The fourth day of testimony in the trial of James Michael Wells included a former U.S. Coast Guard member detailing how he and others who worked in what is called the rigger shop -- Wells' workplace, where he allegedly slipped in unnoticed and murdered two coworkers -- performed maintenance on their vehicles at the shop's garage.
On the morning of the alleged murders, Wells said he was late for work due to a flat tire on his truck; a nail had punctured the tire. Video surveillance shows Wells driving past the Coast Guard's main gate toward the Kodiak State Airport, and allegedly beyond that to the rigger shop. Wells' white Dodge passed the main gate again on his way home to fix his tire, he told authorities. In that 30-minute time span, two men were killed.
Federal Public Defender F. Richard Curtner argued Wells used the bathroom at the airport, something he needed to do frequently after a surgery to remove his gall bladder. Federal prosecutors argue Wells swapped the truck for his wife's Honda CR-V, and the half-hour was the perfect amount time to drive the second vehicle to the shop and commit the murders.
Wells was an antenna maintenance worker who stands accused of killing two Coast Guard members on Kodiak, the second largest island in the United States and home to a major military base.
The murders happened early in the morning of April 12, 2012. Wells is charged with fatally shooting 41-year-old James Hopkins and 51-year-old Richard Belisle. Authorities never found a murder weapon or a witness to the shooting, and the government is arguing the case based on circumstantial evidence. Federal prosecutors say Wells was the only individual with the knowledge to pull off the murders without leaving any physical evidence behind.
Wells and his alleged victims worked at the rigger shop, something of a maintenance building. As Hopkins and Belisle started their workdays around 7 a.m., Wells allegedly snuck around security cameras to shoot and kill the men with a .44 revolver. The government argues that Wells was distraught over grievances about his job performance.
Equipment to change tires
Nate Pacheco, who worked at the rigger shop from 2009 to 2013 as a seaman, testified all of the equipment needed to change tires was readily available at work -- including floor jacks, power tools and an air pump.
He said pretty much everyone at the rigger shop had worked on their vehicles in the workplace, including changing tires. Prosecutors played a video dated April 7, 2012 in which Pacheco pulls up to the shop's garage. The video then shows Pacheco inflating his Jeep's tires.
Wells once helped Pacheco identify an issue with the Jeep's steer box while at work, he testified. The defense brought up how Wells offered advice. But prosecutors were attempting to make it clear that Wells supposedly knew he had the tools needed to fix his alleged flat.
Shocked or unfazed?
Petty Officer Leah Henry, who also worked alongside Wells, said the alleged murderer went to the bathroom a lot after his operation. He'd spend up to 30 minutes going to the bathroom, she said.
Henry was on the base the day of the murders, she said. When all the Coast Guard members were holed up as authorities combed over the rigger shop and the surrounding area, they sat around sharing each other's disbelief.
Wells appeared shocked one moment, Henry said, but unfazed the next. He gave his condolences by placing his hands on Henry's shoulders and offering a handkerchief. However, she said she found it odd that Wells' continually rubbed his ears throughout the day.
Wells allegedly said his ears were ringing. Curtner asked Henry if she was aware Wells suffered from tinnitus "for quite some time." The government followed up by asking Henry if she'd ever seen Wells rubbing his ears in a similar fashion.
"No," she replied.
Clarification: The above text has been changed to clarify a detail about which direction prosecutors say video footage shows Wells' truck traveling past the Coast Guard station's main gate.