The defendant in the murder trial of Brittany Sater claimed he never participated in nor instructed anyone to murder or rob Sater in a months-old video interview. The video was shown Thursday during his trial for murder, burglary and robbery resulting in serious bodily injury.
Two Bloomington Police Department officers conducted the interview after Moore’s arrest in August 2016.
The defendant, Johnny T. Moore, allegedly waited in the car while Billie Jean Edison and Dennis Webb approached Sater at her home Aug. 28, 2016, with intentions to steal money and heroin from her. Webb allegedly shot Sater during the robbery, and a shotgun was also stolen from her home, Edison said.
In the interview with police, Moore said he did not send Edison and Webb to rob Sater, a claim Edison made to the police. He instead said the trio went to her home to try to sell her several dozen grams of heroin, a transaction Moore said Edison had set up at Sater’s request.
“I don’t know what went on inside that house,” Moore said in the video. He added he was only there to drop off about 40 grams of heroin.
The officers interviewing Moore said his explanation didn’t make sense.
The probable cause affidavit for Moore’s arrest states the belief of police, based on Edison’s testimony, that Moore ordered the burglary because he was angry Sater was getting heroin from another dealer.
Moore said in the video interview he barely knew Sater, having met her only once or twice before, and was not angry at her.
During the robbery, Sater was shot in the stomach in her bedroom and was dragged to her safe, according to forensic evidence at the scene.
However, money and drugs were left in Sater’s bedroom safe when police arrived, a fact emphasized by the defense.
Edison and Webb face the same charges as Moore and will be tried individually later unless either receives a plea deal. Moore’s trial continues Friday.
