Testimony begins at Julian trial

FULTON, Mo. -- In a Callaway County courtroom Monday, Amanda O'Dell quietly described the last conversation she had with her ex-boyfriend, Zachary Snyder, on Feb. 14, minutes before he was allegedly shot and killed by the fugitive apprehension officer trying to take him into custody for a parole violation.

Snyder had just told O'Dell and their friend, Leslie Tyler, that he was going to St. Louis to visit his children, O'Dell testified during the first day of a two-day involuntary manslaughter trial.

"He said he loved us and gave us hugs, and he went down the steps," O'Dell said, clasping her arms tensely in front of her.

Then, she testified that she saw a car pull into the parking lot of the Themis Street apartment complex where she and Snyder had been staying off and on.

"It's all a blur," O'Dell said.

The car belonged to Steven R. Julian, a fugitive apprehension officer with the Missouri Department of Corrections, who had contacted O'Dell and Tyler earlier in the week to let them know he was looking for Snyder. Snyder wore an electronic monitoring bracelet around one ankle that let his parole officer know when he'd strayed too far from his home in Dexter, Mo., and Julian had a warrant for his arrest.

Both Tyler and O'Dell testified that Julian told them they would be in trouble themselves if caught harboring Snyder, and gave them a business card with a number to call if they saw him.

Tyler testified that he went to the gas station after Snyder first arrived at his apartment Feb. 14, and called 911.

While the jury listened to a recording of Tyler telling the 911 operator the call was "concerning a fugitive that's needing to be apprehended," the 31-year-old placed a hand over his eyes.

When Julian stepped out of his car, he had a pistol in his right hand, raised and pointed upward, Tyler testified. Snyder appeared to cooperate at first, placing his hands on the back of the officer's car, then turned suddenly.

"I heard a pop," Tyler testified, but admitted during cross examination that he'd been unable to see Julian's actions because Snyder's body had been blocking his view of the other man.

During cross examination, Steve Wilson, attorney for Julian, asked Tyler about a statement made by Julian at the scene in which he'd asked what Snyder and Tyler had argued about, but Tyler said he didn't remember the question.

"We never had a cross word," he said of his relationship with Snyder.

He testified that he had wanted Snyder to leave that night, but "not like that."

The prosecution presented eight witnesses Monday, and plans on calling at least two more today when the case resumes at 8:30 a.m.

Edith Snyder, Zachary's mother, sat quietly, crying at times during the testimony, resting her head in her hand at others.

Cape Girardeau policeman Darin Hickey knew there had been two calls to dispatch requesting officer assistance at 2857 Themis St. because an officer with the Division of Probation and Parole was attempting to serve a warrant on a subject for parole absconder, but didn't detect any particular urgency in those calls, Hickey testified.

During cross examination Hickey testified he hadn't known a third call had been made alerting dispatch of the situation.

The shift had just changed at 7 p.m., and Hickey was still in briefing when Julian, then a fugitive recovery agent with the Missouri Department of Corrections, requested assistance in serving a warrant on Snyder, whom he believed was at the address on Themis Street.

Hickey loaded his patrol car and was en route to the apartment complex when dispatch informed him of a report of shots fired, he testified.

"I asked whether it involved the probation and parole officer, and they said it did," he testified.

At the scene, Hickey testified he found a subject lying on the ground and two other males standing near him. One of them, later identified as Julian, had a badge around his neck.

"Mr. Julian stated, 'I shot him in the back,'" Hickey testified.

Dr. Russell Diediker, a forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy on the victim, testified that Snyder died of a gunshot wound that entered just below his right shoulder blade and exited through the left side of his chest.

A firearms examiner with the Missouri State Highway Patrol testified he had performed chemical tests on Snyder's clothing to analyze how far away he had been from the shooter. The residue patterns on the fabric appeared consistent with a proximity of about 12 to 18 inches, he said.

bdicosmo@semissourian.com

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