Closing arguments were to begin Friday morning in a Butler County courtroom in the trial of a former Poplar Bluff street department superintendent accused of shooting a woman during what began as a child custody dispute at his home.
At the conclusion of those arguments, the jury was to begin its deliberations as to whether Jeremy W. Grable is guilty of the Class A felony of first-degree assault and the unclassified felony of armed criminal action or whether he acted in self defense when he shot Sheila Hunt on Jan. 31, 2015.
On Thursday morning, Hunt returned to the witness stand to continue her testimony, which lasted about 2 1/2 hours total.
On cross-examination, Grable’s attorney, Danny Moore, asked Hunt about her repeated efforts to get Grable to terminate his parental rights to their daughter, Alyssa, now 7.
“He never did,” Moore said.
No, said Hunt, who confirmed Grable never missed exercising his visitation rights or paying child support.
Moore said his client still is paying child support even though he hasn’t seen his daughter in four years.
“It’s court ordered,” Hunt said.
Moore then extensively questioned Hunt about numerous text messages she sent to Grable and others on Jan. 31, 2015.
Sent to Grable at 9:46 a.m. was the message: “I can’t believe U did this again. All I can say is U better get ready for what’s coming. U have driven me to this point. I don’t give a --- anymore.”
Two minutes later the message was: “WAR,” followed a short time later by: “It’s war Jeremy get ready.”
“You expected Jeremy to receive that,” Moore asked three times to which Hunt replied yes.
The text messages, according to Hunt’s testimony on Wednesday, came after she learned from Grable’s ex-wife, Courtney Grable Rutledge, that he had attended a basketball game earlier that morning, but Alyssa nor his wife, Linda, were there.
Hunt earlier told the jury she did not want her daughter left alone with Linda Grable, and she was concerned for her daughter.
Hunt later denied she and Rutledge, had “set up a plan” to jump Grable when he returned his children to Rutledge that day.
Hunt confirmed she intended to confront him and “bombard him with information.”
Hunt testified she was at the Bluff Estates subdivision when Grable returned the children to Rutledge and then followed him to his home in the 2200 block of Barron Road.
“You violated the court order; you knew you weren’t supposed to be there,” Moore said.
Hunt said she did not.
In another text message, Hunt said, she was “fixing to get Alyssa” and “may go to jail.”
Hunt again said she wasn’t violating the order, but knew she was going onto his property.
Moore then questioned Hunt extensively about inconsistencies in her testimony as compared to her prior sworn testimony at Grable’s preliminary hearing and in a deposition.
Hunt admitted to sending text messages indicating she wanted to kill Linda Grable, but previously had denied them.
“You agree you made threats?” Moore asked.
Hunt answered yes, but indicated she didn’t recall making verbal threats to Grable by phone.
Later when questioned about what happened outside the Grable home, Hunt denied beating on Grable’s truck.
“You did not leave” after Grable repeatedly asked “please leave,” Moore said.
Hunt indicated she did not .... “he didn’t give me an opportunity to.”
__State's witnesses__
Dr. Stanley Ziomek, who treated Hunt, testified the gunshot “basically destroyed her right lung,” which was removed, and damaged her heart.
Hunt will require medical care the rest of her life.
Poplar Bluff Police Lt. Bob Moore, Cpl. Shonna Parrent Grobe and Detective Bryce Colvin and retired Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Don Windham told the jurors about the scene and evidence collected at the Grable home.
The officers said the original 911 call was for a “child custody” issue, which was followed by a report someone had been shot.
Windham told the jurors about the blood pool found between Grable and Hunt’s vehicles and the blood trail that led to Hunt’s SUV. Hunt was found in the driver’s seat, slumped over the console.
Windham said after the bullet entered and exited Hunt’s body, it struck a nearby garage door.
Police Detective Danny Hicks testified regarding his forensic examinations of Grable and Hunt’s iPhones and the recovery of deleted text messages from her phone.
“The reason we have the text messages for Jan. 31 is because they did it (deleted them) recently,” said Hicks.
Rutledge testified regarding the numerous text messages she exchanged with Hunt on Jan. 31, 2015. She denied planning to do anything to Grable with Hunt and being unaware of “their communication” that day.
The jury also watched the body camera footage recorded by then police patrolman Joey Woodruff and Sgt. Joe Ward.
Woodruff’s camera showed his ongoing contact with Grable, who at one point said, “she followed me up to my residence; I called 911, and she kept coming after me.”
For what appeared to be several minutes, Grable is seen scrolling through a cellphone, which he later pocketed. That phone also could be heard ringing.
Woodruff initially didn’t know whose phone it was, but later learned it was Hunt’s.
Prior to handing the phone to Woodruff, Grable said, “I’ve got her phone; she dropped it, and I picked it up.”
Also testifying for the state was patrol Sgt. Jeff Johnson, who was asked about his interview with Rutledge.
__Defense witness__
After the state rested its case at 2:51 p.m., Moore called Linda Grable and his client to testify.
Linda Grable described two incidents she had where Hunt “came out of nowhere,” and “punched me in the face.” The other, she said, Hunt she was “ranting and raving,” calling them names.
On Jan. 31, 2015, Linda Grable said, she and Alyssa stayed home while her husband and his other children went to the basketball game.
The witness said her husband later called her, then came and got her and their then toddler.
Later in the day, she said, she and Alyssa accompanied her husband as he took Rutledge’s children home.
As they were leaving, Linda Grable said, Hunt was in the street waving her hands at them.
Upon arriving home, “Sheila was coming up the driveway behind us,” said Linda Grable, who indicated she stayed in the truck because she was “afraid to get out.”
Hunt, she said, got out of her SUV “aggressively,” and she and Grable began arguing.
Linda Grable said Hunt pulled on the truck’s door handle and banged her fist on the window, then “they went back to arguing. She was shoving him.”
Hunt earlier had denied striking the Grable’s truck.
After hearing a shot, the witness said, she grabbed Alyssa from the back seat and ran into the house.
On cross-examination, she admitted she didn’t see anything, including a weapon, in Hunt’s hands.
__Defendant testifies__
Grable admitted to having a sexual relationship with Hunt in 2013 and later sexting with her.
He confirmed Hunt hated his wife, but “she never gave me a reason” why.
Hunt, he said, called him prior to sending her first text message at 9:46 a.m. on Jan. 31, 2015.
He described Hunt as ranting, saying “I’m done with you. I’m done playing games.”
Grable said he “immediately told” Rutledge he was leaving and called his wife en route home.
Hunt, he said, had made threats before, but these were “more verbal and violent.”
Like his wife, the witness described Hunt being in the middle of the road as they left Bluff Estates.
“She was trying to get me to stop,” he said. “She was waving both her arms and yelling.”
When Hunt later arrived at his house, he said, she jumped out of her car and said “‘You ------ ------, I’m done with you two.’ I asked her to leave” and then called 911.
Grable estimated he asked Hunt to leave at least 10 times.
“She was upset and enraged, and after I made that call, she was more enraged,” he said. “… I tried to get her away from the truck,” but Hunt kept pushing and “yelling the whole time.”
Grable said Hunt threatened to kill him and again said she was “done” with him.
Grable said he had never seen Hunt like this and later testified he knew she previously had carried a firearm.
Out of “fear for myself and my wife, I pulled my gun” and shot her, said Grable.
“The first thing she said was ‘You ------ ------, you shot me.’”
Grable said had he “not feared for my life, I would not have shot her.”
Grable alleged he saw a flash as Hunt reached back and pulled something out.
Grable said he thought Hunt’s cellphone was a weapon.
“In my mind,” he said, “I thought she was going to kill me.”
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Editor's note: An earlier version of this story had an incorrect first name for the defendant along with the charges he faces. The DAR regrets the error.