Preliminary murder hearings for the accused slayers of Meleia Willis-Starbuck '07 finally drew to a close Feb. 10 in a surprising twist when Christopher Wilson pleaded no-contest to accessory to murder and implicated close friend Christopher Hollis in the killing. Hollis will stand trial for murder and assault with a deadly weapon, Judge Carlos Ynostroza ordered.
Wilson admitted he drove Hollis and mutual friend Gregory Mitchell to the scene but claimed he had no idea Hollis was carrying a weapon. The trio arrived to aid Willis-Starbuck in her argument with a group of Berkeley football players, and Wilson expected a fistfight at the very worst, he said.
Instead Hollis told him to stop the car, and he watched as Hollis exited the vehicle, jogged down the street, pulled out a gun and shot into the crowd. Wilson instinctively ducked under the steering wheel after the first shot and heard three or four more shots fired--the last of which he witnessed.
Wilson said Hollis raised his arm above his head at a 45-degree angle for the first shot, but it was more level with the ground for the final shot. Establishing the angle of the arm is important in determining whether or not Hollis only meant to fire warning shots into the air.
"We expect the evidence would show, at the very least, that Christopher Hollis acted with conscious disregard for human life and fired at the group of men," Deputy District Attorney Carrie Panetta said.
Hollis' attorney John Burris, however, said Wilson's testimony only strengthens his client's claim that the shooting was accidental. Burris added that Hollis, an aspiring rapper known by the nickname "C4" since seventh grade, may have gotten carried away firing his gun "gangsta style" as portrayed in some rap music videos.
When Hollis re-entered the car, he said, "I just scared those dudes away," Wilson testified. It wasn't until later that the reality of what happened began to sink in.
Wilson testified Hollis later told him, "I think I just smoked my sister. I feel like smoking myself."
The prosecution dropped the charge of murder against Wilson in exchange for his testimony, and although he could receive up to three years in jail for his role as an accessory to murder, Wilson's lawyer, Elizabeth Grossman, will ask the judge to sentence probation.
In addition to Willis-Starbuck's murder, Hollis will be charged with assaulting Berkeley football player Gary Doxy, 18, with a deadly weapon. Doxy testified Feb. 3 that he believed a bullet grazed his left wrist. After he had heard the gunshots and sprinted away from the scene, a friend pointed out that he was bleeding. Doxy never sought medical treatment.
Doxy also said that Willis-Starbuck was responsible for escalating the "little confrontation" between the football players and her friends. She told the players to leave, adding "this is my block," and "I run this."
After Hollis fired the first shot, she allegedly told the players, "That's my brother right there."
