Friday marked the end of the first week of the double murder trial of Marcus Randle El.
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JANESVILLE, Wis. — Friday marked the end of the first week of the double murder trial of Marcus Randle El.
The former Badgers wide receiver faces two felony charges of first-degree intentional homicide as well as felony weapons-related charges in the shooting deaths of 27-year-old Brittany N. McAdory and 30-year-old Seairaha J. Winchester. He has pleaded not guilty.
On Friday, Amy Wescott, who works at the Janesville TA Express, and Tabitha Ebert, who was working at the TA Express in the early morning hours of February 10, 2020, took to the stand.
Wescott collected the surveillance video at the store, the last spot the two victims were seen before they were found injured on Midvale Drive in Janesville.
Ebert says she recalls her interactions with one of the two victims at the gas station in the early morning hours of February 10, 2020.
“I do remember her looking distressed.,” said Ebert. “We considered calling the police.”
Ebert said she didn’t end up calling the police after her interactions with the woman.
The defense then questioned the employee, asking details about the woman’s behavior. The defense asked if the woman’s behavior could have reflected drug use. The employee said that could have been possible.
Shannon Wingate, who testified that she knew Marcus Randle El, also took the stand on Friday.
She said she knew Randle El was selling drugs and that she shared a belief with Randle El that Seairaha Winchester might have been working for the police.
Wingate said her interactions with Randle El involved giving him rides. She testified that Randle El said he planned to cut off ties in Janesville and go to Chicago in the days before the womens’ deaths.
Her testimony included an interaction the night of February 10, 2020, where she said Randle El told her to lie about where she had dropped him off.
“When you dropped him off and left him at that Midvale apartment, do you remember if he said anything to you?” asked an attorney with the state.
“He said to remember when they came to look for him, that I took him down to 127th and Cicero and then he said to say that I dropped him off in Rockford,” Wingate responded.
Justine Watson, Seairaha Winchester’s mother, was one of the first to take the stand in the afternoon hours. She cried as the state presented her and the jury a photo of her and her daughter.
“She was my best friend,” Watson said.
Watson identified Winchester as the woman in the TA Express surveillance footage shown in court earlier in the day.
Additionally, former UW-Madison football player Brandon Tobias gave his testimony. Winchester and McAdory were found injured close to his apartment.
Tobias testified that he saw Winchester and Randle El get into arguments, but he also said he never saw Randle El threaten her.
The state showed Brandon Tobias surveillance footage from the Bucky’s gas station in Hoffman Estates, shown previously in court.
When asked if the man in the surveillance video was Randle El, Tobias said, “It looks like him.”
The trial is set to resume at 8:30 a.m. Monday.
News 3 Now’s Kathryn Merck is live Tweeting every day of the trial. You can keep up with her on Twitter at @KathrynMerckTV.
