The Trial
"She was a wonderful mom."
Tuesday, Eric Beauchamp took the stand, talking about his relationship with Lindsey Morgan.
He's on trial for killing her.
Beauchamp was on the stand nearly all day, the sole witness for the defense.
The accused killer was sometimes emotional, sometimes angry as he talked about Morgan, their children, and their relationship.
We learned today the shooting in Buckley happened at the home of Morgan's lover.
After the shooting, Beauchamp is accused of leading police on a high-speed chase before being arrested.
Both the prosecution and defense agree, Beauchamp killed Morgan.
But the prosecution says it's premeditated murder.
The defense says it was voluntary manslaughter.
9&10's Cody Boyer and Photojournalist Jacob Johnson been following the trial closely since it began and has more with our continuing coverage.
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For four days, friends and family of both Lindsey Morgan and Eric Beauchamp took the stand, recounting under oath what led up to the death of the mother four on August 8th.
Tuesday, the man who admits to killing her told his own story.
"I wasn't really thinking," Beauchamp said. "I was on a rampage."
Eric Beauchamp appeared calm when he talked about a fight with Lindsey Morgan that happened the night before her death.
"It was like she got one over me," Beauchamp said. "I was pretty upset with her."
He walked the court through that day last August, from when he broke into the house Lindsey and her four kids were in to when he shot her.
"I don't know. I lost control," Beauchamp said. "I don't know why I did it. She drove me over the edge. I could not control myself over the edge."
In Beauchamp's words, problems started with his and Lindsey's struggles with alcoholism and his jealousy when she started to see another man, and took their children with her.
He says he was trying to help her quit drinking.
"You were trying to save her so you ended up killing her?"
"Well, yeah," Beauchamp said. "That didn't work very well, did it?"
Beauchamp says he originally intended to commit suicide in front of Lindsey.
But once at the house, everything changed.
And he says his memory went blank.
"I feel terrible," Beauchamp said. "I would do anything to take that day back."
When asked if he had planned her death, Beauchamp responded angrily.
"Did you have a plan?"
"I just said i didn't have a plan," Beauchamp said. "I was frickin' out of my mind."
Closing arguments are set to happen Wednesday morning at the Wexford County Courthouse.
After that -- it'll be up to the jury to decide what charge Beauchamp faces.
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New details and new revelations during a Wexford County murder trial. Accused killer Eric Beauchamp himself took the stand in his defense.
Both the prosecution and defense agree -- Beauchamp killed Lindsey Morgan last August, but disagree on possible convictions.
On day four of testimony, the defense called Beauchamp to testify about his relationship with Morgan -- and the day she died.
Tuesday, we learned Morgan was shot and killed at the home of another lover in Buckley. Police say Beauchamp killed Morgan just outside the home -- with three children inside. Then, he led police on a miles-long high speed chase before being arrested.
With the prosecution done presenting its case, the defense has taken over testimony -- pushing for a lesser conviction for Beauchamp.
The prosecution is calling for a premeditated murder conviction, but the defense says it wasn't planned, and argues for voluntary manslaughter.
Judge Fagerman said the court had enough evidence to keep the possible charge of first or second degree murder as an option for the jury.
The court says there is enough evidence to suggest the killing was pre-meditated -- but the decision must ultimately come from the jury.
On the stand, Beauchamp said problems between he and Morgan stem back to 2012 with jealousy and alcoholism -- a problem he says drove him to kill her.
"How was your relationship going into the summer of 2014?"
"Pretty rocky," said Beauchamp.
"What do you mean, pretty rocky?"
"Well, she took off for a few weeks and ended up getting back together," Beauchamp explained. "She would lie to me and take off, sometimes overnight to next day and come back. Few times it was for longer than that."
"How did you feel about that?"
Beauchamp replied, "I was pretty upset with her."
Beauchamp said it got to the point he was concerned about the well-being of his children. And he and Morgan maintained an intimate on-again, off-again relationship up until she died.
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