Hide Article Text (OCR)
Accused•t 'man ‘can’t recall’ actMurder defendant Don James Meyers, 23, testified Tuesday in his Long Beach Superior Court' retrial that he recalls hitting Hollis Voas, 57, “probably with my fist” in Voas’ townhouse apartment when Voas made a homosexual advance, but does not remember beating him unconscious and leaving him bound on the floor,Meyers told Judge D. Slcrry Fagan that the two had been drinking vodka and talking general conversation” in the apartment at 740 Orizaba Ave. after Voas picked him up at a Long Beach Boulevard bus stop April 17, 1973. He said the two then drove to several building supplies stores where Voas bought paint, window glass and other materials.As the first witness in the defense phase of the trial, he testified he and Voas had discussed his doing some maintenance work on properties Voas owned. Voas was showing him around the apartment when “he kissed me on the neck” and he struck Voas.“I remember hitting him, to what extent I don’t know,” Meyers said on direct examination by his attorney, Deputy Public Defender Joel Peck.The defendant said he does not remember beating and binding Voas, whose body was found the next day on a bedroom floor of the apartment, or taking the victim’s Cadillac and quantities of clothing.Meyers was. convicted of first-degree murder by a jury in 1973, but an appellate court ruled there was legal error in the jury instructions and ordered a retrial. Judge Fagan is hearing the new trial without a jury.Under cross-examination by Bep. Dist. Atty, Gregson Somes, Meyers said he does not remember telephoning two prosecution witnesses, Kenneth Evans and Danny Montgomery, who had testified that he called them and told them he had “rolled a ' queer” in Long Beach and taken a Cadillac. Meyers was still on the witness stand when the trial was recessed until 9:30 ami. today.
Newspaper Details
Press Telegram
Long Beach, California, US
Wed, Oct 29, 1975
Page 63
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 10 Nov 2019
Other Publications Near Long Beach, California
Independent Long Beach
Independent Press Telegram
Press Telegram
Independent
Long Beach Press Telegram
