Morgan Junction murder trial update: Defendant Lovett Chambers testifies

12:41 PM: Quick update for those following our coverage of the King County Superior Court trial of Lovett “Cid” Chambers, charged with second-degree murder for the fatal shooting of Travis Hood by Morgan Junction Park in January 2012: Proceedings did indeed resume today, after an extra day off because of ailing attorneys; the last previous session was Wednesday (here’s our report, which includes links to all our previous coverage).

Today, the defendant’s wife Sara Chambers is testifying for the defense, which has concluded its primary questioning of her. She testified that she was at home watching a movie when he came in after the shooting and that he said nothing about it before pouring a glass of wine and sitting down in the living room with her; police showed up within an hour. We’ll have a full report on today’s proceedings late tonight; the defense might rest its case before the week is out. The trial started in early January, with six weeks of motion hearings before the jury was seated to hear testimony starting February 19th; WSB is the only news organization in court to cover it.

2:16 PM: Now the defendant is on the stand. He acknowledges he fired the fatal shots the night of January 21, 2012, and says he did it “to save my life.”

TUESDAY MORNING NOTE: Monday’s full report is here.

JanS March 31, 2014 (3:25 pm)

thanks, tracy, for the continuing coverage. I don’t hang out at Feedback, or the Morgan businesses much, so I’m not acquainted with the defendant, as many down there are. My question…if you’re going to claim self-defense, and if there are “witnesses” to that “self-defense”, why would you simply leave and go home, like nothing happened? Why not stick around for the authorities to get there, and defend yourself to them, too? I don’t think I could be as calm as that – go home, have some wine, talk with the spouse, never mention it. But, we’re all made of different stuff, I suppose.

UnkieT March 31, 2014 (4:58 pm)

I so appreciate your thorough coverage of this case.

rip uncle trav March 31, 2014 (5:09 pm)

If he was scared for his life why was he walking behind travis all the way to the truck when his car was the other direction.
justice will serve him.
Travis was a kind heart man and now his family has to live life everyday without him.

CarrieP March 31, 2014 (5:14 pm)

I find it interesting how much the defendant suddenly remembered when he talked to his lawyer vs repeatedly telling the police that he didn’t recall anything about what happened.

Community Member March 31, 2014 (5:33 pm)

JanS – It seems to me that the defense lawyers have spent several days addressing that exact question, and that testimony is part of what the jury will consider.

ScubaFrog March 31, 2014 (6:31 pm)

Well my mind’s made up on the verdict. I’m praying that a good Prosecutor and a well-informed jury will deliver justice when this is all over.

Stellar coverage, WSB

Community Member March 31, 2014 (8:11 pm)

Yes, Scubafrog, you’ve made it perfectly clear in about a dozen posts over the past two weeks that your mind was thoroughly made up as soon as you learned that he was a felon in possession of a gun.
.
At least in theory, the actual jury is supposed to wait until the end of the trial to reach their conclusion.
.

ScubaFrog March 31, 2014 (8:44 pm)

“community member” – something that astonishes me, is that there are people like you who’re still convinced of Chamber’s innocence – in the face of overwhelming evidence, facts, and the truth. Regardless of Chambers’ 8 felony convictions – regardless that he was a felon in possession of a firearm – we have him admitting to shooting the victim. The night he was arrested, he didn’t call 911. He didn’t recall what even happened. And now all of a sudden it’s “self defense”? Really? I guess one has to wonder, “community member” – when, in your deluded world, is someone ever actually guilty of murder? People like you are the reason we have remarkably light sentencing guidelines. People like you are the reason we have an insultingly-high recidivism rate. People like you want to coddle our criminals. For no good reason.

Community Member March 31, 2014 (9:04 pm)

People like me? People who remember that there’s a jury?
.
No, Scubafrog, I have not said I am convinced of his innocence. But even if I had said anything like that, which I haven’t, it would be meaningless, because I’m not on the jury.
.
I am just reiterating that the actual jury is supposed to wait until both sides have finished presenting their evidence.

wscommuter April 1, 2014 (10:45 am)

Well said CM. I am always disturbed by people who presume to know what a jury should do – especially when, as with ScubaFrog – someone is basing their “conclusion” on what they read in the news (and no diss to WSB – excellent coverage). But the entire concept of a free, democratic society is premised in part on the idea that every person – even the most awful of our criminals – has a constitutional right to a jury trial before punishment is imposed. I never understand why that is so difficult for so many people to believe in.

ScubaFrog – you reveal your ignorance – and that you are willfully ignorant – when you make absolute pronouncements about guilt and innocence, and foolishly accuse CM of believing this defendant is innocent (CM NEVER said that).

Like many here, I read the accounts of this tragedy and I am inclined to believe that this fellow is guilty of murder. But I also – completely – recognize that I am not in the courtroom and therefore, I am more than willing to be patient and let the court system do its job. You might try considering that approach.

ScubaFrog April 1, 2014 (2:00 pm)

wscommuter get off the soap box. Your holier-than-thou raving is for a utopia. We live in a republic by the way, I feel it’s my responsibility to inform you thus, as an American citizen. Moreover we don’t live in this purportedly “free” society you brag about. Partisan idealists (the proletariat) like you and “CM” have been blindly voting for the same criminals for decades, and now we’re 17 Trillion Dollars in debt, and we have the highest prison population on earth – higher than Stalin’s gulags.

Moreover – you just said “I am inclined to believe that this fellow is guilty of murder.” You and your cohort “CM” have been ranting and raving about me saying the same thing – you’ve just committed the same oh-so-dastardly deed of ascribing guilt to the accused. What a double-standard, how can you not recognize your own hypocrisy?
–
At the end of the day, WE get to have opinions in regards to the accused’s guilt. We’re not on the jury, it doesn’t matter what our opinions are.
–
Please settle down “CM” and wscommuter. I’m not trying to take over for the jury, or the judge, or the prosecution, or the defense. MY CRIME IS IS HAVING AN OPINION that apparently doesn’t suit your ideologically-ignorant, set belief systems.

wscommuter April 1, 2014 (3:11 pm)

SF. Take a deep breath … maybe two or three. Relax. Find a dictionary; look up “proletariat” to start with …

Then learn to read what people write – not how you spin it – but the actual words on the page. You’ll have to unclench and relax to do so … but you can. Hang in there.

Your rant is nonsensical. Yes; you are an ideologue. But try to make sense.