Two brothers on Wednesday, who were at the party in Arcata on April 15 when a Humboldt State University was fatally stabbed, said they were confronted by the alleged attacker and two women about a missing phone before their friend was stabbed.
They said 23-year-old Kyle Zoellner’s girlfriend, Lila Ortega, and her friend, Naiya Wilkins approached them in front of the house party in the 1100 block of Spear Avenue then accused them and David Josiah Lawson, 19, of stealing an iPhone. The pair testified at the Humboldt County courthouse during a preliminary hearing for the man charged with their friend’s murder.
“He (Zoellner) came up to me and was like ‘hey have you seen my girl’s phone?” said Kyle Castillo, describing Zoellner’s initial demeanor as nonconfrontational.
The group said …show more content…
Kyle Castillo said they walked away from the scene of the altercation, conflicting earlier testimony by Ortega and Wilkins that they’d stayed around, attacking Zoellner.
“Once I’d seen the defendant on the floor like I kind of just felt like we should’ve just left him alone; he was already on the floor,” Kyle Castillo said before stating neither he, his brother or Lawson hit Zoellner while he was on the ground. “It wasn’t necessary to do anything else.”
He said none of the men in the group punched or brought physical harmed the two women that had accused them of stealing the phone, conflicting statements by Ortega and Wilkins.
“No, no. I don’t know where that came from that one of us guys like punched her in the face,” Kyle Castillo said when asked if he’d hit Ortega. “That did not happen.”
Jason Martinez, a College of the Redwoods student that knew Lawson, said he was walking towards the house from Spear Avenue when he heard someone yell “oh shit, he has a knife.”
He could only make out the aggressor with much detail other than to observe that he appeared “pretty slim” but saw him jab Lawson in his
They said 23-year-old Kyle Zoellner’s girlfriend, Lila Ortega, and her friend, Naiya Wilkins approached them in front of the house party in the 1100 block of Spear Avenue then accused them and David Josiah Lawson, 19, of stealing an iPhone. The pair testified at the Humboldt County courthouse during a preliminary hearing for the man charged with their friend’s murder.
“He (Zoellner) came up to me and was like ‘hey have you seen my girl’s phone?” said Kyle Castillo, describing Zoellner’s initial demeanor as nonconfrontational.
The group said …show more content…
Kyle Castillo said they walked away from the scene of the altercation, conflicting earlier testimony by Ortega and Wilkins that they’d stayed around, attacking Zoellner.
“Once I’d seen the defendant on the floor like I kind of just felt like we should’ve just left him alone; he was already on the floor,” Kyle Castillo said before stating neither he, his brother or Lawson hit Zoellner while he was on the ground. “It wasn’t necessary to do anything else.”
He said none of the men in the group punched or brought physical harmed the two women that had accused them of stealing the phone, conflicting statements by Ortega and Wilkins.
“No, no. I don’t know where that came from that one of us guys like punched her in the face,” Kyle Castillo said when asked if he’d hit Ortega. “That did not happen.”
Jason Martinez, a College of the Redwoods student that knew Lawson, said he was walking towards the house from Spear Avenue when he heard someone yell “oh shit, he has a knife.”
He could only make out the aggressor with much detail other than to observe that he appeared “pretty slim” but saw him jab Lawson in his