Beebe: 'covering up major mistake'

PAW PAW, Mich. (WOOD) - During a taped interview with Michigan State Police Detective Sgt. Diane Oppenheim that was played at his double-murder trial, Junior Beebe Jr. said "I still can't believe it happened."

After a mid-afternoon recess, Oppenheim, who interviewed Beebe about the case at the end of January - just days after the killings -  said he claimed to be Amy Henslee's drug supplier. When confronted with blood evidence, she quoted Beebe as saying, "I know what happened to Amy."

While waiting for the interview to begin, defense attorney David Hunt said Beebe was "sobbing" for several minutes before speaking with the detectives in late January.

On the taped interview, Beebe told the detective he knew Amy was dead, and that Amy and Tonya Howarth began feuding after Tonya walked into the trailer and saw them together.

During the interview, Beebe said, "I didn't know what to do," and admitted he "tried to clean it all up." He said "nobody knew" about the killings, and "covering it up was the major mistake."

Then he told Oppenheim, "I wanted to shoot myself, but I couldn't do that. I had to be there for my kid."

"I should have just called 911," he said.

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Morning Testimony:

Amy Henslee had bruises to her neck and chin that occurred around the time of her death from a shotgun blast, consistent with her being assaulted with a blunt object before she was shot to death, Dr. Stephen Cohle testified Thursday in the trial of Junior Beebe Jr.

Beebe is accused of killing Henslee, 30, and Tonya Howarth in January, then burying them behind a trailer on Bangor Township property owned by Beebe's family.

Cohle, the Kent County medical examiner who helps other counties at times, also said Henslee's body had "blunt injury, in the form of scrapes and bruises." There were also significant injuries observed on and around one of Henslee's arms.

He also said Beebe's claim that he and Howarth were struggling over the gun is "highly unlikely". Beebe maintains Howarth shot Henslee in a jealous rage and then he shot Howarth after a struggle.

Prosecutors also displayed a mock-up of the trailer where Henslee and Howarth were shot to death.

The courtroom trailer mock-up will poke holes in Beebe's defense, prosecutors say, as well as the expected testimony of the medical examiner.

In early afternoon, the Bangor city treasurer said he saw Tonya Howarth the day she died when she came into their office and paid a dog ordinance fine.

Then Phillip Beebe, Junior's uncle, took the stand and said he owned the property where the shootings took place.

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In the first day of testimony, Henslee's husband, James, talked about the day his wife went missing. Two police officers and Henslee's neighbor also took the stand, as did Beebe's mother, Karen.

She testified she dropped Howarth off at the property where she was killed, and that she had contact with her son after the shootings but before the bodies were found two days later.

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