There were three people in the trailer when Brandon Cook was shot on Oct. 20, 2015. One is dead. The second is on trial. The third spoke from the stand Monday as the second week of Christopher Strawn’s murder trial got under way in Juneau Superior Court.
Strawn, 33, allegedly shot Cook in the back of the head inside Tiffany Albertson’s trailer.
Albertson testified she was paying Strawn to help her renovate the trailer in Kodzoff Acres.
The day of the fatal shooting, Albertson woke up late and ran errands before going to Safeway to help Cook jump-start his truck, she said.
Cook had planned to help her paint the ceilings and some of the rooms of the trailer, Albertson said, adding that Strawn was working at the trailer when they got there.
“At first he seemed like he normally was,” she said.
Albertson testified that Strawn began telling them he had gone on a dump run but kept a wooden sign, which said something to the effect of “God bless this home,” that he didn’t want to throw away.
“He seemed upset because the person didn’t want to take it,” she said. “He asked us if we believed in God.”
Strawn left, ostensibly to get some materials, around 9:30 p.m., according to texts sent by Albertson to her fiance.
“When he came back, he was acting strange,” she said. “That was when he was fidgeting around. He was rambling on, I was kind of tuning him out.”
Strawn apologized for venting, she said, telling her that he gotten into an argument with his girlfriend.
Albertson said she gave Cook a “look” and they started cleaning up so they could leave.
Cook went to the kitchen sink to begin washing the brushes and the spray paint gun while Albertson continued painting a wall, she said, adding that it was a little after 10 p.m.
Strawn started complaining that it was cold, and said he was going outside to check the oil tank because one of the lines might be clogged. The radio was playing and it was on pretty loud. Albertson testified, her voice beginning to waver.
She said her back was to Cook when “all I heard was ‘F—k it, there is no God,’ then I heard a really loud boom.”
Startled, Albertson said she “jumped,” initially thinking it might have been fireworks.
As she turned, Albertson saw Cook look at her before he fell straight back, landing on the floor.
“I was screaming, ‘What did you do?’” she testified. “I looked back at Brandon and I could tell he was gone, with all the blood that was pouring out.”
Strawn “freaked out for a split second, almost like he didn’t realize what he did,” Albertson said.
According to Albertson, he arched his back and put one hand to his head, saying “What did I do?” before telling her, “Don’t worry, I don’t have to kill you too,” before he took off.
Albertson testified that she could see that Strawn was holding a gun with his other hand, which was tucked inside his jacket. She described the weapon as seeming a little short in the buttstock, almost like a pistol grip.
She did not have any doubt it was Strawn when she turned and saw the shooter, and had no doubt he was holding a gun, she said.
Albertson described running for her cell phone and then hiding while on the line with the dispatch operator, saying,“I was afraid he would come back. I thought he was going to kill me.”
On cross-examination, defense attorney Eve Soutiere questioned Albertson’s description of Strawn as having a goatee, showing the jury a photo of the defendant with stubble but without any longer facial hair.
Detective details searches of trailers
Juneau Police Det. Sterling Salisbury testified Monday regarding the searches conducted at Albertson’s trailer and at Strawn’s trailer. He said he also conducted a canvas of the neighborhood that night, with no result.
At the murder scene, Salisbury said, a number of tools and other items were found in various rooms that belonged to Strawn. He testified they also found a job application filled out by Strawn.
Salisbury testified that some footsteps were found next to the steps that lead up to the kitchen, about 7 to 10 feet from Cook’s body.
He said he made at least seven trips between the two trailers through the greenbelt, searching unsuccessfully for the murder weapon.
At Strawn’s trailer, Salisbury said, searchers found one spent 12-gauge shell casing and two unspent shells in different locations, as well as two pieces of gun buttstock. They also located a pair of boots that were damp, as well as a pair of black pants that were soaked all the way through and were covered with mud.
Salisbury characterized the trailer as “in complete disarray,” full of junk and weeks-old food.
The detective said that someone searched underneath the trailer, but could not recall if photos were taken of that crawl space. He also testified that he checked to see if the side door could be opened, but could not remember if it was locked at the time.
Strawn has been charged with first-degree and second-degree murder, manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, third-degree assault and weapons misconduct. His trial resumes this morning and is expected to last into next week.
Reporter Liz Kellar can be reached at 523-2246 and at liz.kellar@juneauempire.com.
