Michelle Lawrence: "High life" not possible if husband was alive

In the weeks before the killings, Ryan Patterson and Michelle Lawrence talked about living the "high life." They only saw that happening, Lawrence testified Tuesday, if her estranged husband was out of the picture.

Michelle R. Lawrence arrived at the Cape Girardeau County Courthouse in Jackson in 2009 in this file photo taken prior to a preliminary hearing.(Fred Lynch)

"I wouldn't have to worry about John fighting for custody of my kids, and we wouldn't be hurting for money anymore," she said during the second day of Patterson's murder trial.

Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle continued to try to convince jurors that Patterson killed Jamie Lynn Orman, her 15-year-old son Derrick and the child she was pregnant with as part of a botched attempt to get thousands in insurance money.

Lawrence told Patterson how to get into the house, bought bullets and talked with Patterson on several occasions about what she believed to be $250,000 in life and home-owners insurance polices that listed her as the beneficiary.

Wearing her orange, jail-issued uniform, Lawrence testified for more than an hour, as her father, ex-husband and the victim's family members watched from the gallery.

During cross examination, Patterson's lawyer, David Kenyon, attempted to taint Lawrence's testimony, by pointing out that she lied to police several times immediately following the murders.

"You told an awful lot of lies during these interrogations," Kenyon said. "You were not upfront with police."

The day of the Oct. 27, 2009, murders, Lawrence told police that Patterson, her boyfriend at the time, had been at home the whole night.

"I was doing that," she said, "because I didn't want no confrontation with him."

The defense team also noted that Lawrence had received a lesser conspiracy charge in exchange for her testimony. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, but Kenyon asked Lawrence if she was hoping to "do a good job for the judge" with her testimony Tuesday in the hopes of getting fewer years on her sentence. She acknowledged she was.

Several others testified in the morning, including a firearms expert, Lawrence's father, and employees of Rhodes 101 Stop and Walmart. Lawrence's father, William Hayden, testified that Patterson came to his Chaffee, Mo., home the day before the murders and practiced shooting a gun. The Walmart security worker testified that Lawrence purchased bullets at the Jackson store and the jurors were shown surveillance video. The Rhodes employee told jurors that Patterson purchased $3 worth of gas the night before the murder. Prosecutors have suggested Patterson intended to burn down John Lawrence's home.

Swingle is seeking the death penalty in the case. The defense team, which includes Robert Steele, are laying out Samuel "Ray Ray" Hughes as the possible trigger man, although Hughes has maintained he was the lookout man. Hughes is expected to testify this afternoon. Hughes also pleaded to a reduced charge for his testimony.

For more information later, check out www.semissourian.com or Wednesday's Southeast Missourian.

smoyers@semissourian.com

Samuel Hughes

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