Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Fort Collins, CO: Moore's grandmother reported Gendernalik death as possible suicide

By NATE TAYLOR
NateTaylor@coloradoan.com

A 911 recording of Justin Levi Moore's grandmother's call to authorities played for jurors this afternoon during the Fort Collins man's murder trial indicates Moore told family members his girlfriend, Valerie Gendernalik, had shot herself.

Jan Schneider, who was called by prosecutors to testify about the morning of May 25 when Moore was arrested at her Windsor home, is heard saying on the 911 recording that, "I just got a phone call from my grandson that she had a gun and that she shot herself or some damn thing and he's hysterical."

When asked by a dispatcher if she was reporting a suicide attempt, Schneider said, "I don't know. My grandson is just absolutely way crazy." She testified today that when she said crazy, she didn't mean Moore is a lunatic, but rather that he was stressed and hysterical.

Police and prosecutors say Moore shot Gendernalik, his live-in girlfriend, at his west Fort Collins apartment after the two were intoxicated following a night at an Old Town bar. Moore is on trial for second-degree murder.

After the shooting, police say Moore drove to his grandmother's home in Windsor where Schneider said he was suicidal and went into her back yard and fired a shot into the air.

Defense attorneys told jurors this morning their theory about the events that led to Gendernalik's death culminated when she and Moore were playing with a gun they thought was not loaded and Gendernalik was accidentally shot.

According to a police report, Schneider told investigators that the shooting happened when Moore and Gendernalik were drunk and trying to clean a gun, but Schneider said today she never heard those details directly from her grandson. She said she was just speculating about what might have happened to cause the gun to fire a bullet.

Schneider testified that her grandson's biggest concern was to get Gendernalik help, although Moore never called 911 himself. Instead, he called his uncle, Frank Moore, who had Schneider call 911.

No comments: