Fresno man to stand trial for double murder, after judge hears dramatic witness testimony
Dramatic witness testimony highlighted Thursday’s court hearing in the case of 26-year-old man accused of killing a woman he was dating — and her foster mother — in southeast Fresno last year.
Judge Brian Alvarez decided said there was enough evidence presented during the preliminary hearing to try Deandre Foster on two counts of murder.
He’s accused of fatally shooting Charlotte Ethridge, 21, after a late-night argument on April 10, 2021.
She and the defendant had been dating for several months and he would sometimes stay at her apartment, a small, five-unit complex in the 3200 block of East Olive Avenue, prosecutors say.
Also killed that night was Ethridge’s good friend and foster mother Michelle Johnson, 50, who lived in the same apartment complex and was protective of her.
One of the witnesses testified Thursday that Johnson was well liked by the residents, several of whom were woman escaping domestic violence situations, including Ethridge.
“She was like the apartment complex mom, she would give you an egg or a hug,” said the witness. “She became one of my best friends. And anytime my door was open we would talk.”
The Fresno Bee is not naming the witness, as the judge and prosecution expressed concern for her safety.
The day of the shooting, the witness noticed Foster had three friends over. They hung out around the complex, talking and smoking.
Later that night, she heard arguing coming from Ethridge’s apartment. Then she heard what she thought was a single gunshot.
“People in all of the other apartments came out to check to see what was going on,” she said. “They said something broke inside the apartment and to just ignore it.”
Then the witness said she heard another gunshot and saw Johnson dash out of her apartment. saying, “What the hell was that?” and “Where is my daughter? (Ethridge).”
Senior Deputy District Attorney Amy Freeman asked the witness if anyone responded to Ethridge and she said Foster did. “He said, ‘mind your own business, bitch, and go back inside,’” the witness testified.
Johnson kept asking to see Ethridge, but Foster kept telling her to mind her own business.
Fearing for her own safety, the witness closed her front door. Seconds later, she testified to hearing another gun shot and then hearing Johnson’s body fall to the ground.
The witness testified that she heard a woman’s voice, possibly Charlotte, say, “What the f--- did you do? Why?”
That was followed by several gunshots fired in rapid succession, the witness said.
Police and rescue crews were called and one of the first officers to arrive was Ryan Morin.
As Morin approached the property he could see Johnson’s body laying outside the front door of one of the apartments.
He testified that she was losing a lot of blood around her face. He had to wipe away the blood so he could find the wound and apply pressure to try and get it to stop.
Morin found the wound. She had been shot in the face, just above her eye.
Johnson was still breathing and was transported to the hospital where he later died. Ethridge was found dead inside her apartment with gun shot wounds to her arms and face, said Fresno police officer Kristien Barklow.
Barklow testified that she found between seven and eight shell casings inside the apartment.
If Foster is found guilty of all the charges, he faces a maximum of life in prison without the possibility of parole or death, Freeman said.
Foster remains in the Fresno County Jail with bail set at $3.2 million. He is being defended by attorney Barbara O’Neill.
Before he was arrested for murder, Foster had been on probation and been arrested several times for a series of crimes, police said.
He had convictions for felony assault on a family member and being a felon in possession of firearm.
This story was originally published June 16, 2022 at 6:37 PM.
