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Richard Andrew Pratt admitted the crime, says a woman who dated him.
By CARY DAVIS, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published January 10, 2002
NEW PORT RICHEY -- Prosecutors wrapped up their case Wednesday against a man accused of killing his mother, calling witnesses to testify that Richard Andrew Pratt admitted the murder and then ordered them to help him cover up the crime.
The defense also rested Wednesday. Pratt's attorneys called no witnesses, choosing instead to attack the prosecution's case through cross-examination.
Closing arguments are set for 9:30 a.m today. Pratt, 21, is charged with first-degree murder and could get the death penalty if convicted.
On Tuesday, defense attorney Sam Williams grilled Eric Iranpur, the state's key witness, about his involvement in the murder of 50-year-old Suerita Pratt, who was shot in the head at point-blank range as she slept on June 24, 1998. In his opening statement, Williams even suggested that Iranpur, 22, might be the killer.
On Wednesday, Williams went after Iranpur again, but not directly. Instead, Williams attacked Iranpur through the testimony of another state witness, 21-year-old Christina Achinelli.
Achinelli is important to the prosecution's case because she testified Wednesday that Pratt told her of his plan to kill his mother, and then admitted the crime after the deed was done.
But she also is important to the defense's case because of her relationships with both Pratt and Iranpur: She dated both of them in the weeks leading up to the murder. That led to tension, Achinelli said on cross-examination, and at one point Iranpur threatened to fight Pratt. Achinelli also said that Iranpur abused her verbally and threatened violence. At one point, she said, she was afraid of Iranpur.
Prosecutor Mike Halkitis tried unsuccessfully to keep that evidence out, arguing that it was irrelevant. At the same time, Halkitis acknowledged to the judge that he knew where the defense was going. The defense, Halkitis suggested, was trying to show jurors that Achinelli was so afraid of Iranpur that she might be willing to help him frame Pratt for murder.
Williams ended his cross-examination of Achinelli by asking: "Did Eric ever tell you he shot Mrs. Pratt?"
Replied Achinelli: "No, he said Richard did it."
Achinelli testified later Wednesday that her fear of the soft-spoken Iranpur quickly passed. But after the murder, she said, she became terrified of Pratt.
"He was going to kill me if I said anything" to authorities about the murder, Achinelli said.
The defense offered no evidence in two days of testimony to support the assertion that Iranpur might have killed Mrs. Pratt.
Prosecutors say Pratt killed his mother because she did not approve of his girlfriend. The defense did not offer a possible motive for why Iranpur might have wanted Mrs. Pratt dead.
Essentially, the defense attorneys' case depends on whether they were able to damage Iranpur's credibility to the point where jurors have reasonable doubt about Pratt's guilt.
Iranpur testified Tuesday that he was at Mrs. Pratt's New Port Richey home when she was killed. He said he watched Pratt enter the house carring a .22-caliber rifle. Moments later, he testified, he heard a shot ring out.
But on cross-examination, Iranpur admitted that he had previously lied under oath about some of the things he did and saw on the night of the murder.