Former Deputy Claims Defendant Confessed After Deadly Shooting
GREELEY, Colo. (CBS4)- The murder trial of defendant Tom Fallis continued Friday with an eighth day of testimony. Former Weld County Deputy Chris Graves testified that he heard Fallis confess that night.
Fallis is accused of murdering his 28-year-old wife after a New Year's Eve party in 2012. Ashley Fallis' death was first ruled a suicide, but the case was reopened two years later.
Graves testified that he heard Fallis confess to shooting his wife.
As the defense questioned Graves, he admitted to changing his statements under oath and never wrote a report about the confession he said he heard.
Defense attorney: "And at that point, you said you heard him screaming. What did you hear?"
Graves: "I heard him screaming, 'I can't believe I shot her. I can't believe she's dead.'"
Defense attorney: "Mr. Graves, you were a full-fledged deputy sheriff on Jan. 1, 2012, correct?"
Graves: "Yes."
Defense attorney: "You responded to the scene of a shooting, correct?"
Graves: "Yes."
Defense attorney: "You saw a man with blood on his clothes, correct?"
Graves: "Yes."
Defense attorney: "Blood on his hands?"
Graves: "I don't remember that."
Defense attorney: "You claim that you heard the man say, 'I can't believe I shot her.'"
Graves: "Correct."
Defense attorney: "But you didn't handcuff him, right then and there."
Graves: "No."
Defense attorney: "Because it wasn't your scene, correct?"
Graves: "Correct."
Graves admitted to changing some of his testimony about when he actually heard the confession.
Defense attorney: "So you told Detective Shaklee that you heard that confession as soon as you arrived on scene?"
Graves: "Yes."
Defense attorney: "Which is different than what you testified to yesterday."
Graves: "Yes."
Graves said at the time he did tell an Evans police officer what he heard but Evans police said reports of a confession didn't surface until three years later and Graves never wrote it down.
Defense attorney: "Did you write a report in 2012?"
Graves: "No."
Defense attorney: "In 2013?"
Graves: "No."
Graves also told the jury he is testifying now so Ashley's family can get justice.
Graves was fired from the Weld County Sheriff's Office last year.
