An alleged co-conspirator in the murder of Brittany Sater testified against Johnny T. Moore on Wednesday during the second day of his trial for murder, burglary and robbery resulting in serious bodily injury.
The witness, Bille Jean Edison, painted Moore in her testimony as unshaken in the minutes following Sater’s fatal shooting.
Edison will later be tried for the same charges as Moore, unless she receives a plea deal, which she said during testimony she believed would happen due to her cooperation in testifying against Moore.
Edison said Sater was high and slurring her words Aug. 28, 2016, when she and Dennis Webb, the third alleged co-conspirator, knocked on her door while Moore waited in a separate car.
The group knew of Sater through drug business, and went to Sater’s to steal her heroin, according to Edison’s testimony in the probable cause affidavit for Moore’s arrest.
Webb put an AK-47 to Sater’s head, according to the affidavit. Sater tried to push the gun away, but he kept putting it back as he asked her where her safe was.
Webb pushed Sater with the gun into her bedroom and eventually shot her. The affidavit states this possibly happened because she might have tried to reach for a shotgun.
Moore, who waited in a car outside, told Edison to get her “fucking ass back in the house and get the stuff,” according to Edison’s testimony. She said he acted like Sater’s shooting was “no big deal.”
Sater was shot in the stomach. Before she died, she told police “BJ,” later identified as Edison, had robbed her and the man with Edison was her shooter. This man was later identified as Dennis Webb, who now faces the same charges as Edison and Moore.
Edison’s testimony Wednesday agreed with Sater’s claims that they were there to commit a robbery and that Webb shot Sater.
Edison cried during her testimony and said testifying was the right thing to do.
During cross-examination, the defense focused on Edison’s initial testimony to detectives which incriminated Moore significantly less. Edison later said she lied in this initial conversation because she feared for her life and her children, so she tried to cover for Moore.
The defense pointed out Edison stands to benefit from testifying against Moore if it means a plea deal for her.
Moore’s trial will continue Thursday.
