Porter trial update: Craig feared for life, wanted 'justice'
By SUSAN HERENDEEN
Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008
"If I die for any reason, except in my bed, you make sure justice is done."
That was the marching order Frank Craig delivered to a friend, only two weeks before his death, according to telephone technician Paul Harvey, who testified this afternoon during a murder trial in Stanislaus County Superior Court.
According to Harvey, the elderly rancher was suspicious of former pastor Howard "Doug" Porter in the months before his death, so much so that he feared for his life.
Craig also believed that Porter had stolen his money to build a four-home
family compound known as "Rivendell" in La Grange, so Harvey told his friend to get a lawyer or call the Sheriff's Department. But Craig had an independent streak, so he said he would clean things up himself.
"I said, 'Well Frank, why don't you call your lawyer or call the sheriff?' " Harvey recalled. "He said, 'No. I got myself into this mess. I'll get myself out of it."
Two weeks later, Craig was dead, having drowned in the Ceres Main Canal after his truck, driven by Porter, ran off the road. It was the second catastrophic collision involving Porter and Craig, as Craig had been crippled in a 2002 collision when Porter's truck ran off the road and slammed into a tree.
Porter is on trial, having pleaded not guilty to murder, attempted murder, theft or embezzlement from an elder by a caretaker and elder abuse causing death. The district attorney's office alleges that Porter stole $1.1 million from Craig, then staged the two truck crashes to cover his tracks.
Porter, who walked away from both wrecks, has been held without bail since his arrest Nov. 27, 2006. He faces life in prison if convicted of the stiffest charge.
Harvey said he didn't contact the authorities, though Craig's fateful words rang out in his mind after his death. Word of the alleged conversation circulated among friends of Craig, prompting investigators to contact Harvey, who also was an acquaintance of Porter.
Abridged
SOURCE: KansasCityNews
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