We are all aware from newspaper accounts and from firsthand information acquired in the courtroom that Renato Hughes was charged, in December 2005, with the murder of childhood friends Christian Foster and Rashad Williams. We also are aware that Mr. Hughes was not the shooter.
 
Those of us who have access to the online local newspaper are equally aware of the recent report of the Shannon Edmonds and Lori Tyler suicide attempts in August, 2007. In that report Lori Tyler alleged that Shannon Edmonds forced her to take pills, along with him, to end their lives.
 
We believe that the timing of the suicide attempts coincide with the impending Hughes trial set to begin on Nov. 6. At a motion hearing in Lakeport Oct. 11, the prosecutor and an assistant attorney general defended their position against having the prosecutor and his department recused from further prosecution of Mr. Hughes. They saw no relevance in the Edmonds/Tyler suicide attempts and Mr. Hughes' ability to receive a fair trial.
 
However, we pose the below questions for consideration:
 
(1) Has Edmonds once again escaped prosecutorial wrath, in light of the recent allegations against him by his common law wife, Lori Tyler, that he forced her to take pills to end her life, and that he physically abuses her from time to time, because her allegations were not specific enough to cause Edmonds' arrest?
 
(2) Does Edmonds' recent suicide attempts cast doubt on his recitation of the events that lead up to the shooting deaths of Foster and Williams on December 7, 2005?
 
(3)  Does Edmonds' recent suicide attempts cast doubt on his credibility as a witness for the prosecution in the Hughes matter?
 
(4)  When did the law change to make it okay to shoot two fleeing alleged robbers in the back, multiple times, and kill them?
 
(5)  If Edmonds is called as a witness for the prosecution, does he intend to plead the Fifth Amendment against self incrimination? According to the decision by Judge McKinstry, on Oct. 11, Edmonds will not be allowed to take the Fifth.
 
(6)  Will the truth about the actual amount of marijuana taken from the Edmonds residence be brought to light during the Hughes trial?
 
(7)  Was the shooting deaths of Foster and Williams, on Edmonds' part, truly an act of self defense?
 
(8) Does Lori Tyler's allegations that Shannon Edmonds forced her to take pills in an effort to commit suicide, and allegations of physical abuse show that Edmonds has a propensity towards violence? and,
 
(9) Has the prosecutor offered Edmonds immunity from prosecution in the Hughes matter?
 
We, the Lake County Branch, NAACP expect the fair dispensation of justice in the Hughes matter, by the judicial system. We believe that Shannon Edmonds should have been charged and arrested based on the recent allegations of Lori Tyler, and that Edmonds should also have been charged in connection with the Hughes matter.
 
Aqeela El-Amin Bakheit is president of the Lake County Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

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