In several hours of police video shown in 14th Judicial District Court on Saturday, Jon Talbert Dickerson repeatedly denied killing 51-year-old Darrell Schaub in 2009.

Dickerson, 31, is charged with second-degree murder in the killing of Schaub, whose body was found beneath two mattresses behind the Parkway motel in DeQuincy on March 16, 2009. Schaub’s throat was cut. Prosecutors believe Schaub was killed on March 9 or 10, 2009.

Dickerson’s trial went into the weekend and is expected to resume Monday morning.

The prosecution rested Saturday afternoon, and the defense began calling witnesses.

Two taped interviews — one audio, one video — of Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office detectives interviewing Dickerson several months apart were shown Saturday.

Dickerson is expected to testify in his own defense Monday.

Schaub’s DNA was found on the outside of Dickerson’s shoes and on the inside of his pants when he was arrested March 11 for public intoxication. Dickerson also was carrying Schaub’s credit cards.

But in the two taped interrogations, Dickerson said he did not kill Schaub.

He said he found the credit cards in a little black plastic bag near a railroad trestle the day he was arrested. He said he kicked the black bag and the credit cards fell out. He said he used a card to buy gas for his aunt, but she did not know they were stolen — he said he had tried to use the cards other places, but was not able to.

Detectives said he had used one of Schaub’s cards to buy $123 worth of Hennessy.

Dickerson said he had last been at the Parkway, which was where Schaub was living at the time of his death, 2 1/2 weeks prior to see Chad Reiher.

Reiher testified Thursday that Dickerson had kicked in his door at the Parkway on March 8. Dickerson claimed that was a lie. He also claimed Dawn Vercher’s testimony that he had shown up bloody on her doorstep in Oretta the morning of March 10, driving Schaub’s truck was untrue.

At one point, detective Les Blanchard told him several people had put him at the scene of the crime. “Everybody goes to the Parkway,” Dickerson said.

“Who said Parkway?” Blanchard asked, saying that detectives had not told Dickerson the murder had happened at the Parkway. “I never put you at the Parkway; you did that all on your own. Thank you for that, by the way.”

Dickerson again denied he had any knowledge of Schaub’s death.

Detective Brent Young said that an anonymous Crime Stoppers caller said that police should investigate former Parkway resident Devin “Bookie” Patrick for Schaub’s murder. The caller said Patrick had a bite on his hand, Young said.

Young said he questioned Patrick, but did not interrogate him because his name had never been connected before the Crime Stoppers call.

Young said Patrick told him the mark on his hand was a grease burn suffered while frying chicken. Young said he had “no reason to doubt his explanation.”

On the stand, Patrick denied being Schaub’s killer. He said he had burned his hand with frying grease, but it actually occurred while frying pork chops.

Robert Dunham said that shortly after he got out of jail in August 2012, he attended a party on Douglas Road, where he overheard Patrick tell someone that an innocent man was in jail for a murder Patrick committed.

Dunham said Dickerson’s attorney, King Alexander, approached him to testify after he told Dickerson’s sister, Melanie, his story.

Patrick said he had family who lived on Douglas Road but did not recall going to a party in the area in August 2012. He also denied having a conversation of the sort.

In testimony Thursday, Reiher said that he believes Patrick is the killer.

Reiher said Patrick had threatened him, telling him that if he testified he was going to be next. Patrick denied threatening Reiher and said he never really knew him.

(American Press Archives)

Michelle Higginbotham