California v. Markhasev
"The Ennis Cosby Murder Trial"
Prosecution witness says Markhasev admitted to Cosby's murder
June 25 (Court TV) -- A friend of accused Ennis Cosby killer Mikail Markhasev testified that he heard the defendant admit to Cosby's murder after a failed attempt to find the murder weapon.
Christopher So was responsible for leading police to the area where Markhasev threw away the gun he allegedly used to kill Cosby. Police found the .38 caliber revolver wrapped in a knit cap two months after the slaying. A convicted embezzler, So said that he drove Markhasev and another man, Michael Chang, to a field to look for a gun (allegedly the murder weapon) that he had thrown away. So stayed in the car while Markhasev and Chang searched the field. According to So, when Markhasev returned without the gun, he said he had shot a black man and that the story was "all over the news." Chang then asked Markhasev whether he was referring to Ennis Cosby. At that point, So said, the conversation became quiet and ended.
So testified very reluctantly; he did not come to court willingly and claimed that he was putting his life in danger by testifying. So was jailed overnight to ensure that he would return to court for cross-examination. Prosecutors also called Michael Chang to the stand, but he refused to testify. He took the Fifth Amendment. (Chang is already in prison for charges related to a separate case.)
The defense is expected to attempt to undermine So's testimony by implying that he was motivated by a desire to collect a $100,000 reward offered by The National Enquirer for any information leading to a conviction for Cosby's murder. Markasev's attorney, Henry Hall, may also suggest that So's testimony is influenced by a possible promise by the prosecutor's office to help him with other criminal charges he faces for separate offenses.
In addition to So's testimony, state criminologist Diana Paul returned to the stand for cross-examination by the defense. Paul, who had testified that the bullet that killed Cosby came from the gun police recovered in the field, reaffirmed her position, telling the defense that the fatal bullet "was fired from that gun and no other." The testimony of Paul and So essentially linked the murder weapon to Markhasev.
Paul also tried to refute any defense allegations of evidence mishandling by telling the court that she did not unload the gun where it was found because detectives wanted to photograph it intact.
Another prosecution witness contradicted Markhasev's claim that he was home at the time of the murder by saying that the defendant was at his house at 2 am.
top of page
| 
