2006-03-28
Richard Warren Paige was on trial for murder in the death of Larry Terry, who died March 29, 2006. The trial began Monday.
A "frantic woman" called police about 5 a.m. that morning to report a stabbing in an apartment behind the Wishin Well bar, 513 N. Fillmore St. Inside, officers found Terry dead of stab wounds, according to court records.
Working with a nickname, police were able to focus on a man who recently moved to Amarillo from Montana and had been living in the apartment. Police found him behind A&D Discount, 801 N. Polk St., and took Paige into custody without incident, court records show.
A grand jury indicted Paige in connection with Terry's death in September. Amarillo Globe-News
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-txnd-2_10-cv-00222/pdf/USCOURTS-txnd-2_10-cv-00222-0.pdf
Late in the evening of March 28, or during the early morning hours of March 29, 2006, several people gathered at Georgia Brown’s apartment above the “Wishin’ Well” bar in Amarillo, Texas. Amongst those in attendance were Georgia Brown and her daughter Melissa Ann Brown. Both ladies’ paramours were also present: Johnny Gonzales was Melissa’s boyfriend, and Richard Paige, also known as (a/k/a) “Astro” was engaged to Georgia. The crowd also included, at various times, a “Samantha” as well as “Uncle Ray-Ray” and Larry Terry. Donovan Graves (a/k/a “Frog”) was also there.
At some point during the evening, Melissa came into the room and observed what appeared to be Astro on the floor straddling her mother, and according to her observation, it appeared that Astro was striking Georgia about the head and shoulders with a vodka bottle, although Georgia herself indicated it did not hurt, and Frog said it just looked like they were playing.
Nevertheless, at that point Astro, who always carried a little sheath-knife on his belt, was ejected from the premises, with a blanket and pillow in order to “cool off.”
Melissa and Johnny left to get cigarettes. While they were gone, at some point Astro re-entered the apartment and observed Georgia sitting on Larry’s lap:
Q: Did anything happen suddenly then while you were talking to Larry?
A: Yeah. I was sitting on his lap, and then he pushed me on the floor. That is when Astro came through the door. His eyes got big, he pushed me on the floor, and Astro stabbed him.
Q: Where did he stab him?
A: In his shoulder, I think, right here (pointing). I mean, right here (pointing).
Q: By that, you are referring to this part of the shoulder (pointing)?
A: Yeah, I think. Right around there. I am not exactly sure.
Q: Did Astro say anything before he came in?
A: uh-uh. I didn’t even know he was in there until I seen him come up after Larry.
Q: What happened after he stabbed Larry?
A: Larry stood up. And then he pushed him in the floor in the kitchen. And then he started screaming. And then he started to stab him. And I tried to grab the knife, and it cut my hand. And then I screamed. And then he – I didn’t see him stab him no more. He just got up and ran out the door. I didn’t know if he left down the stairs or what.
Q: When you say he ran out the door, he ran out the door down the stairs?
A: Yeah.
Q: What did you do then?
A: I didn’t know whether to go down the stairs. So I went to the window and jumped out of the window and ran over to Wanda Sue’s and told her to call the police and ambulance, because he stabbed him.
Astro fled the scene and eventually encountered Frog:
A: And then the next morning his hand was cut and all. Looked like a knife folded on him. And I told him, “You’ve got to get rid of your clothes. You’ve got to get out of town.” And I went and seen that tape. I go – I go, “Hmm. Something’s happened.” There is police tape all over the parking lot and all. And then when I told him, he goes, “Hell, I could have killed him.” And I told him I didn’t want no names or nothing. I didn’t even know what we were talking about at the time.
Q: When did he tell you this?
A: That morning when I went – when he woke – you know, got up and asked him where he slept. Because I didn’t see him. He said he ended up sleeping behind the couch. See, he woke me up after he stabbed – and came and woke me up. And I told him, “Well, go ahead and crash on the couch.” And I fell back out. Right after the altercation with him and Terry, he told me he had stabbed him.
The victim, Larry Terry, received two stab wounds to the chest, one of which was fatal, stab wounds to the forearm and thigh, an incised wound to the hand, and blunt force injuries. Petitioner was subsequently arrested behind a convenience store several blocks away.
In a statement given to the police upon his arrest, petitioner averred it was “a shock” when he entered the apartment, and that he “blanked out” and basically did not remember what happened next. Petitioner stated he remembered:
[R]olling around on the kitchen floor with the man. It was my knife. Georgia was trying to get the knife too. I think she did end up with the knife. I think she was going to stab me. She didn’t stab me but I remember her having the knife in her hand. I grabbed the knife out of her hand and it cut her hand. The guy is still in the kitchen but I was concerned with Georgia. I said I’m going to call an ambulance. From the time I saw her sitting on that man it was a blank spot in my mind. I was wrestling around and we were fighting to get control of the knife. He must have been fighting after he was stabbed, I don’t know when. . . . Apparently I stabbed this guy but I don’t remember. It’s got to be me that did it. Georgia didn’t have a reason to stab him. I don’t have a memory. Georgia could have stabbed the man when she was trying to stab me. I don’t remember everything that happen[ed].