A brutal family massacre that stunned an Alameda neighborhood last summer is now headed for a full-blown murder trial, after wrenching new testimony about a mother’s final phone call and chilling neighbor videos emerged in court this week.
At a preliminary hearing yesterday inside the René C. Davidson Courthouse in Oakland, the defendant’s uncle, Hector Morales, testified that Brenda Morales called him about 20 minutes before the shooting and said she wanted to leave what prosecutors described as an abusive relationship. Alameda County Superior Court Judge Clifford Blakely ruled there is enough evidence for 55-year-old Shane Killian to stand trial on five counts of murder and a special-circumstance allegation of multiple murders. Killian has pleaded not guilty, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.
What Police Say About The Scene
Police were called to a home in the 400 block of Kitty Hawk Road on July 10, where they found multiple victims, including a wounded 70-year-old father-in-law who had managed to make it to a neighbor’s door, officials said. The City of Alameda’s initial media release stated that four people died at the scene and a 1-year-old was rushed to a hospital in critical condition, according to the City of Alameda.
That child later died, and prosecutors amended the charges to cover five killings, according to CBS Bay Area.
Neighbors’ Video And Conflicting Accounts
Neighbors took the stand and provided security-camera footage showing the immediate aftermath of the shooting. One neighbor testified that the gravely wounded father-in-law reached his home and told him, “I’m dying,” before collapsing and later dying, according to testimony described in court…