Police investigator testifies Petties wasn’t first suspect but evidence later pointed to him

CEDAR RAPIDS - A Cedar Rapids police investigator testified Friday that police initially thought another man, not Kendu Petties, had shot two people in a southeast Cedar Rapids home in 2014.

Investigator Chip Joecken said Bruce Williams lied to police more than once about being in the car with his girlfriend, Ashley Pennington, and Kendu Petties on April 2, 2014.

Joecken said Williams had even lied about being on that side of town. Williams claimed he had never left his mother's house in Marion, which Joecken knew wasn't true because they recovered his cellphone data, which indicated he was in southeast Cedar Rapids that night.

Petties, 33, of Cedar Rapids, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit a forcible felony. He is accused of fatally shooting Quintrell Perkins, 22, and Sierrah Simmons, 20, while they were in the home of Perkins' father at 1708 Fourth Ave. SE on April 2, 2014.

According to earlier testimony, Petties allegedly fired 11 times into the house, though Perkins and Simmons were not his targets. They happened to be at the house baby-sitting with two other people and two children. None of the others in the home were injured.

The defense claims Petties wasn't the shooter but that Williams was. Williams has testified against Petties and has not been charged.

The prosecution continues its case at 9 a.m. Monday in Linn County District Court. Testimony is expected to wrap up Wednesday.

On Friday, Joecken testified Pennington had lied to investigators more than once about her involvement, even after being confronted with cellphone records that indicated she was in the southeast quadrant and had a white Chevrolet Impala like the one seen in the neighborhood at the time of the shooting.

Pennington and Williams were the only people of interest in 2014, Joecken said, but police didn't have enough evidence to charge them.

Pennington and Williams testified last week and admitted initially lying to police. They both said they drove Petties near the house, and he shot at it because he thought Ken Fonville and Joseph Perkins, who he wanted to retaliate against, were in the house.

First Assistant Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks asked Joecken if it was unusual for people to lie when being questioned. Joecken said it was common.

Joecken said the case went 'cold” a few months after the shooting. But in April 2015, Devonte Barnes, who testified last week, came forward with cellphone videos of Petties talking about details of the shooting. He identified Williams and Pennington in the videos as knowing about it.

Williams and Pennington were brought in again in July 2015, and they identified Petties as the shooter, Joecken said.

Sara Smith, Petties' lawyer, asked if police had Barnes' cellphone with the videos to verify the videos hadn't been edited. Joecken said no, that police had only three cellphone video clips emailed to police from Barnes' lawyer.

Maybanks, in follow-up questioning, asked if Barnes had details about the shooting that turned out to be accurate.

Joecken said yes, that Barnes knew a .40-caliber Glock was the murder weapon and that the shooter had emptied a clip. Also, he said,the man in the video had admitted two innocent people were hit by bullets in the shooting.

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