Brewer Trial: Jury finds Clifford Brewer guilty

Editor's Note: Clifford Brewer was found guilty by a Livingston County jury late Tuesday afternoon on all six charges of first-degree murder. Brewer was accused of killing his wife, son and a neighbor in the early morning hours of Dec. 25, 2019, in Cullom. Sentencing will take place Oct. 5. A full story will appear in Thursday's edition of the Daily Leader.

Clifford Brewer's fate is now in the hands of the jury after closing arguments were presented Tuesday morning at the Livingston County Law and Justice Center.

Brewer faces six counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of his wife Shirley Brewer (48), his son Christian Brewer (27) and neighbor Norman Walker (51) in the early morning hours of Dec. 25, 2019.

The defense rested its case Monday after the testimony of Dr. Shaku Teas, who was called by the defense to rebut the testimony of Dr. Scott Denton, who performed the autopsies on the victims, had concluded.

Teas tried to explain what the gunshot wound to Mrs. Brewer meant and how it was possible that it could have been self-inflicted. The defense has contested that Shirley Brewer did the actual killing of all three victims.

Teas also took into consideration factors that were not available to Denton at the time of the autopsies and the reports of his findings. Teas is a pathologist who has made a career of testifying after the fact as an expert offering a second opinion.

Her testimony was part of each side's closings and the rebuttal by the state. For the defense, attorney Stephen Richards relied on statements that indicated it was possible that Shirley Brewer could have shot herself while in a struggle with the accused.

Among them was the angle of entry by the bullet and the damage left on its entry. Teas said that it is a self-inflicted wound that a left-handed person could make.

Richards also pointed out that it was his belief that Teas was correct in her opinion after having reviewed all the materials she was given, including statements, scene photographs, police reports and Mrs. Brewer's medical history. Richards also wrote a full report.

In regard to Denton, Richards said that he offered no opinion as to reliability of statement. During testimony, Denton pointed out that that is something he does not do because it is a coroner's matter.

Also, Denton only reviewed crime scene photos and he did not write any report.

Assistant State's Attorney Mike Regnier gave the closing for the state and he pointed out that Teas testified that the head does move and that it could lead to what she termed as an “atypical” wound.

He also pointed out that the wound took a sharply downward path, where Teas had said it was slightly downward.

“Dr. Teas, she got it wrong,” Regnier said.

And, regarding the position of Mrs. Brewer. Regnier said that a right-handed shooter would have the same angle as a left-handed shooter trying to shoot themselves.

Richards also pointed to the DNA angle, which the state said was not as key for various reasons. One of which was the fact that the gun was lying in a pool of blood that created problems in determining whose DNA was on the gun.

Richards said the results that did come back indicated a female, and did not rule out Mrs. Brewer, and there was an undetermined male but it did rule out Clifford Brewer.

The defense also tried hammering home the notion that if there is any doubt as to guilt, the jury must not find Brewer guilty of first-degree murder.

Regnier's closing remarks drove at the defense's contention that Shirley Brewer was the killer and was suicidal with evidence that indicated it did not make sense for this to be accurate.

Mrs. Brewer was portrayed by the defense as being a person who drank a lot and was taking a lot of prescription drugs. Regnier said that the defense would have the jury believe that Mrs. Brewer was not totally coherent but was enough to be able to make accurate shots in killing Christian Brewer and Walker.

Regnier also pointed that the trouble Mrs. Brewer was dealing with was coming from Clifford Brewer and that logically she would have tried to kill him first.

Also, Regnier looked at the various stories that Clifford Brewer told from the time he phoned the Livingston County Sheriff's Office some time after the killings to the jailhouse conversation Brewer had with his daughter, Bonnie La Croix a week later.

The state's closing came first and was followed by the defense. Upon the conclusion of the defense's closing arguments, the state got one final word as State's Attorney Randy Yedinak provided the rebuttal.

Yedinak tried to answer the questions and remarks made by Richards by first stating that Shirley Brewer did not kill anyone that night. He pointed out that Mrs. Brewer was not a gun person, that she didn't know how to rack a gun, or even how to handle a gun.

He also attacked Clifford Brewer's knowledge of the crime scene in statements the defendant made to his daughter at the jail.

“How does he know? He was there, that's how he knows,” Yedinak said.

Yedinak pointed out that although Mrs. Brewer took a lot of medication, most of it was over-the-counter and there was no indication that she abused her medication. She took medicine for pain and for depression. Yedinak also pointed out that the defendant took medicine for depression.

Testimony bore this out early in the trial as it was made known that Brewer had a doctor's appointment early on Dec. 24 and then drove to Pontiac to pick up his prescriptions.

Yedinak said that the defendant had testified through his comments to the police and his daughter, as well as testimony on the stand coming from co-workers of his, that he was looking to end the marriage.

There were also comments made by Brewer to his daughter and to others that showed, according to Yedinak, that Brewer was more distant from his wife than she was from him.

Yedinak said that the “evidence shows that only one person wants out of the relationship and that's the defendant.”

Instructions were given to the jury by Judge Jennifer Bauknecht as to how the jury should proceed. It was indicated that the jury could find Clifford Brewer guilty of the first-degree murder charges on all counts, or that he could be found not guilty of all six counts. Also, it was suggested that the jury first consider the counts involving Shirley Brewer because the decision could be different than for the other two victims.

In the case of Mrs. Brewer, should the jury agree with the defense that she killed Christian Brewer and Walker, that would make Clifford Brewer not guilty of those charges.

However, Clifford Brewer can be found guilty of involuntary manslaughter against Shirley Brewer. If this would be the finding, then the jury is saying that Shirley Brewer killed her son and Walker.