LITTLE ROCK — The capital murder trial of Abdulhakim Muhammad is under way. Check back for updates throughout the day.
12:35 p.m. update - Injured shooting victim, mother of slain victim testify
A soldier injured in a shooting attack outside a Little Rock recruiting station and the mother of a soldier who was killed there were among the first witnesses to testify in the Abdulhakim Muhammad capital murder trial.
Muhammad could face the death penalty if convicted of the June 1, 2009 attack, which he has repeatedly admitted perpetrating in retaliation for U.S. policy in the Middle East. Muhammad's defense team is arguing he was delusional and should be found not guilty by reason of mental disorder or defect.
Janet Long testified Wednesday that she had dropped off her son, Pvt. William "Andy" Long, at the recruiting station that morning and was waiting for him in the car in a nearby parking space when she heard gunshots.
"I kind of ducked and I looked over and I saw the black truck," she said, referring to a vehicle Muhammad is alleged to have shot from. "It took awhile to realize it was Andy on the ground ... I was looking for Andy's face in the crowd of faces. I think you don't want to know that's your son."
Long said she couldn't get to him at first, but learned a short time later at the hospital that her son had died from his injuries.
The gunfire also injured Pvt. Quinton Ezeagwula, who testified after Janet Long that he and Andy Long were on a smoke break when the black truck pulled up and one of the windows was lowered.
Ezeagwula said he heard talking he couldn't make out from the vehicle and then saw an assault rifle.
"I've been to basic training - I saw a weapon," Ezeagwula said. "I was smoking a cigarette and the next thing I know, it's firing off. Numerous times."
Ezeagwula was hit by bullet fragments in the head, back and buttocks. He said he tried to run away but fell, playing dead until he saw the black truck pulling away.
He then made it inside the recruiting station, where personnel began administering first aid.
"I was like 'I think I got shot,'" Ezeagwula said. "And then I fell on the ground."
Ezeagwula told the jurors he still has shrapnel in his head and has had to undergo multiple surgeries. He now walks with a limp, though he says he tries to hide it because he "plays it cool."
Muhammad sat between his two attorneys across the room from the jury as testimony began. He leaned back in his chair, his hand against his face and his eyes shifting much of the time between the witness and the attorney as the questioning continued. Other times, he looked down.
Testimony began with Kenny Baer, a Little Rock police officer who described being dispatched to the shooting and whose patrol car recorded video of the response. Jurors watched several minutes of the video, which showed responders attending to Andy Long.
The trial has broken for lunch with testimony scheduled to pick back up at 1:30 p.m.
-Gavin Lesnick
10:38 a.m. - Muhammad 'delusional,' defense claims
Abdulhakim Muhammad was "delusional" when he fatally shot one soldier and injured another and therefore shouldn't be found guilty of murder, one of his defense attorneys said Wednesday during opening statements.
Patrick Benca told jurors Muhammad became increasingly withdrawn after he turned 18, studied various religions and ultimately converted to Islam. Family members tried to help, but Muhammad, born Carlos Bledsoe, drifted away from his relatives and friends.
"What (they) didn't know, is he's suffering from this disorder at the time," Benca said, promising jurors that a doctor with "impeccable" credentials would testify to Muhammad's delusional state of mind.
"He's no defensive hack," Benca said of the witness. "... If you believe him, you will be able to do nothing other than find him not guilty by reason of mental defect."
Benca acknowledged that Muhammad killed Pvt. William Long and injured Pvt. Quinton Ezeagwula in the June 1, 2009 attack.
"It was horrible," Benca said. "It made me pray for the families, no question about that. But what it didn't tell, it didn't tell the whole story."
Benca's opening statement followed one by Pulaski County Prosecutor Larry Jegley, who said jurors would hear and see statements Muhammad made the day of the attack showing he was sane.
"You're going to be able to take the claim of mental disorder and defect and you're going to be able to compare it to real time," Jegley said. "... This man was not suffering a mental disorder and even if he was, and I'm not conceding that he did, it wasn't a substantial amount. He wasn't grossly impaired."
Muhammad didn't speak during the statements, which combined lasted about an hour. He said between his defense attorneys, leaning back in his chair and resting his face against his hand.
- Gavin Lesnick
10 a.m. - Opening statements begin
Opening statements have begun in the murder trial of Abdulhakim Muhammad with prosecutors urging jurors to remember the victims of the shooting Muhammad is accused of perpetrating.
"This is why we're here," Pulaski County Prosecutor Larry Jegley said, holding up a photo of Pvt. William Long, who was killed in the attack. "This is a son, a brother and a friend who died fighting for the United States Army."
Muhammad, born Carlos Bledsoe, is accused of fatally shooting Long and injuring another soldier outside a west Little Rock recruiting station. The 26-year-old Muhammad has claimed in letters to the media and court that he coordinated the June 1, 2009 attack in response to U.S. policy in the Middle East.
Muhammad has tried unsuccessfully to represent himself instead of his two defense attorneys, who are pursuing an innocent by mental disease or defect defense despite Muhammad claiming hae was sane when he carried out the shooting. The attorneys acknowledged during jury selection that Muhammad pulled the trigger, killing Long and wounding Pvt. Quinton Ezeagwula
Wednesday marked the third day of Muhammad's trial after two days of jury selection.
- Gavin Lesnick
6:35 a.m. - Abdulhakim Muhammad arrives at court
The man charged with killing a U.S. Army soldier and wounding another outside a recruiting station in Little Rock has arrived at the courthouse for the start of his murder trial.
Abdulhakim Muhammad was escorted into Pulaski County Circuit Court about 6 a.m. Wednesday.
Opening statements are expected Wednesday morning after a 12-member jury and two alternates were seated for the case on Tuesday.
The 26-year-old Muhammad is charged in the June 1, 2009, shooting death of Pvt. William Long and the wounding of the second soldier outside the recruiting office in west Little. Rock. Muhammad has claimed he had ties to al-Qaida and told The Associated Press the shooting was in retaliation for U.S. military action in the Middle East.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
- The Associated Press
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