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As the Pejman Elahi trial entered its second day of testimonies – prosecuting attorney Heather Razook called two witnesses and relied on their eyewitness accounts to set the scene for the describing the November 9th incident that left a man with 3 gunshot wounds, and nine counts against the accused. The first witness, San Bernardino Sheriff’s Deputy Anderson Stumbo, was the one of the first deputies on scene of the attempted murder.
Witness Number One
In his testimony yesterday, Dep. Stumbo says he responded to a call about an assault with a deadly weapon at a property near Sunset Dr. and N. Star Ave in Twentynine Palms. Upon arrival, he said he found the victim Gerald Jonas rolling around on the ground, saying he’d been shot. Prosecutor Razook showed the Deputy and the jury photos of the concrete where the victim had been found, including a dramatic photo of a bloody palm print on the glass of the door to the home.
Dep. Stumbo says that Jonas had been shot three times, and when asked who shot him he said it was “Brianna’s new boyfriend, Chuckie.” The name Chuckie is a known alias of Pejman Elahi, and the Deputy stated he was aware of all three parties involved from previous police contact, and the woman identified by the victim- Brianna Schan – lived on property within eyesight of where the victim was found.
San Bernardino SWAT executed a search warrant on her property and deputies found blood on the carpet to the entrance of Brianna’s trailer. Inside the trailer they found a jacket with blood and a bullet hole in the arm – consistent with one of the gunshot wounds Jonas had received.
Also shown was a photo of the quad that the victim reportedly rode back to Schan’s residence after the shooting, where he says he begged for help but received none until neighbors called 911.
Defense Attorney John-Paul Serrao cross-examined the Deputy, and received clarification that the alleged shooter was only identified by the nickname “Chuckie” and the fact that he was Brianna’s new girlfriend – but no physical description of the shooter was given.
Witness Number Two, and Seizure of Evidence
The second witness was recalled from the previous week’s testimony – Corporal Shane Crowl served the search warrant on the property where Pejman Elahi was reported to be staying. He says the property contained various trailers, campers and containers on it. Most notably, a gun safe was cut open where deputies located an AR-15 style rifle with a modified short barrel, an extended 30 round clip, alongside a plastic bag and two baby bottles filled with .22 caliber long rifle cartridges.
The deputy also identified a “solvent trap,” which he says is a firearm accessory that is marketed as a container to catch solvent when cleaning a rifle. However, he says that if someone were able to drill a hole into the end of the trap, it essentially creates a suppressor – which is a device used to muffle the sound of a gunshot.
Also found on top of the safe was mail with Elahi’s name on it, as well as a copy of his social security card.
After Elahi was read his Miranda rights, Cpl. Crowl says Elahi admitted to owning all the items inside the safe, but declined to speak in further details about specific items inside the safe.
Testimony continues starting at 9:30 AM today, April 18th, at the Joshua Tree District Courthouse.
Previously Reported:
