HANFORD -- Dave Hawk's former live-in girlfriend testified Wednesday she never believed that he actually wanted his ex-wife dead, even though he made the comment on more than one occasion.
"I never felt Dave ever intended on taking justice in his own way," said Mary Royer, who lived with Hawk for five years.
Royer testified in Kings County Superior Court that she believed Hawk's comments were rhetorical and demonstrated his frustration with his ex-wife, Debbie Hawk, on legal matters pertaining to their three children.
Debbie Hawk, 46, of Hanford disappeared in June 2006. Her body has never been found.
Dave Hawk, 51, of Lemoore was charged in mid-2007 with embezzling more than $300,000 from his children's trust funds and was awaiting trial in that case when he was arrested in May 2008 in connection with his ex-wife's murder.
Defense attorney Mark Coleman asked Royer if she had anything to do with the disappearance of Debbie Hawk.
"Absolutely not," Royer replied.
Royer testified that although she still loves Dave Hawk, she would not lie for him.
Under questioning by prosecutor Larry Crouch, Royer said she found out Debbie Hawk was missing on a television news report on the afternoon of June 14, two days after her disappearance was first reported, and not from Dave Hawk.
Meanwhile, a neighbor of Debbie Hawk's testified that she was awakened by a scream that sounded like "a death cry" in the early-morning hours on the day Hawk was reported missing.
"It was very eerie," said neighbor Janet Hughes. "It was definitely a living thing that sounded like it was being killed."
Hughes said she heard screams in two or three segments about 2:15 a.m.
Another neighbor who was in her backyard with her new puppy early that morning testified she heard a scream about the same time.
"It was loud, and it made me feel nervous," said Sarah Hodson, who said she wanted to quickly go inside her own home when she heard it.
In other testimony Wednesday, Kim Aguirre, Debbie Hawk's attorney, said he could have proved Dave Hawk was misusing funds from his children's trust accounts if Debbie Hawk had not disappeared.
Aguirre said the trust fund money was intended to be used for the benefit of the Hawks' three children.
"The only thing you're not supposed to do is use it as if it's your own," which Hawk did, Aguirre said.
Coleman concedes the money is gone, but said the children did benefit from how Hawk spent it on his home, where they lived part time.
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