WOODLAND — A Woodland murder case is headed for trial, and it will be up to a jury to decide whether accused killer Stefon Clifford Ceaser acted with premeditation or in self-defense.
Attorneys argued both theories Friday during the final day of Ceaser’s preliminary hearing on charges stemming from the March 15 shooting death of Anthony “Shrimp” Bosser, 23, who died following a scuffle with Ceaser at a Woodland residence.
Yolo Superior Court Judge David Rosenberg said while he heard “pretty strong evidence that might lead to self-defense in this case,” he also noted crucial time had passed between the fight and when Ceaser carried out the fatal shooting.
“He did have time to get a weapon. He did have time to reflect,” Rosenberg said.
Ceaser, 30, has pleaded not guilty to the charges, including murder, unlawful possession of a firearm and vehicle theft.
He previously had been indicted by the Yolo County grand jury in the case, but prosecutors dismissed the indictment in August after learning of a “technical error” at the secret proceeding, where the prosecution selected the grand jury foreperson instead of the court.
That paved the way for Ceaser’s preliminary hearing, where a judge determines whether there is sufficient evidence for a case to proceed to the trial stage. Conducted over several days during the past month, the hearing concluded Friday with testimony from Bosser’s uncle Tony Mares, who accompanied Bosser to the house where the fight ensued.
Shooting recalled
Mares previously testified before the grand jury that he and Bosser had been drinking that evening, and decided to confront Ceaser at a mutual friend’s house over messages Ceaser allegedly sent to Mares’ 13-year-old niece. Bosser parked his truck on the front lawn at the house, located on the corner of Beamer and West streets.
On Friday, Mares recalled that the fight between Bosser and Ceaser began outside the house and moved inside, where “the next thing I know, (Ceaser) has a knife, swinging it around.”
Ceaser’s public defender, Richard Van Zandt, contends in court documents that Bosser initiated the altercation by pulling Ceaser’s shirt over his head so that he couldn’t see, although he was able to grab the kitchen knife and injure both Bosser and Mares.
At some point the fight broke up and Ceaser fled from the house, using Bosser’s truck to drive from the scene. Mares said he and Bosser were walking southbound along West Street when Ceaser pulled up behind them about 15 minutes later.
“We both back up and turn. We assume he’s getting out to fight again,” Mares said, noting that Ceaser first circled behind the truck. “By the time he’s coming around from behind the truck, he’s already got the gun pulled out and he’s pointing it at my nephew.”
“I remember hearing a couple gunshots,” Mares continued. “That was when I realized my nephew wasn’t backing up anymore. I saw his two feet on the ground, and that was when I realized my nephew got hit.”
First responders reported finding an open pocketknife under Bosser’s body at the shooting scene. Van Zandt has claimed it shows Bosser, who was highly intoxicated and had both cocaine and anabolic steroids in his system, posed a continued threat to Ceaser by intending to attack him again.
“I’ve never seen a case with more provocation than this,” Van Zandt told Rosenberg, seeking a reduction of his client’s murder charge. “Let a jury decide if Mr. Ceaser is guilty or not guilty of manslaughter.”
Premeditation or self-defense?
Prosecutor Preston Schaub saw things differently, arguing that Ceaser’s actions after the fight demonstrated clear evidence of premeditation.
Schaub noted that although Ceaser had reached a point of safety after leaving the fight in Bosser’s truck, he made several calls to Bosser’s mother, telling her “I’m going to get a gun and shoot him.” A couple more calls were placed to Ceaser’s friend Marques Tezeno, who prosecutors believe provided Ceaser with the alleged murder weapon.
(Tezeno testified in court Friday that he happened upon the shooting scene that night but did not give Ceaser a gun, and that the calls he received from Ceaser were accidental “pocket dials.” He has not been charged in the case.)
After the shooting, Ceaser reportedly dumped the gun and his clothing — both pointing to consciousness of guilt, Schaub said. Following his arrest the next day, Ceaser was recorded talking to an undercover law-enforcement informant who told Ceaser that the killing “sounds like self-defense.”
“Yeah, it would have to be,” Ceaser replied, “like he needs to make others believe that it is in order not to be convicted in this case,” Schaub argued.
“When you put all that together, that has more than just the potential for premeditation,” Schaub added. “I think that’s persuasive.”
In his ruling, Rosenberg declined to lessen Ceaser’s murder charge to voluntary manslaughter, though he reduced the vehicle theft count from a felony to a misdemeanor.
The judge said while he “certainly heard evidence of provocation of Mr. Ceaser,” the element of premeditation is not out of the question.
“Premeditation can take a long time and it can take a very short time. Premeditation can take even a matter of seconds,” Rosenberg said. “Did the victim come at the defendant with a knife just before the shooting occurred? That is a question the jury will have to sort out.”
— Reach Lauren Keene at lkeene@davisenterprise.net or 530-747-8048. Follow her on Twitter at @laurenkeene