Kansas Supreme Court - 101551 – State v. Peppers

testimony at Peppers' preliminary hearing. She said she did not want to testify because
she was frightened for her life.
Other State witnesses at Peppers' trial testified to hearing or seeing the shooting
but could not identify Peppers as a shooter. Teresa Stormann testified to seeing two men
in Terry's and then hearing gunshots shortly after they left. Candelario Marquez, who was
sitting on a bench across the street, saw three people walk up and start shooting at the car.
Felipe Reyes Marquez, who was with Candelario, saw two "blacks" with guns start
shooting from behind the car. Oscar Mendoza, who was with Candelario and Marquez,
heard gunshots and saw a man run past him as Mendoza fled the scene.
State witness Jesse Hall corroborated the State's case in other particulars. He
testified that he saw Cunningham at Cunningham's grandmother's apartment in Topeka
earlier on the evening of the shooting. When Cunningham left, he said he was going to
Terry's with Hayes-Osby. Hall also left and went to get a friend to go to Terry's. On his
way there, he heard five or six gunshots.
Sued White, Cunningham's cousin, testified that two cars came by his house with
people looking for Hayes-Osby on the afternoon of the shooting. White first testified that
he could not remember identifying Peppers but was recalled to the witness stand and
testified that he did see Peppers and said he had testified otherwise before because he
"didn't want to be killed."
Dawn Diggins, Peppers' ex-girlfriend, testified that officers came to her residence
on the day after the shooting to look for Peppers. Three phone calls were made late on the
night of the shooting to Hayes-Osby's number from a cell phone owned by Diggins but
used by Peppers.
10