Jury begins its deliberation in William Jahn murder case

Jahn's case won't help Glen 'Buddy' Nickerson as was previously expected

By Erin Mayes

The first-degree murder trial of former Campbell body shop owner William Carl Jahn has almost reached its conclusion, as jurors deliberate on whether or not he played an active role in a double homicide that took place 17 years ago on Sept. 15, 1984.

Jahn, who used to own Central Bodyworks, 60 E. Sunnyoaks Ave. in Campbell, has been accused by Deputy District Attorney John Luft of lying in wait for Cambrian Park drug dealer John Charles Evans. Luft says Jahn grappled with Evans, enabling another man to eventually shoot Evans in the head, killing him.

Lawyers finished their closing arguments Aug. 30, with Jahn's defense attorney, Harry Robertson, saying Jahn and Evans were close friends and Jahn was at the scene of the crime as a victim, not a criminal, sustaining four gunshot wounds during the fray.

The homicides took place at about 1 a.m. at Evans' home on Ronda Drive, in Cambrian Park. Evans painted cars by day and manufactured crystal methamphetamine by night. Before Evans came home that evening, several masked men entered his home, beating and handcuffing Evans' friend Michael Osorio and half brother Mickie King, both of whom were shot in the back of the head. King was killed, but Osorio survived.

Several men have been arrested in connection with the crime, including Glen "Buddy" Nickerson, whose notorious murder case is Santa Clara County's longest running and most expensive.

Nickerson was convicted for his involvement and has served 17 years of a life sentence. Police say his motive was revenge--Evans shot and paralyzed Nickerson's brother a month earlier.

Some doubt about Nickerson's guilt has been raised because when his defense attorneys Gerald Schwartzbach and Ed Sousa interviewed Jahn in late 1999, he allegedly admitted to being at the scene of the crime, admitted he'd witnessed the murders and said Nickerson wasn't there.

Another suspect convicted for his involvement in the double-murders, Murray Lodge, also told his lawyer, Charles Constanides, that Nickerson was not at the scene. Constanides later testified that he does not believe Nickerson was involved.

U.S. District Judge Marilyn Hall Patel released Nickerson from San Quentin Prison in June after his attorneys alleged serious problems regarding evidence in his trial, but a U.S. appellate court ordered him back to prison a week later, until his hearing in October.

Now, both lawyers in the Jahn case are saying Nickerson was most certainly there, and Osorio, the lone survivor, has testified, saying he recognized Nickerson, who was unmistakable at the time of the murders, weighing in at about 400 pounds with a long beard streaming out of his mask.

Before Nickerson, however, Jahn's jury of eight men and four men must decide after hearing and seeing more than a month's worth of testimonies and evidence.

Luft wants the jury to return with a guilty verdict of murder in the first degree. He said there is no evidence that a relationship of trust ever existed between Jahn and Evans, and that Evans' girlfriend, Barbara Payne, didn't know who Jahn was. Phyllis Evans, Evans' sister, testified that she also did not know who Jahn was, but that Evans had asked her if she'd ever heard of Jahn.

Luft said the fact that Jahn can't remember who he'd been hanging out with that evening, prior to the murders, proves his guilt. Also, Payne testified that Evans had only a personal stash of methamphetamine at the house, not enough to sell. Her testimony negates Jahn's, during which he said he went to the Ronda Drive house to purchase drugs.

Also, during an interview with investigator Ray Medved, Jahn said he'd never been a big drinker, but claims he'd had too much to drink that night to remember who he'd been hanging out with.

The blood evidence might work against Jahn, as all of the type B blood found at the scene has been attributed to him. DNA matches of his blood were found on the front porch, the driveway, in a trail down the street, and, according to Luft, on a pillow in the garage, where King had been sleeping when someone hit him on the head. Jahn's blood type was found in a chevron pattern, indicating it was on a latex glove that had been found near the scene.

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