' feud.

The day before the shooting, Edmonds argued with several people, some of them parents, at a school bus stop.

During the confrontation, one woman kicked him and either she or another adult threatened to throw a Molotov cocktail at his house, according to testimony at the preliminary hearing.

In a phone interview shortly after the incident, Edmonds said he believed the alleged home invaders were summoned to settle the feud. But police say they've found no connection between the 13-year-old, his 14-year-old brother and the suspects.

Police believe that, rather than seeking revenge, the robbers were after Edmonds' pot, which he says he uses for medical reasons.

About five pounds of marijuana were found in the house.

Jon Hopkins, the chief deputy district attorney, said the ongoing feud was irrelevant to the robbery case.

"There's no evidence there's any connection," he said.

And he said he is convinced Hughes is the right suspect.

No one saw Hughes at the scene, but his wallet and cell phone were found in what police believe was the intended getaway car, and bloody pants, shirts and shoes were found at the home where he was arrested, according to police.

He has been charged with murder for allegedly participating in a crime that led to the deaths of his friends as well as attempted murder, robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and burglary.

He is eligible for the death penalty if convicted.