Murder trial in shooting death of Travis County constable's son begins

The murder trial of a man accused of killing the son of a Travis County constable began Tuesday with a prosecutor telling the jury the motive for the crime was jealousy.

The defendant, Stacey Easley, was jealous that the victim, 29-year-old Johnny Edmondson, was the boyfriend of Easley's former girlfriend, said Nancy Nemer, one of the prosecutors.

Easley, 52, shot Edmondson in the head after seeing him with Easley's ex-girlfriend, Heather Locke, in Locke's apartment in North Austin on April 18, 2023, Nemer said. "'If I can't have her, no one else can. That is what must have been going through this defendant's head," the prosecutor said during opening statements.

Locke did not call 911 right after the shooting because she was terrified that Easley, who fled after the shooting, was going to find her and kill her, Nemer said. Locke did, however, call a friend, told her about the shooting and the friend called 911, the prosecutor said. Locke was so scared she left her apartment in a friend's car, Nemer said.

The detective talked to witnesses, found video surveillance and other evidence that led him to believe that "everything Heather had told him was solid," said Nemer.

One of Easley's lawyers defended him in opening statements, saying he was not obsessed with his ex-girlfriend and had another serious girlfriend.

"My client didn't have a motive to hurt or kill Johnny," said Leslie Dionne Andrews Booker. "He had never met Johnny." Booker also said that Locke did not call 911 after Edmonson was shot but fled the scene. "Heather had an axe to grind," said Booker. "She had a plan."

Booker did not give details during her opening statements about such a plan.

Edmondson is the son of Travis County Precinct 1 Constable Tonya Nixon, the first Black woman elected to the constable's office in the county. She was the first witness in the trial on Tuesday and testified that she had never met Locke. Nixon said her son had two children and held down jobs when he was not battling his addiction to methamphetamine.

She said she "never gave up on him" even though he was in and out of jail. Five days before he was killed, she picked him up from jail, where he was in custody for possession of a controlled substance and unauthorized use of a car, she said. Nixon said she and her son were both excited that he was going to get a chance to start his life all over again, get a new job, see his children and "try to get back on track."

That was the last time she saw him alive, she said.

She said she found out from friends while she was at a leadership conference in Huntsville about her son's death two days after he died. Nixon, who cried quietly during her testimony, said her son was a "happy-go-lucky" person.

Booker asked Nixon if she knew whether her son and Locke had any kids. "Not that I know of," said Nixon. Nixon said Locke never called her after Edmonson died.

Locke, the second witness to testify on Tuesday, said she and Edmondson had a daughter. Locke also said she had pending, unrelated charges against her, including assault on a peace officer, but had received no promises from the district attorney's office in exchange for her testimony Tuesday.

Locke said Easley was initially supposed to come to her apartment on the day of the shooting to return a TV and a table that belonged to her. She said she had broken up with him in December 2022 because he had assaulted her, including throwing her into a mirror.

Easley had texted her that he was coming over that day and also asked her to be alone when he arrived, according to a text message shown in court. Locke testified that she told friends, including Edmondson, to leave her apartment and they did. Locke said Easley didn't arrive during the two hours in which she was alone, so she texted Easley that she was going to have to come over herself to pick up her belongings later. Easley, instead, arrived at her apartment, she said.

He knocked on the front door, said Locke, and Edmondson opened it. Locke said she and Edmondson were not armed and had no guns in the apartment. Easley came into her apartment and Edmonson walked outside, she said. She said Easley then yelled at her, asking her why Edmondson was in the apartment with her and then pulled a gun, pointed it at her and said he would kill her.

Easley then walked outside, Locke said. She said she heard yelling outside and then she opened the apartment door and while Edmondson was walking back inside, Easley shot him in the head. "He (Easley) then looked at me and smiled," said Locke.

She said she screamed and tried to pick up Edmondson but "he was not alive." Locke said she walked outside and saw Easley getting into a maroon SUV that belonged to his girlfriend. Easley looked up at her, pointed the gun at her again and threatened her, she said. Locke said he also came back up the stairs looking for her, but she hid in a stairwell, and he eventually left.

She said she left in a friend's car and called another friend, told her about the shooting and asked her to check on Edmondson.

Under cross-examination, Booker asked Locke questions about calls she made to a different ex-boyfriend when Locke was in jail. After reporting the shooting to a detective, Locke was jailed for previous outstanding warrants. While in jail, Booker said, Locke made 50 calls to a man named Tyrone. Locke said Tyrone was an ex-boyfriend.

"You called saying to him, 'Are you ready to do this?' Booker asked Locke. "You said, 'I have nothing to stop me; there's nothing in the way.'"

Locke said she did make those statements to Tyrone. Locke said the statements had to do with her getting out of jail and were not related to the shooting. Locke said she called Tyrone frequently while she was in jail because she planned to rekindle their relationship.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Murder trial in shooting death of Travis County constable's son begins