Clearlake, California

From the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat of December 10, 2005

1 suspect in fatal robbery may have had shotgun

At least one of three Bay Area men involved in an alleged home invasion that left two of them dead in Clearlake on Wednesday was armed with a shotgun, according to charges filed against the surviving suspect Friday.

Two of the men were shot and killed by the homeowner, Shannon Edmonds, during what police described as a thwarted home invasion robbery. Authorities said the incident was drug-related.

An undisclosed amount of marijuana and a medical marijuana card were located at the residence, police said.

The third robbery suspect was arraigned Friday in Lake County Superior Court on murder, attempted murder and burglary charges.

The three men allegedly broke into the 11th Street home Edmonds shares with his daughter, his girlfriend and her two sons at 4:25 a.m. Wednesday.

It appears they attacked Edmonds and the woman in their bedroom, then beat the woman's 17-year-old son, Dale, with a metal baseball bat when he came to their rescue, said Lake County Chief Deputy District Attorney Jon Hopkins.

"I think he was trying to help his mother and Shannon. Someone hit him in the head with a baseball bat," he said.

Hopkins said he does not know which of the men dealt the blow, which seriously injured the boy.

The condition of the teen, who remains at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, was not available.

Police believe the suspects obtained the bat from the residence, Hopkins said.

During the assault, Edmonds grabbed the 9 mm handgun believed to have been used to kill two of the intruders, Hopkins said.

It has not yet been determined whether Edmonds shot the men while they were inside the house, outside the house or both, a factor that will help determine whether Edmonds will be prosecuted, he said.

The gunshot victims fell about 30 feet from the house.

Edmonds dropped the gun in the street near one of the bodies when police arrived, Hopkins said.

Hopkins would not say how many times the men were shot, pending the investigation's conclusion.

The two dead are Rashad M. Williams, 21, of Pittsburg and Clearlake and Christian D. Foster, 22, of San Francisco.

Their alleged accomplice, Renato Hughes Jr., 21, of San Francisco, was arraigned Friday on two charges of murder, attempted murder with a baseball bat, inflicting great bodily injury, home invasion robbery in concert, assault with a firearm, burglary with the use of a firearm and special allegations involving multiple deaths occurring during a robbery.

Hughes had not yet obtained a lawyer so did not enter a plea Friday, Hopkins said.

From the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat of January 28, 2006

Clearlake shooter: Robbery revenge

The day before he shot and killed two home invasion robbers, Clearlake resident Shannon Edmonds reportedly had a heated confrontation in which one antagonist threatened to bomb his house and another kicked his shin.

Police say there's no connection between that confrontation and the next morning's deadly robbery, which authorities believe was an attempt to steal marijuana.

But Edmonds believes there is, and his contention has become part of a defense attorney's argument that the surviving robbery suspect should be set free.

During a preliminary hearing for robbery suspect Renato Hughes Jr., defense attorney Steve Carter raised the possibility that someone other than his client participated in the robbery attempt early on the morning of Dec. 7.

"That path doesn't seem to have been pursued" by police, Carter said.

The preliminary hearing continues Tuesday, at which time Edmonds may be called to testify.

Hughes, 21, was arrested several hours after the home invasion that left his two alleged accomplices dead and a 17-year-old boy living in the home, Dale Lafferty, in a coma.

Carter contends there's inadequate proof that Hughes participated in the crime and says that, if there was a third robber, it was someone else.

Edmonds implicated others in the crime immediately after the early-morning robbery and shooting.

As he stood in the street in front of his home, a 9 mm pistol at his feet, Edmonds pointed out to police the bodies of the two men he'd shot multiple times as they fled.

(Much more detail)