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CHRISTOPHER GOFFARD and GRAHAM BRINKThe friend's attorney says hit-run suspect Jennifer Porter told him in a frantic phone call that a body hit her car's windshield: "Bam!"
TAMPA - When Jennifer Porter called home that night, she was in hysterics. The call interrupted dinner at her parents' Land O'Lakes house. Porter's mom was there. So was Kurt Doiron, the boyfriend of Porter's sister.
Friday, Doiron told investigators what Jennifer Porter said to him on the phone in the immediate aftermath of the March 31 hit-and-run that killed two brothers.
"She said that a body flew at the windshield and that it was "Bam!', that it just happened," his attorney Tracy Sheehan told the Times later Friday. "And she kept repeating that. "Bam!' The body was there."
Doiron told investigators Porter was "absolutely hysterical and absolutely beside herself," Sheehan said. She said Lillian Porter tried to calm down her daughter. That night, she stayed in Jennifer's room with her.
Doiron's testimony is a boon to prosecutors building a case against Porter for fleeing the N 22nd Street crash. It does not appear, however, to advance a possible case against her on charges of vehicular homicide, because it leaves ambiguous what precise role she played in the crash: Did her Toyota Echo hit one or more of the children as they crossed the street, or did another car - as yet unfound - throw them into her path?
Doiron, 24, is the boyfriend of Porter's sister Kelly, and has lived at the Land O'Lakes house for seven months, his lawyer said.
Doiron told investigators he did not know Jennifer Porter to drink or use drugs.
"He has only seen her drink one glass of wine in the three years he's known her, at a Carrabba's (Italian Grill) once," Sheehan said. "She's not a drinker or a drugger."
Killed in the crash were Bryant Wilkins, 13, and his 3-year-old brother Durontae Caldwell. Their sister, 8-year-old Aquina Wilkins, and her brother, LaJuan Davis, 2, were injured.
Also on Friday, investigators questioned Porter's sister about her knowledge of the crash. Thursday night, the Hillsborough Sheriff's Office conducted speed-and-braking tests with a Toyota Echo as part of its investigation.
While some people have pressed for Porter's arrest, Tom Parnell, the lawyer for the victims' mother, Lisa Wilkins, said he is satisfied that State Attorney Mark Ober is carefully marshaling evidence.
Parnell said Friday he and Wilkins met with Ober to discuss the case. "They're not going to move this thing any faster than the evidence will allow," Parnell said. "We're in full agreement with that. I think they should have most of the evidence in by next week."
He said the delay owes to questions about whether there is enough for a vehicular homicide charge against Porter. The charge of "leaving the scene involving a fatality is a no-brainer at this point," Parnell said.
Meanwhile, Porter's attorney, Barry Cohen, is gathering ammunition for a possible attempt to oust Hillsborough Judge Walter Heinrich from the case. For the second time in a week, Cohen's law firm filed a public records request asking for information about Heinrich's employment status.
Heinrich was elected as a county court judge. But since 1989 he has been paid extra for performing some duties of a higher-ranking circuit court judge, including emergency court hearings like the one in Jennifer Porter's case.
Last week, Heinrich gave Cohen a public dressing-down when Porter's parents appeared in Heinrich's court to discuss whether they would answer investigators' questions.
At the time, another lawyer represented Porter's parents. Cohen was there, too, and stood up to address the judge. Heinrich cut him off. "Not now, Mr. Cohen. This does not involve you," the judge said.
Cohen persisted: "My client (Jennifer Porter) is the reason we're here."
"Sit down, Mr. Cohen," Heinrich ordered. "I'll call you if I need you."
Later, after a recess, Cohen tried to get back into the courtroom.
"No," Heinrich told a courtroom official. "Don't open that door. Do not let him in here before (the Porters' lawyer) comes in with his clients. We don't have enough room in here anyway."
Cohen said Friday the records requests were not in retaliation for the rebuke. He said the case simply gave him the opportunity to watch how Heinrich handles his courtroom. Cohen described Heinrich's demeanor as "disrespectful" and "rude."
"And the law does not permit him to act as a de facto circuit judge," Cohen said.
Cohen said he has heard from other lawyers who thanked him for speaking out. Cohen speculated that many of the lawyers who appear in front of Heinrich never speak out because they are afraid to anger him.
"I don't need him, and I don't care if he doesn't like me," Cohen said.
Cohen may file a motion to remove Heinrich from any further dealings with the Porter case, though he noted that Heinrich's role in the case will likely be limited in the future.
If Porter is arrested, she could be bailed out of jail without ever appearing in front of Heinrich. If charged with a felony, which is likely, her case would be handled by one of the circuit judges, not Heinrich.
"This does not have anything to do with Jennifer Porter," Cohen said. "He's allowed to act the way he acts because no one holds him accountable for it."
- Times staff writer Shannon Colavecchio-Van Sickler contributed to this report. Christopher Goffard can be reached at 226-3337 or goffard@sptimes.com