One of three boys accused in the fatal shooting of an Australian baseball player last summer says his friends believed the gun used in the crime contained only blanks.
James Francis Edwards Jr. agreed to testify against his co-defendants if prosecutors reduce charges against him. He told an Oklahoma judge Tuesday that 16-year-old Chancey Luna shot and killed Christopher Lane from a car driven by 18-year-old Michael Dewayne Jones.
Edwards, who also is 16, said he was rolling marijuana cigarettes in the front passenger seat when Luna shot at Lane from the back seat. He said that when they stopped at a restaurant later, he heard Luna say there were supposed to be blanks in the gun, not a live round.
Prosecutors added an accessory charge against Edwards on Tuesday.
_______________________________
KGOU is a community-supported news organization and relies on contributions from readers and listeners to fulfill its mission of public service to Oklahoma and beyond. Donate online, or by contacting our Membership department.
