Mav Murder Trial: Day 9 Recap

Callie Frye, Daily Moth Reporter:

On Day 9, Mavrick’s defense lawyer continued to question Mavrick on the stand. The questioning had to do with the roadtrip. Grant drove all the way. Only he touched the steering wheel. Mavrick only sat in the passenger seat the whole time, and they did not switch places.

Defense Attorney: Did you suggest anything during the roadtrip?

Mavrick: Mount Shasta. That’s the one suggestion I made, to go see it, while the other destinations Grant decided to go to was all him.

Defense Attorney: During the roadtrip, how many days were you two together?

Mavrick: Ok, let me try to remember. First Grant and I left Fucci’s home and arrived at Sacramento for one night. We slept over at Grant’s friend’s place. The next night, we camped at some lake. The third night, we camped at Richardson Grove, where the incident happened. That was a total of three days.

Defense Attorney: When you wanted to eat, did you stop at many restaurants?

Mavrick: The only food we had was in Sacramento on the first night after we left Fucci’s home. We ordered Taco Bell and had a lot to eat. After that, not much except for crackers. There wasn’t much, almost nothing. We didn’t stop at any restaurants.

Defense Attorney: During your and Grant’s friendship, did you talk about having a ranch one day?

Mavrick: Oh, yes. Grant talked about that a lot.

Defense Attorney: Was the main idea for you and Grant to run the ranch together one day?

Mavrick: Not exactly. I was just popular, but I have no education and no experience in business or farming. I have no education, nothing. Grant is very educated, and very experienced in farming. We kind of worked together with me being popular and him with his education and his experience. Working together, that would work.

Defense Attorney: You mentioned being popular. Give me a number to measure how many followers you have.

Mavrick: Well, I had an average of 100,000 to 200,000 viewers on Facebook for every video. All the viewers were deaf because there’s no audio in my video, but I always wanted to add audio because if I put audio in my videos, hearing people could understand what I was saying. I imagine if I had audio, I would have one million viewers, maybe.

Defense Attorney: Did you post your videos on YouTube?

Mavrick: Not YouTube. I prefer Facebook because it’s more friendly for the deaf community. Not many deaf people use YouTube.

Defense Attorney: Did you use other social media channels?

Mavrick: No, just Facebook.

Defense Attorney: Did you earn any money from it?

Mavrick: No, Facebook isn’t friendly for making money. YouTube is. The problem is YouTube isn’t good for deaf people. Facebook is the best for the deaf community. That’s why I needed to think of ways to make money from my popularity. Grant had a great idea, the perfect idea.

Defense Attorney: Did Grant have an idea of how to make money from your popularity?

Mavrick: Yes. It was Grant’s idea. I didn’t know what to do and Grant’s idea was to make money from my popularity and make it attract customers. That was Grant’s idea.

Defense Attorney: You’ve mentioned Grant’s idea and how he was the one who usually made decisions. What was your understanding of the whole thing? What was your role?

Mavrick: I just made videos about what Grant wanted me to make, and I just did what Grant told me to do. So I made videos, and Grant directed everything. I showed things about the farm, and he told me what to talk about in the video. Because people like my face. Grant told me how to make videos, then I made videos to pull customers in for him, for Grant and his idea.

Defense Attorney: Were you thinking about having Grant involved in your videos?

Mavrick: I tried to include him in my videos, but he’s not that great at big talk. I’m good at inspiring people and making people happy. I could encourage them to come. Grant wasn’t good at that. Grant’s personality was a little different than mine.

Defense Attorney: I want to go back to the night of the incident. When you were looking for the key, did you feel Grant’s pants to find the key?

Mavrick: No, it was very dark. I tried feeling the pants, maybe the key was hidden somewhere, but it was much easier if I pulled his pants down. Maybe the key would fall out or something, but I didn’t find the key there.

Defense Attorney: Where did you find the key?

Mavrick: Grant had a black sweater with a California logo on the chest outside of the tent, crumpled on the ground. I found the key there and grabbed it.

Callie: The DA started questioning Mavrick who was still on the stand. The DA showed a piece of paper showing a text from Mavrick to Lee. Mavrick read it.

DA: Does that help you remember? You ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich during the roadtrip. You told Lee that.

Mavrick: This doesn’t help me remember, but I admit that I was the one who sent that text.

DA: Does that help you realize that you actually ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?

Mavrick: I don’t think so.

DA: Did you not eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?

Mavrick: I don’t remember.

DA: During that roadtrip, did Grant prevent you from eating for yourself?

Mavrick: Grant never said no. I never asked.

DA: Did you set something up like a GoFundMe for deaf homeless people?

Mavrick: Yes, I did a while ago when I was nineteen.

DA: When did you stop that idea of supporting deaf homeless people and your desire to set up a RV camp?

Mavrick: I never stopped or dropped the idea.

DA: After collecting that money, did you continue to have similar fundraisers after that?

Mavrick: No, I did not.

DA: How much money did you get?

Mavrick: About $2,100.

DA: Did that money go to a deaf homeless RV camp?

Mavrick: I failed. I spent the money. I failed.

DA: You used that money to buy Emily a horse, right?

Mavrick: Yes.

DA: Let’s talk about that night when you looked for the key. Did you feel Grant’s pants first?

Mavrick: Yes.

DA: Did you feel the front and the back?

Mavrick: No. I patted on the sides. I didn’t do much patting. I realized it would be hard, and taking his pants off would be easier.

DA: Why would it be hard to pat his pants?

Mavrick: If I just patted his pants, I could miss something. It would be better to take them off so I could find something for sure.

DA: You could find the key if you put your hands in his pockets, right?

Mavrick: That’s possible, but I wanted to make sure.

DA: You could have pulled his pants down and searched from there.

Mavrick: I chose to take his pants off.

DA: Did you shake the pants?

Mavrick: No, I held it and squeezed different areas.

DA: During the time you were at Fucci’s home, you could have let Grant know that you didn’t want to go and that he didn’t have to come pick you up.

Mavrick: I wish I did that.

Callie: The Defense Attorney took the floor and asked Mavrick questions.

Defense Attorney: Before you and Grant went to Mount Shasta, at that time, were you already afraid of Grant?

Mavrick: Oh yes, there was fear.

Defense Attorney: Why did you join Grant?

Mavrick: I had to join because I feared him. Because if I declined, that’s a scary thing to do.

Defense Attorney: Jurors, do you have any questions for Mavrick?

Callie: Many jurors raised their hands and had questions for Mavrick. The judge read the questions out loud for the jurors.

Judge: Did you and Grant drink water during the roadtrip?

Mavrick: I can’t remember. We should have, but I can’t remember. I’m sorry. There were several points where we drank water, but I can’t remember if I had a water bottle with me. I’m sure I had water with me, but I can’t remember.

Judge: Why didn’t you put the knife in a suitcase? Why did you put it in the car while you were packing things?

Mavrick: Because the knife was a weapon Grant used against me. I was a little curious and wanted to see the knife.

Judge: Another question. Why did you throw the rock in the river?

Mavrick: It was the only thing I thought of. I was not thinking at that time. After I hit Grant with the rock, I put it on the floor and wrapped Grant’s head with a sheet. He died, and I threw the rock in the river. I don’t know why I did it, but I did it.

Judge: Another question. Why did you choose to go with Grant and leave Emily in Elko?

Mavrick: I wanted to have him leave my family peacefully. If I asked him to leave, he would be very mad at me. I didn’t want that. The only way for me to have Grant leave peacefully would be for me to go with Grant. That was my idea at that time, for the two of us to leave Elko together so Grant could leave peacefully without any emotions involved. Then we’d part ways in California. If anything bad happened, the important thing was that it wouldn’t happen at my home in Elko. That was my idea. I told Emily that we were leaving for California and told her to not worry. After I was in California, we’d part ways there.

Judge: Did you have any pillows for yourself?

Mavrick: No.

Judge: Did Grant have pillows?

Mavrick: No.

Judge: Did Grant use anything to put his head on?

Mavrick: Well, from what I remember from when we camped together at Lee’s ranch - we camped there for ten days - we did not use a pillow. We just used sleeping bags which already had padding. Sometimes we used a crumpled sweater as a pillow.

Judge: Any more questions from the DA or the Defense Attorney?

DA: I have more questions.

Callie: The DA approached Mavrick on the stand.

DA: You said you and Grant typically used a sweater or something as a pillow, right?

Mavrick: Pretty much.

DA: You used a sheet to wrap around Grant’s head. Before that happened that night, was the sheet used as a pillow?

Mavrick: I don’t think so. I can’t even remember. But the sheet was just there in the tent. I don’t remember where I found the sheet. I don’t think the sheet was used as a pillow.

DA: Was the sheet yours or Grant’s?

Mavrick: I don’t remember.

Callie: The Defense Attorney had questions. The Defense Attorney approached Mavrick.

Defense Attorney: During that trip, you didn’t have anything to drink other than water?

Mavrick: No soda, no juice. Just water. I can’t remember if I had a water bottle, but I’m sure at some points we pulled over for water like at a beach parking lot that had a water fountain. Places like that.

Defense Attorney: Did you two bring any camping supplies to cook with, like pots or pans, something like that?

Mavrick: No.

Defense Attorney: Did you two bring a camp stove?

Mavrick: No.

Defense Attorney: Was the tent Grant’s?

Mavrick: Yes, it was Grant’s.

Defense Attorney: When you found the knife, did you look at it closely?

Mavrick: Not exactly. It was too dark. I took the knife and put it in the car after I cleaned the tent and loaded everything in the car. After I started the car, the car light came on and I saw the knife.

Defense Attorney: What did you do after seeing the knife?

Mavrick: I put it back in the inside of the car door. I can’t remember, honestly. I can’t remember very clearly. But at the same time, I wrapped my finger with napkins and toilet paper. It was bleeding really bad and didn’t stop. I had to focus on wrapping it. At the same time, I took the knife and looked at it then put it back in the side of the car door. Then I drove away.

Defense Attorney: Did you do anything with the knife, like touch it?

Mavrick: Yes, I did wipe the blade with a napkin or toilet paper, looked at it, then put it back.

Callie: After the Defense Attorney was finished, the DA was asked if they had any questions and they did not. The jurors were asked if they had any questions, and they did. Their questions were handed over to the judge who then read the questions from the jurors to Mavrick.

Judge: With the rocks for the tent, one was thrown in the river. What did you do with the other three?

Mavrick: I left them there.

Judge: You wrapped Grant’s head with a sheet for what purpose? Was it to save his life or to stop the mess?

Mavrick: Both, because Grant was still breathing and he was still alive. Of course he lost a lot of blood and that’s not good, but he was still breathing. He was shaking. He showed that he was still alive, so both. I needed to stop the bleeding and possibly saved him from dying.

Callie: The defense team called their last witness, Kristin Williams, to the stand. The Defense Attorney asked her a few questions, including “How did you know Grant? How long were you friends? What did your relationship with Grant look like?” Kristin said she met Grant at Maryland School for the Deaf in 2010 or 2011. She knew Grant very well. She said she often got together with Grant and spent the day with him at school and at lunch, and after school.

Defense Attorney: Was Grant an aggressive person? Give me an example.

Kristin Williams: No. We never fought except for one time, but we were able to resolve it quickly. Grant wasn’t aggressive at that time in high school.

Defense Attorney: Did you stay in touch with him after high school?

Kristin Williams: No. After Grant graduated high school in 2012, we lost touch for a while then got back in touch in 2014 and chatted about some basics. Grant had a dream about having a farm, Paragon Sustainability, a deaf village with a carbon farm, and he shared some information. He shared the basics and I didn’t really understand, until 2016 when we kept in touch more often and he shared more information. I did some reading about it and asked him more questions because I was curious. In 2016, at that time, I wasn’t well with my mental health. I wanted to get out of Gallaudet. Home wasn’t the place for me. I wanted to go somewhere different, and my goal was to get myself better. My Gallaudet roommate at that time suggested that I might want to look at WWOOF, World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, and I thought that was cool. I reached out to Grant and he said he had an account, but it was old and he needed a new one. I was interested, and I went to California with Grant and his ex-girlfriend Paige in late 2016 during the winter. I went to the ranch he owned by Patricia for one week, and it didn’t work. We went to Lee’s ranch. That’s how I met Mr. Lee Carroll, through Grant. I didn’t stay for very long - three weeks and a half. Grant and Paige stayed longer, but I left.

Defense Attorney: Why did you not stay as long as Grant and Paige did?

Kristin Williams: I didn’t feel safe around them, Grant and his ex-girlfriend Paige.

Defense Attorney: Why did you not feel safe around them?

Kristin Williams: They were very mean to me.

Defense Attorney: Both Grant and Paige, or just Grant?

Kristin Williams: Both, but more so Grant. Grant was passive-aggressive. He would not talk to me, and wasn’t nice to me.

Callie: The DA objected and said she wasn’t answering the specific question. The judge said the last part about being passive aggressive would be removed from the record.

Defense Attorney: How was Grant mean to you?

Kristin Williams: He was very manipulative and condescending, and would tell me what to do and would get mad if I didn’t follow his orders. He expected me to not make one mistake and it was very confusing because I thought I was in it for the WWOOF experience. But when I arrived at Lee’s ranch, Grant said “This is not a WWOOF experience. This is Paragon Sustainability”. I had to oblige and didn’t want to piss him off… I just went with it. At that time I felt very empty. They were very mean to me. I did not feel safe around them.

Defense Attorney: Did Grant hurt you physically?

Kristin Williams: No, he did not physically harm me. Emotionally, yes. With his words. Like I said, he was very condescending. He would not let me have a relationship with other people outside of our trailer. For example, Lee, and Brenda, Lee’s ex-wife.

Callie: Kristin started crying, having a breakdown. The judge noticed this and asked her if she wanted to take a break. Kristin asked if it was okay if she went to the bathroom, and she went. The judge discussed some things with the jurors, the DA, and the Defense Attorney, and waited, then decided to take a lunch break. After the lunch break, Kristin Williams came back on the stand. The Defense Attorney continued to ask her questions.

Defense Attorney: Before lunch, you got upset. Did something make you upset?

Kristin Williams: Many things happened to me in 2017. I did not really talk about it and bottled it up for two years. This is my first time talking about it here. It was very traumatic.

Defense Attorney: Was there anything about Grant and what he did that caused you to feel traumatized?

Kristin Williams: I was being manipulated. Grant had anger issues.

Callie: The DA objected. The judge advised the jurors to remove “anger issues”.

Defense Attorney: Have you seen Grant become physical?

Kristin Williams: Yes, one time when I made a mistake feeding the chickens or milking the goats. I can’t remember, but I didn’t follow Grant’s order and he yelled at me and we went to the trailer and he continued yelling at me. I tried to say something, and Grant said “You don’t have a place to talk”.

DA: Objection! Her answer is going off point.

Callie: The judge supported the DA’s objection and took over.

Judge: Kristin, have you seen Grant become physical or get in a fight with someone?

Kristin Williams: Grant slammed the trailer wall with his hand.

Callie: The judge asked the Defense Attorney if there were any more questions and the Defense Attorney was done. Now it was the DA’s turn to question Kristin Williams.

DA: When you arrived in California, did you have any money you could use?

Kristin Williams: I had a lot of money, yes.

DA: Could you have slept at a hotel if needed?

Kristin Williams: I could have.

DA: Could you have rented a car, too?

Kristin Williams: I didn’t have a driver’s license.

Callie: The Defense Attorney had more questions.

Defense Attorney: You later returned to Gallaudet and graduated, right?

Kristin Williams: Yes, last January.

Callie: The state called their last witness too, Detective Kreutzer, to ask about the tape in the room and if the size was the same as Mavrick and Grant’s tent where the incident occurred. They wanted the jurors to get an idea of the size of the tent using the tape. Each side measured the same at 114 inches. Detective Kreutzer got the information from amazon.com based on finding the brand name of the tent in the lab, Kelty and Yellowstone. He looked online for measurement information and made a record of it, and went to court and taped the same measurements. That’s what the state’s questioning with him was about. The Defense Attorney then challenged him.

Defense Attorney: You have the tent in the lab, right?

Detective Kreutzer: Yes. It’s still there.

Defense Attorney: Did you measure the tent?

Detective Kreutzer: No.

Defense Attorney: So you only looked online based on the name of the company and the model? Is the tape a perfect measurement?

Detective Kreutzer: No, it might be one or two inches off.

Defense Attorney: Are the corners measured and positioned perfectly?

Detective Kreutzer: The measurements might be a little off.

Defense Attorney: Did you contact the company to ask for the size?

Detective Kreutzer: No, I tried to contact them through the website and they didn’t answer in time.

Defense Attorney: You got the information from Amazon, but did you look at other websites to compare and see if they were all the same?

Detective Kreutzer: No, I only looked on amazon.com and saw the same company name and model and that’s where I got the measurement information from.

Callie: The Defense Attorney sat down and that was it.