JANESVILLE, Wis. — Testimony continued Thursday in the trial of a Wisconsin Badgers football player charged with the 2020 murders of two Janesville women.
Marcus Randle El, 36, faces two felony charges of first-degree intentional homicide as well as felony weapons-related charges in the shooting deaths of 27-year-old Brittany N. McAdory and 30-year-old Seairaha J. Winchester. He has pleaded not guilty.
An employee and manager of the Bucky’s gas station in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, testified Thursday. In their testimony, surveillance footage shows a man entering the Bucky’s gas station in the early morning hours of February 10, 2020.
The employee who testified, Moshae Chambliss, said he was the employee in the footage interacting with the man who came into the gas station.
“He came in and said ‘I need help. I need gas money. I’m lost and stranded.’” Chambliss testified. “I gave him gas money. At first, I was hesitant to give him gas money because I’m not just handing out money to anybody.”
When asked if he could identify the man as Randle El, Chambliss said he wasn’t able to do so as he couldn’t remember much from the events of that night.
In the surveillance video, Chambliss tells the man who entered the store that he had blood on his hands. When the defense asked Chambliss about this interaction, he said he wasn’t harmed by the interaction.
“That could mean anything to me,” Chambliss said while referencing one of his interactions with Randle El.
Jeffery Jacoby, a retired officer with the Janesville Police Department, gave his testimony as autopsy photos were shown. Jacoby said the photos were of McAdory and Winchester. He testified that copper bullet casings were found in Winchester’s body.
Family and friends of the victims in the courtroom responded to the autopsy photos through tears and tight grasps, holding each other.
Medical examiner Vincent Tranchida, who also gave his testimony Thursday, shared with the courtroom that both victims died of gunshot wounds, suggesting a .40 caliber pistol as the weapon.
Most of the afternoon of the trial included testimony from friends and family of the two victims.
Faith Nickel, a friend of Winchester’s, described a time in January 2020 when she says she saw Randle El be physical toward Winchester.
“He grabbed the pills in her chest area,” Nickel testified. “He was crazy and angry.”
The defense questioned Nickel, asking her about instances where Winchester had been violent. In her testimony, the defense asked Nickel about a time when her tires were slashed. Nickel said she believed Winchester was the one who slashed her tires.
Gabrielle Rodriguez, a friend of Winchester and Randle El, also took to the stand on Thursday. She said she heard a phone call between Winchester and Randle El.
On the call, she said he yelled at Winchester and threatened to kill her. She references Randle El as “El Boogie.”
“You could see it on her face she was scared,” said Rodriguez. “I heard was El Boogie yelling at Sierra, cussing her out and even threatened to kill her.”
The state provided Rodriguez a part of the surveillance footage from the Hoffman Estates Bucky’s gas station shown earlier in court. Rodriguez said she recognized the man in the video as Randle El, something that hadn’t been stated in testimony until that moment.
The judge said court will resume Friday at 8:30 a.m.
News 3 Now’s Kathryn Merck is live Tweeting every day of the trial. You can keep up with her on Twitter at @KathrynMerckTV.
MORE TRIAL COVERAGE:
- Police officers testify in double murder trial of former Badgers wide receiver
- Trial underway for former Badgers wide receiver charged in Janesville womens’ murders
COPYRIGHT 2022 BY CHANNEL 3000. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
