By Sharon Stevens
St. Louis, MO (KSDK) - Testimony resumes Tuesday in the murder trial of a Berkeley man accused of gunning down a University City police sergeant nearly three years ago.
Sgt. Mike King was sitting in his patrol car when he was shot and killed. Friends and family say 43-year-old Todd Shepard talked often about planning a revolution that would include the killing of police.
King was shot five times in his car on Halloween night 2008, near Delmar and Leland. Shepard was arrested several days later and charged with murder. Shepard's fiancée, Melody Newsome, two former girlfriends and a male friend, testified that Shepard spoke often about starting a revolution.
Prosecutor Bob McCulloch told the jury about letters Shepard wrote to Melody Newsome from prison. McCulloch says Shepard signed different names on his letters: "Psycho Snowman" and "Bin Laden."
Under cross-examination, Newsome and a friend, Ryan Harshman, said they didn't take Shepard's revolution plan seriously.
Harshman, a convicted felon who now works in his family's business, testified that not only was Shepard obsessed with planning a revolution, but he also wanted to take over NewsChannel 5 and blow up the building. No one at KSDK ever received a threat from Shepard.
Another witness said she sought help for Shepard from various family members.
If convicted, the death penalty could be on the table. Shepard is already serving a federal prison sentence on an unrelated drug charge.
KSDK
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