Co-Defendant Tells Court Of Gun Butt Bludgeoning

Co-Defendant Tells Court Of Gun Butt Bludgeoning

One of her co-defendants testified yesterday that he was unable to stop Louise Pullen when he found her beating LeRoy W. Johnson on the head. He said he helped her throw Johnson's body in the Huron River on Dec. 9. 

Robert Simon, Miss Pullen’s brother-in-law who is also charged with murder in the death of Johnson, a former city employe, was called to the stand yesterday afternoon by Prosecuting Attorney William F. Delhey as his final witness.

Simon, who said he realized what he said could be used against him in his trial which is to follow Miss Pullen’s, softly and calmly related the events of Dec. 9. His wife, Alva, is also charged with murder in the case.

Simon said he entered the Derby Bar on Ann St., at about 6 p.m. with his wife. Miss Pullen was in the bar, sitting with Johnson and introduced the Simons to him, he said.

Johnson asked him to purchase a pint of gin at a neighborhood store after they had been in the bar for about half an hour, Simon said.

After he returned with the gin, the Simon couple, Miss Pullen and Johnson left the bar in Simon’s car, looking for a place to drink the gin, he said. Johnson suggested going out by the Economy Baler Co. on N. Main overlooking the river, Simon said.

He and his wife left the car when they arrived at the river and were talking outside while Miss Pullen and Johnson remained inside in the back seat of the car, Simon said.

Leaning against the car while' talking, Simon said he felt the car begin to move. He opened the right rear door and saw Miss Pullen hitting Johnson on the head with a gun butt.

He said he tried to pull Miss Pullen off Johnson but was unsuccessful because “she’s built a little heavier than I am.” Simon said he finally managed to pull Johnson out of the car with Miss Pullen still swinging at him.

“I pulled him behind the car. I examined him and thought he was dead. She was following him, trying to hit him with the gun. I felt no heartbeat. His face was very bloody. It made me sick to look at him,” Simon said.

Simon also testified that Miss Pullen had Johson's wallet in her hand when he first opened the car door. The prosecution has charged that robber was the motive for the attack, noting that Johnson had cashed his paycheck of $195.79 at 3 p.m. that day.

When he became convinced that Johnson was dead, Simon said that he asked Miss Pullen, "What are we going to do now" "She said, 'Let's throw him in the river'," he said. 

Simon said he and miss Pullen carried Johnson the four feet to the river. He said he got a stick and pushed him out to deeper water and saw him sink. 

Returning to the car, Miss Pullen said she had found $180 in the wallet and she distributed the money. Tearing the wallet apart, she found an extra $10 in it, Simon said. 

The three then drove to a car wash but found it closed. They next went to a drive-in restaurant in Pittsfield Township where Miss Pullen threw the torn wallet into a trash barrel. It was recovered and put in evidence earlier.

They then went to another car wash. Simon said he "washed the blood out of the car as much as I could,” and Miss Pullen washed her jacket. Simon said he then drove to a laundromat, leaving Miss Pullen there because she wanted to dry her jacket.

He said he saw her the following Sunday afternoon at her stepfather's home and the three went to Kalamazoo from there. Simond said he did not talk to the stepfather, Ira McLaughlin, about wanting money or about the killing. He said McLaughlin was drunk at the time he was there.

McLaughlin said Monday that Simon told him he killed a man and needed money to get away. McLaughlin also admitted a long record of convictions for being drunk and disorderly.

Simon said he did not know Miss Pullen had a gun until he saw her using it on Johnson.

On cross examination, Simon said he did not know why Johnson was with them. Johnson had not indicated an interest in either woman, and he (Simon) had no intention of robbing Johnson, and did not know what Johnson might have done to provoke Miss Pullen’s act, Simon testified.

He also said he had never seen anyone acting like Miss Pullen when she was beating Johnson.

Yesterday morning, Kalamazoo police officers described the arrest of Miss Pullen and Mr. and Mrs. Simon and discovery of a gun in Miss Pullen’s possession.

They also found keys to Johnson’s car under Simon’s seat.

Crime detection technicians from the Michigan State Police and state health departments described finding human blood in nine locations in the Simon car, on Miss Pullen’s jacket and on a long stick found under a car seat. There was too little blood left on the gun to identify it, they said.

Simon’s account of the killing relates to the testimony of Dr. Robert C. Hendrix, deputy medical examiner. Dr. Hendrix said the immediate cause of Johnson’s death was drowning but that injuries to his brain and skull would have eventually caused death.