Bicyclist's Murder: DA Palmer Pushes for Firm Trial Date

Defendant Stephano Culbreath sat in the rear of the courtroom of Judge Ben Woodward’s 119^th District Court Tuesday afternoon. The question in the courtroom was what date would his murder trial commence?

51^st DA Allison Palmer for the prosecution wants a firm goal of May or June.

Woodward addressed the defendant, “Why don’t you come up here and sit next to your counsel.”

“Yes sir,” Culbreath replied. He then left the deputy guarding him near the back and walked to the front of the room, taking a seat next to Jessica Skinner, his new court-appointed defense attorney.

Culbreath is facing 15-99 years if he is found guilty of murder. According to the police complaint, Culbreath, 46, gunned down David Titus, 24, while Titus was pedaling his bicycle through the 200 block of W. 13^th St. in north San Angelo sometime around 5 a.m. on June 25, 2015. Titus was shot in the neck, police stated.

[[{"fid":"13989","view_mode":"default","type":"media","attributes":{"alt":"Blood remains on the pavement at the crime scene this morning. This is a wide shot. WARNING: Graphic photos if you swipe to page to the next image. (LIVE! Photo/John Basquez)","title":"Blood remains on the pavement at the crime scene this morning. This is a wide shot. WARNING: Graphic photos if you swipe to page to the next image. (LIVE! Photo/John Basquez)","class":"media-element file-default imgbody"}}]]
Above: Blood remains on the pavement at the crime scene the morning of June 25, 2015. (LIVE! Photo/John Basquez)

In the six-page arrest affidavit, police note that witnesses said that Culbreath was a drug dealer who would frequently front narcotics to his customers, of which Titus was one. “When they failed to pay for the narcotics then he (Culbreath) would become enraged,” the complaint states.

Also according to the complaint, Titus’s ex-girlfriend told police that she had given Titus $200 two times in 2015 to pay for debts Titus owed to Culbreath for drugs. The third time, on June 12, 2015, she refused to loan him any more money. Titus told her, “Something bad was going to happen to [me] soon.”

Culbreath is also facing charges for possession of between one and four grams methamphetamine found at the time of his arrest.

Since Culbreath’s arrest in June 2015, his progress to trial has been slow and steady. On Nov. 2, 2015, Culbreath asked the court to replace his attorney. In a handwritten note, he said that his then-attorney Stuart Holden rarely met with him and that he wanted his then-counsel to present a bargain to the DA. The proposal never presented was if the state would administer Culbreath a polygraph and he passed, then the DA would drop all charges and let him go free. Culbreath is adamant of his innocence.

The police complaint states that residue from gunfire was found in his maroon Suburban and on his person, however.

Culbreath’s new attorney, Ms. Skinner told the judge today that she was given a flash drive with 89 GB of videos, photos, and audio she has yet to review it. Some of the evidence was given to her today. There are very few documents in the data dump, she told the judge. When the judge asked her if she would be ready for a May or June trial date, she indicated in the affirmative, but suggested that a June trial date would be more realistic considering the volume of evidence she needed to digest.

DA Palmer wanted the court to set a date as a goal, and either a May or June date would work for her. “We need a goal to work towards,” she said.

At least two more pre-trial hearings are scheduled. However, the judge told both sides that if anything came up in the interim that will need a decision by him, to let the court know immediately and he will expedite.

The hearing ended without a firm trial date being set. But the judge did not rule out a May date.