Witness calls killer of postal worker suicidal

Elizabeth Dutton

Thursday, Dec. 4, 1997 | 10:53 a.m.

The state called 11 witnesses Wednesday in an attempt to convince jurors that Charles Jennings killed James Brown with clear intent.

Jennings, 42, is charged with open murder with the use of a deadly weapon in the December 1996 slaying of James Brown, 59, outside the Sunset Road branch post office where Brown was employed. Jennings recently had been fired from his position there.

Brown, the post office representative in Jennings' grievance challenge to regain his job at the U.S. Postal Service, was shot twice in the head as he allegedly leaned into Jennings' car. Whether the shooting was the result of a botched suicide attempt or premeditated murder is a decision the court will make.

Terence Touchstone, Jennings' former co-worker with whom he had a longtime affair, testified Wednesday that Jennings expressed to her his intent to kill specific post office employees. She also said that Jennings was indeed suicidal.

"He was saying that the whole world was against him," she said.

Touchstone noted that Jennings' threats of suicide were too numerous to provide exact dates. She said she felt that Jennings was acting out of the ordinary from September 1996 to the time of the killing.

"He wasn't his self anymore," she said. "He was distraught ... he wasn't 'bubbly Charles'."

When asked if Jennings ever attempted to kill himself in her presence, Touchstone remained silent for a period of time. Chief Deputy District Attorney Bill Koot re-phrased the question to involve specific methods of suicide, each of which Touchstone said Jennings had not attempted.

Later, postal employee Frederick Miller took the stand to recall the events on the morning of Dec. 19, 1996. Miller, a quality technician clerk with the U.S. Postal Service since 1979, was the first to discover Brown's body in the post office employee parking lot at 1001 Sunset Road.

He testified to hearing an unidentified person shout "hey Jim" seconds before three gunshots rang out.

Miller, who was attempting to leave his 10:30 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift, came across Brown's body sprawled in a parking space.

"I saw a body on the tarmac," he said. "I was just sort of in shock. I approached the body ... I just started yelling for somebody to get help."

Forensic pathologist Dr. Robert Bucklin testified that Brown was in good health at the time of his demise. He also gave speculation as to the entry angle of the bullets that took Brown's life.

At one point, Koot pointed an empty revolver to his head to demonstrate the position of the gun held to Brown's head. However, Bucklin could not say positively how the weapon was fired, only the path the projectiles took after entering the body.

Near the end of the day's proceedings, the answering machine message Jennings left to his wife on the morning of the shooting was played for the jury.

"I just shot Jim Brown," the message said. Jennings ended the message with these remarks to his wife, "I'm sorry... but I love you. I swear I do. God bless you."

The trial before District Judge Donald Mosley is expected to continue through the rest of the week.