OROVILLE (CA)
Mercury-Register
The burned and stabbed body of Ronald Duane Bailey, 54, was found east of Oroville last spring.
Trial began Wednesday in the murder case against Kelly David Fredericksen, 27, who admits he killed Bailey.
The prosecution hopes to convict Fredericksen of first-degree murder and send him to prison for life. ...
In his opening statement Wednesday, Fredericksen's attorney, Denny Forland, told the jury his client had been molested by a church elder as a child and also had a "mental history" which affected his actions on the day of the killing.
In a videotaped confession following his arrest, Fredericksen said on the night of the slaying, Bailey came to his apartment to make a drug deal. At one point, Fredericksen said, he discovered Bailey standing over his 4-year old daughter's bed, watching the girl sleep.