Darryl Roberts
Chris Wright had an animated conversation with two men in front of Patten Towers, but witnesses were mum on what was said.
The state on Monday morning showed graphic footage of the confrontation and then of Darryl Roberts walking up to the prominent young businessman and shooting him in the head.
Roberts had his first-degree murder case bound to the Grand Jury in the Sept. 28 downtown slaying that led city and county officials to reinforce downtown patrols. General Sessions Court Judge Gary Starnes kept Roberts, 58, on a $5 million bond.
The state called two witnesses who were in front of the Patten that night, but neither one said they heard anything.
The detective on the case said he asked Roberts what was said, and he replied, "Ask him (the victim)." The detective said he responded, "I can't ask him."
The Baylor School and Yale graduate was dead at the scene after being shot in the head at close range.
Brian Houston said he regularly sat out front of the Patten on a bench by a stairwell with "Too Tall" (Roberts). He said he was there that night when Roberts came up in pajama pants, then walked off before returning.
He said they were there when a man in white shorts with a dark, short-sleeve shirt walked up from the direction of the Pickle Barrel that is across Georgia Avenue.
The witness said that Chris Wright appeared intoxicated and was "looking tough." He said he "was like a brute." Houston said, "You could look at him and tell. It wasn't hard to see that he was drunk."
The video showed Too Tall show up in front of the Patten around 11:31 p.m. and Chris Wright come into the picture at 1148 p.m. He walked in front of the bench, then turned to face Houston and Roberts. Chris Burnette, another Patten resident, was nearby.
He walked about four steps, then turned to the bench again with his arm extended. He was about 30 feet from the men on the bench when he turned once more and faced the group as he stood near 11th Street.
Roberts is then seen walking directly to him, pulling out a gun, and firing a single shot.
Brian Houston said he told the man in the shorts, "Sir, keep on moving." He said he gets anxious when anyone stops in front of him, and he has told people to move on before.
The witness said his entire focus was when the man was directly in front of him, and he could not remember anything that anyone said that night.
Chris Burnette also said he had no memory of what was said.
One witness said anything that was said "didn't warrant what happened" (shooting). Houston said it was "a bad incident, man. I love my brother (Too Tall)."
Prosecutor Paul Moyle asked both men if there had been "a racial slur" said, and they did not remember hearing anything.
It was testified that after Roberts was brought in 18 hours later for questioning that he cradled his head down on his arms in his lap and both his legs were twitching.
The detective said no shell casings were found at the scene and no gun has been recovered.
He said a Patten Towers security guard was shown a still picture taken from video of the shooter, and the guard said it was "Too Tall" who lived in apt. 609. Police searched his room and found several cell phones and some narcotics.
The detective said there was trace evidence of blood on the light switch and on a bathroom seat in apt. 609.
The victim had driven a car downtown that night, it was stated.