What happened to the fourth person, presumably a teen? Or were neighbors mistaken about the number of people who showed up in an angry mood at the Russell house that night?
A press release about the charges against Russell made no mention of the teens or the hit-and-run accident. At a news conference the next day, Shelby County Sheriff spokesman John Samaniego downplayed the role of the accident:
A hit-and-run accident Monday night near Russell's house may not have been connected to the death. The preliminary theory is the hit-and-run and the death had nothing to do with each other, Samaniego said.
By the time the trial began, however, the accident was a key part of the narrative. And the number of teens had dropped from four to three. Two of the teens--Andrew Stone and Robert "Bo" Montiel--testified at the trial. The third teen was identified as Stone's younger sister.
News reports have said little about motive in the killing. Katherine reportedly was a straight-A student who was very fond of Russell and regarded him as a father figure. Russell apparently was at a stressful point in his life. A home builder, his business had suffered during the Bush recession, and his landlord had started eviction proceedings. A former girlfriend testified that Russell had a serious drinking problem.
But murder is about the intentional taking of a life. And we have seen pretty much no information that indicates Ryan Russell had a reason to intentionally kill Katherine Gillespie. Janet Adwell, a parent of one of Katherine's friends, said Russell appeared to be deeply involved in Katherine's life:
Adwell is baffled because the man charged with Katherine's murder, Ryan Russell, her legal guardian and adopted cousin, is someone Adwell trusted and admired.
"Definitely the type of man you'd let your child be around and not think anything of it," Janet Adwell said.
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