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American Morning

Defendant in Windshield Murder Case Pleads Guilty to Evidence Tampering

Aired June 24, 2003 - 08:06   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DARYN KAGAN, ANCHOR: The defense says it was an accident. The prosecution calls it murder.
Now a jury is hearing the case of a Texas woman who's accused of hitting a man with her car and leaving him to die while he was tangled in the broken windshield.

Chante Mallard could face life in prison if convicted of murder. She pleaded guilty to evidence tampering before opening statements, and the murder trial began yesterday.

With us this morning a reporter who's covering the case, Ellie Hogue. She works for WBAP radio.

Ellie, good morning. Thanks for joining us.

ELLIE HOGUE, WBAP RADIO: Good morning, Daryn.

KAGAN: Please start by telling us what the mood was in the courtroom as this trial got under way yesterday?

HOGUE: Well, the mood yesterday was -- it was serene. We've seen Chante Mallard in court before. She's been sobbing and really distraught. Really no emotion from her today. We did notice, though, a couple of times her defense attorney would kind of stroke her on her back, almost to console her a bit. But as far as the mood, it was very serene, very packed.

You've got very limited seating. In the center you've got the media, some court staff, to the right if you're facing the judge you're got Mallard's family. To the left you've got Biggs' family. There's tons of people. Seating is horrible there, but most is serene.

KAGAN: How did it work that she pleaded guilty to the evidence tampering but the murder trial goes on?

HOGUE: Well, you know, we were shocked with that pleading yesterday. I guess that they figured that in her statement, in her confession to police, she admitted to burning at least one seat in the car and that seat was the passenger seat.

When Gregory Biggs actually entered the car, he came in through the passenger side of the windshield, so there was apparently a lot of tissue, a lot of blood. So she wanted to burn that. And I guess Chante, her defense attorney just said, "We don't have a chance for that. Let's at least try to see what we can do to reduce or possibly get probation for this murder charge."

KAGAN: And on this murder charge she has two so-called friends who are testifying against her. What can you tell us about them?

HOGUE: Well, Cleat Jackson (ph), the on again, off again boyfriend, they were called after the incident. Chante Mallard wanted to get in touch with Cleat immediately. And the defense is going to use Cleat to their advantage.

He's like to take the stand. Both have already received time in prison -- ten years, nine years -- for their role in disposing of the body.

So what the defense is going to do is they're going to take Cleat Jackson and they're going to say because Mallard was on drugs, she was on booze that night and she had taken some pot that night and not to mention she was distraught, she was scared over the incident. The defense is going to say that Cleat Jackson took over. He decided where the body was going to go. He was going to remove the body from the car and take it to the park. The defense kind of touched on that yesterday, but Cleat was really the one that took charge after the incident.

KAGAN: So it sounds like the defense is building a case of Chante Mallard, not the greatest gal in the world, but far from a murderer is what they're trying to get the jury to buy into.

HOGUE: Yes, and yesterday during opening statements it was really -- he kept repeating what Mallard was saying. She was sorry, she didn't mean to hurt anyone. She was sobbing, she was scared; she was afraid what her parents might think. The defense is really saying, you know, this was a horrible accident and you know, there were just so many circumstances, she had an altered state. There was just nothing she could do.

Of course, the prosecution, though, they say, "Too bad. She murdered him." And that's what they're hoping to seek here.

KAGAN: Well, it's just an absolutely gruesome way, the way this man died. Being hit by a car and being left in the windshield. We'll be tracking the case out of Fort Worth, Texas.

Ellie Hogue, from WBAP Radio. Thanks, Ellie, appreciate it.

HOGUE: You bet.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




Evidence Tampering>


Aired June 24, 2003 - 08:06   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, ANCHOR: The defense says it was an accident. The prosecution calls it murder.
Now a jury is hearing the case of a Texas woman who's accused of hitting a man with her car and leaving him to die while he was tangled in the broken windshield.

Chante Mallard could face life in prison if convicted of murder. She pleaded guilty to evidence tampering before opening statements, and the murder trial began yesterday.

With us this morning a reporter who's covering the case, Ellie Hogue. She works for WBAP radio.

Ellie, good morning. Thanks for joining us.

ELLIE HOGUE, WBAP RADIO: Good morning, Daryn.

KAGAN: Please start by telling us what the mood was in the courtroom as this trial got under way yesterday?

HOGUE: Well, the mood yesterday was -- it was serene. We've seen Chante Mallard in court before. She's been sobbing and really distraught. Really no emotion from her today. We did notice, though, a couple of times her defense attorney would kind of stroke her on her back, almost to console her a bit. But as far as the mood, it was very serene, very packed.

You've got very limited seating. In the center you've got the media, some court staff, to the right if you're facing the judge you're got Mallard's family. To the left you've got Biggs' family. There's tons of people. Seating is horrible there, but most is serene.

KAGAN: How did it work that she pleaded guilty to the evidence tampering but the murder trial goes on?

HOGUE: Well, you know, we were shocked with that pleading yesterday. I guess that they figured that in her statement, in her confession to police, she admitted to burning at least one seat in the car and that seat was the passenger seat.

When Gregory Biggs actually entered the car, he came in through the passenger side of the windshield, so there was apparently a lot of tissue, a lot of blood. So she wanted to burn that. And I guess Chante, her defense attorney just said, "We don't have a chance for that. Let's at least try to see what we can do to reduce or possibly get probation for this murder charge."

KAGAN: And on this murder charge she has two so-called friends who are testifying against her. What can you tell us about them?

HOGUE: Well, Cleat Jackson (ph), the on again, off again boyfriend, they were called after the incident. Chante Mallard wanted to get in touch with Cleat immediately. And the defense is going to use Cleat to their advantage.

He's like to take the stand. Both have already received time in prison -- ten years, nine years -- for their role in disposing of the body.

So what the defense is going to do is they're going to take Cleat Jackson and they're going to say because Mallard was on drugs, she was on booze that night and she had taken some pot that night and not to mention she was distraught, she was scared over the incident. The defense is going to say that Cleat Jackson took over. He decided where the body was going to go. He was going to remove the body from the car and take it to the park. The defense kind of touched on that yesterday, but Cleat was really the one that took charge after the incident.

KAGAN: So it sounds like the defense is building a case of Chante Mallard, not the greatest gal in the world, but far from a murderer is what they're trying to get the jury to buy into.

HOGUE: Yes, and yesterday during opening statements it was really -- he kept repeating what Mallard was saying. She was sorry, she didn't mean to hurt anyone. She was sobbing, she was scared; she was afraid what her parents might think. The defense is really saying, you know, this was a horrible accident and you know, there were just so many circumstances, she had an altered state. There was just nothing she could do.

Of course, the prosecution, though, they say, "Too bad. She murdered him." And that's what they're hoping to seek here.

KAGAN: Well, it's just an absolutely gruesome way, the way this man died. Being hit by a car and being left in the windshield. We'll be tracking the case out of Fort Worth, Texas.

Ellie Hogue, from WBAP Radio. Thanks, Ellie, appreciate it.

HOGUE: You bet.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




Evidence Tampering>