Cedar Rapids man had knife ready as argument escalated with Devonna Walker

CEDAR RAPIDS — Shane Teslik, who is on trial in Linn County court for fatally stabbing Devonna Walker last year, testified Tuesday he called Walker a racial epithet because he was “just tired” of all the conflict and wanted her to “go away.”

“Crazy enough, it worked before,” Teslik testified without inflection in his voice. He remained soft-spoken and calm throughout his testimony.

Teslik, a white man, admitted he called Walker, a Black woman, the same slur in a previous argument on Dec. 19, 2022, and it stopped the fight and made her leave.

However, on Jan. 2, 2023, Walker didn’t leave. When Teslik told Walker he was going to kill her and called her the racial slur, Walker, who was on the sidewalk in front of his apartment, started running toward Teslik’s girlfriend, Jessie Chavez, and at him, and he had a knife.

Teslik will continue his testimony Wednesday. The prosecution rested after its final witness, a police investigator, testified. The defense may wrap up its case Wednesday afternoon.

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Teslik is charged with voluntary manslaughter, a felony, and disorderly conduct — epithets/threatening gesture, a simple misdemeanor. He is claiming self-defense or in defense of others.

Teslik: ‘I thought my family’s life was in danger’

Teslik, as his lawyer played video of the incident that has been shown throughout the trial, explained what happened that night as he repeatedly came to the doorway of his apartment at 2135 North Towne Ct. NE, and told Chavez to stop arguing with Walker and come inside.

At some point, as the arguing became more heated between he, Chavez and Walker, Teslik said he retrieved a kitchen knife with an 8-inch blade and placed it next to the door on a shoe crate or shelving unit.

Walker, in the video, ran toward Chavez, who had her back to Walker, and knocked her over. Then Walker went over Chavez and punched Teslik.

Teslik said Walker punched Chavez in the head and Chavez wasn’t moving. He told Walker to get “the (expletive) back” as he was holding the knife and pushing her away and she punched him three times, he thought.

“I needed to eliminate the threat,” Teslik said. “I thought my family’s life was in danger.”

Teslik believed Walker was going to get past him and Chavez and go after Chavez’s teenage daughter, who Teslik said he regarded as his child even though she isn’t his biological daughter. He thought Chavez’s daughter probably recorded the Jan. 2 incident because she had recorded the incident on Dec. 19, 2022 when Teslik and Chavez argued with Walker and Walker assaulted them.

Teslik believed Walker thought the same — that she was being recorded again in this incident.

Teslik didn’t know where he stabbed Devonna Walker

Teslik admitted to stabbing Walker once. He said he didn’t know where he stabbed her or how serious the wound was.

In the video, Teslik was still yelling at Walker as she stumbled back and then fell onto the grassy area of the yard. Teslik said he realized she wasn’t getting up and called 911.

The knife penetrated Walker’s left chest area, injuring her left lung and aorta, causing her to bleed to death, a state medical examiner testified earlier in the trial.

Victoria Cole, one of Teslik’s lawyers, asked him if he had any ill will toward Walker.

“Like I don’t like her?,” he said. “I was upset about the attack on my family on Dec. 19.”

Teslik also testified that there were about six tenants who lived in Cambridge Townhouses that were standing across the street and they were “staring” at him during this incident. He said he felt “panicked and had “fear” of what they might do.

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He said he thought they were part of a larger group that had gathered at another apartment earlier in the evening. Teslik saw the group going in and out of the apartment and he said it looked like they were invading the person’s home. He recognized some tenants and saw Walker running from the group and going over to another tenant’s apartment.

He said Chavez called the police and reported it.

Previous arguments started over Teslik’s dog

Teslik said he took the action he did against Walker because of the previous arguments they had with her on Dec. 19, 2022, when she allegedly assaulted them, and then two other arguments on Dec. 20 and 21.

The previous arguments started over Teslik’s dog and Walker not liking the dog.

Teslik said the December arguments mostly involved Chavez and Walker arguing and cursing at each other. He said he got involved when Walker got aggressive and he tried to get Chavez away from her. He encouraged his girlfriend to come back inside the apartment and ignore Walker.

Teslik testified he usually wants to avoid conflict.

In the Dec. 19, 2022 argument, Teslik said Walker attacked Chavez and her daughter and when he approached Walker and told her to go home, Walker pulled out a “metal bat or metal club” and started hitting his arms.

“Looks little, but packs a mean punch,” Teslik said.

The defense showed photos Chavez’s daughter took of Teslik’s injuries — bruising to his wrists and forearms.

Teslik said another incident — that happened about an hour before the stabbing — was also in the back of his mind on Jan. 2. He said Chavez’s daughter and her friend were walking down an alley nearby and heard someone come up behind them. The teen told Teslik it was Walker and she cursed at her, which made the teen “scared and nervous” because of the previous encounters with Walker.

Teslik said the night of Jan. 2, 2023, he told Chavez he wanted them to stay inside, in light of previous run-ins with Walker, and have a “peaceful” night. He had planned to cook chicken.

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