1975-10-22

#people/C/Crawford/Murriel-Don #people/M/Mabra/David #street/Grand/S/1500-block/1500 #street/Tyler/S/1000-block #street/Polk/S/1100-block/1119 #street/Tyler/N/900-block/908 #street/Travis/S/1000-block/1030

Toot n' Totum Slaying

Published September 4, 1977

Rick Melton, 21, of 908 N. Tyler testified that Mabia told him Mabra had passed a lie detector test in connection with the shooting of Mrs. Whitfield. Melton said the conversation occurred about the first of May this year.

Melton said from the witness stand that he told officers that Mabra said "he or someone else said they shot someone."

District Attorney Curtis reminded Melton that a sworn affidavit he signed on Aug. 30 says, "David" had shot somebody and taken a polygraph test and gotten away with it.

Next witness, Police Officer Thomas Porter, testified he stopped a 1968 Chevrolet near W. 10th and S. Tyler in the early hours of Oct. 22 because of the vehicle's noisy muffler. He said he issued a citation to the driver, whose operator's license identified him as Mabra. Porter said the time he talked with the two men was 3:20 a.m.

Final witness, Ronald Cockrell, 17, of 1030 S. Travis, said Donny Crawford tried to sell him a shotgun in October or November of 1975. He said the offer was made in the street in front of 1119 S. Polk, where Crawford had an apartment.

Cockrell said the $35 price quoted by Crawford caused him to ask Crawford "how hot" the weapon was. Cockrell said he thought had been stolen.

On Oct. 25, the Toot'n Totum Food Stores of Amarillo announced a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in the slaying of Mrs. Whitfield.