Preacher on trial for murder of elderly millionaire

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Preacher on trial for
murder of elderly millionaire

by: Garance Burke

The Rev. Howard Douglas Porter says he tried to brake before his truck plunged into an irrigation ditch, and that he made a desperate effort to save his elderly passenger from drowning in the mire.

But prosecutors in a murder trial scheduled to begin opening statements Thursday say the country preacher staged the crash as part of a far-fetched plot to kill the old rancher and inherit his millions.

Townspeople in Hickman, a rural outpost some 90 miles north of Fresno, knew 85-year-old Frank Craig as a lifelong bachelor whose dream was to build a museum to showcase his antique farming equipment.

Defense attorneys say Porter, a minister at the local Christian church and beloved high school wrestling coach, was a standup man for the job.

But after Craig was crippled and then killed in a pair of auto wrecks with the minister behind the wheel, authorities became suspicious.

In November 2006, Porter was arrested at the Mexican border.

He's been behind bars without bail since, on charges of murder, attempted murder, theft or embezzlement from an elder adult by a caretaker, and elder abuse causing death. If convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Prosecutors describe Porter as a scheming con man who seized control of Craig's dreams and fortune, plotted his death and then had the gall to give the eulogy at his funeral.

"(He) promised to build Mr. Craig the museum of his dreams," Deputy District Attorney John R. Mayne wrote in a brief filed with the court. He "wanted to avoid criminal prosecution for stealing the money, and killed Craig for it."

Craig had socked thousands of dollars away in a grandfather clock by 1999, when he asked Porter to take charge of his reported $2.5 million trust to build the Central Valley Museum of Agriculture in Hickman, a town of about 450.

Since Craig rarely went to church, relatives were surprised when he gave Porter power of attorney and replaced family members with the church as heir to his trust.

On March 4, 2002, Porter's truck veered off a road and slammed the passenger side into an oak tree, leaving Craig with serious injuries, authorities have said.

That crash crippled Craig but didn't initially raise suspicions. Police later discovered the passenger side air bag never deployed because someone had manually shut it off.

Porter told officers he had fallen asleep, and he wasn't ticketed.

In the following years, prosecutors say, Porter would visit Craig in the hospital and lie to him about his progress on the museum, even as he funneled money from the rancher's accounts to pay his personal credit card bills.

Two years later, once Craig could walk again, he agreed to go out for a spin in Porter's pickup.

On April 22, 2004, Porter's truck veered into an irrigation canal, and the farmer drowned. Investigators say while the driver's side window was rolled down, the passenger side window was shut tight.

Craig's relatives and friends suspected foul play, and some rushed to the scene to tell authorities the crash could not have been accidental.

In an interview, Modesto defense attorney Kirk McAllister depicted Craig's death as an accident.

"The two of them had a long-standing friendship," McAllister said. "Mr. Porter has a very good reputation in the community, both in his church and as a wrestling coach."

McAllister has told the court he plans to call dozens of defense witnesses who can testify that Porter may be a poor driver, but is a man of excellent character.

Following Craig's death, Porter resigned from Hickman Community Church and went to Mexico to set up a ministry. He was arrested while trying to re-enter the United States.

Posted: 5/29/08
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