The woman who allegedly started a rumor that may have led to the shooting death of Naressa Turner last October testified Monday that her own life was at risk.
"Have you ever been scared of anybody related to this case?" asked defense attorney Murad Mohammad, who is representing murder suspect Joseph H. Campbell, whose trial is in its second week.
"In the beginning I was," said LeShae Jones, Turner's former friend and roommate.
Turner's sister has testified that last summer Jones said on Facebook that Turner set up the February 2012 murder of Dominic Neeley, whom police identified as a member of the East Side Boyz gang. Turner, 20, fled to Georgia when threats against her escalated. When she returned to St. Paul, she was fatally shot in an alley in the 900 block of Reaney Avenue.
Police believe that her slaying was motivated by retaliation and that it was connected to a long-running feud between the East Side Boyz and the Selby Siders gangs. Police identify Campbell, 20, as a member of the East Side Boyz, while Jones testified that Turner had been affiliated with both gangs.
Mohammad, who has tried to raise skepticism about the credibility of prosecutors' witnesses, asked Jones if she was currently receiving threats.
"Yeah, I'm getting threats," said Jones. She added that they were "all different types of threats" coming from Selby Siders and "numerous people."
The violence surrounding the case has had a far reach. A juror was dismissed last week after she received a phone call at home from a known gang member, although it's unclear if it was connected to the trial. In a video of his police interview played in court Monday, Campbell said his friend's house was set ablaze after Turner's killing. The friend, Antonio Freeman, was with Campbell the day of Turner's death, Jones testified.
