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Hartsfield's Lawyer Grills State Witness

After One Week, Prosecution Rests; Defense Begins

POSTED: Tuesday, November 3, 2009
UPDATED: 6:57 pm EST November 3, 2009

A jury spent Monday listening intently to a secretly recorded tape of profanities, music and muddled conversation that prosecutors claim to be their best evidence in the trial of a man charged with the attempted murder of a Jacksonville Jaguars player. Tuesday, the defense team began to attack the credibility of the man who made the recording.

Tyrone Hartsfield is accused in the Sept. 2, 2008, shooting of offensive lineman Richard Collier outside a Riverside apartment building. Collier survived being shot 14 times, but remains paralyzed from the waist down, and his left leg was amputated.

Prosecutors said Hartsfield was bent on revenge when he shot the football player, who had knocked him out in a bar fight several months before the shooting.

The state's chief witness is Stephfan Wilson, who testified earlier that he sat inside Hartsfield's car after they had followed Collier from a nightclub and heard the shots fired, agreed to record a conversation with Hartsfield.

Looking to undermine Wilson's credibility, defense attorneys argued Tuesday that Wilson has repeatedly lied to police, has a drug problem and is after money.

Tyrone Hartsfield in court Tuesday
Tyrone Hartsfield in court on Tuesday.
Prosecutors argued that even though Wilson initially lied to police, he eventually came clean.

"No, (Hartsfield)'s not an innocent man," Wilson said on the stand. "I'm not making this up about him."

Wilson did admit in court Tuesday that he is an ex-con, that he's on probation and that he doesn't want to go back to prison. Defense attorneys said those three things serve as additional motivation for Wilson to provide false testimony.

Wilson, 39, was on the stand Monday as prosecutors played hours of a recording of his conversation with Hartsfield. Police persuaded Wilson to wear a recording device after they showed him records that he and Hartsfield had six cell phone calls the night of the shooting.

"The only thing they got on me is you," Hartsfield said. "... They ain't got nobody to take that stand. They ain't got no case. They ain't hardly got no other witnesses."

Wilson laid out the crime in one of his conversations with Hartsfield.

"Yeah, I rode with you. ... But I ain't pull no trigger. I didn't have no beef with this man," Wilson said.

In the tape, Wilson explains several times that he is on federal probation and could go back to prison for a bank robbery conviction.

Stefan Wilson cross examined
Stephfan Wilson began his third day on the stand Tuesday as the defense attorney began its cross examination.
"We got to get our story straight," Hartsfield says.

A few minutes later, Hartsfield states, "They ain't got nothin', they aren't gonna have nothin'."

Hartsfield's defense team asked Wilson more about his history as a convicted felon, said they had proof he had previously lied to police and asked why he did nothing to stop Hartsfield from shooting Collier. The lawyers also suggested that Wilson cooperated with police because he was trying to get the reward money being offered for Hartsfield's conviction.

Much of the audio tape is unintelligible. Music plays in the background and it is often difficult to distinguish who is talking.

The judge, prosecutors, defense attorneys and jurors are following on 123-page transcripts, but even those were unclear.

Wilson testified that Hartsfield became suspicious and asked him if he was wearing a wire. Wilson said he unbuttoned his shirt to show he wasn't.

The tapes were made the day Hartsfield was arrested on a charge of attempted murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

"They can't implicate you and say you was there. Without me being there, they can't do nothing to you," Wilson told Hartsfield.

After the cross examination of Wilson continue, prosecutors called one other witness, then rested. The defense began presenting its case midafternoon Tuesday.

The trial began on Oct. 26 and Judge Mallory Cooper was hoping it could be completed this week.

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