Court documents: Michael Registe had drug transaction with Bryan Kilgore 3 days before shooting
Michael Registe, accused of fatally shooting two men on July 20, 2007, was involved in a drug transaction with one of the victims three days before the double homicide, court documents state.
Registe, 28, faces murder charges in connection with the execution-style slayings of Bryan Kilgore, 20, and Randy Newton Jr., 21, in the parking lot of Cross Creek Apartments. In documents filed last week, prosecutors claim that a witness will testify that she was with Registe and Kilgore on July 17, 2007, during a drug transaction between the two men.
The same woman, named in court documents as Storm Thurmond, also bought narcotics from Registe about three times in 2003, documents state.
This court filing is the first time one of the shooting victims has been linked by a public record to drugs.
“She’s probably privy to information I do not have access to,” said Guy Kilgore, Bryan Kilgore’s father, about prosecutor Laura Murphree. “We don’t know a whole lot about what occurred.”
Authorities say Registe fled the country after Newton’s and Kilgore’s deaths, and he had been listed on the FBI’s 10 most wanted list. He was captured on the Caribbean island of St. Maarten on Aug. 27, 2008.
The notice filed last week seeks to introduce evidence of Registe’s previous criminal charges and convictions to a jury. Usually, jurors only hear of a defendant’s criminal history if he or she testifies.
However, Murphree, a prosecutor with the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, intends to tell jurors about Registe’s history of aggravated assault, breaking into vehicles and selling drugs, records state.
“The evidence sought to be admitted is logically connected to the murders in this case and with significant relevance to the issues to be presented in the trial against the defendant,” Murphree writes.
The accusations
If Murphree prevails, jurors could hear that Registe pulled a gun on a man identified by records as James Edward Babbs in 2006. That man will testify that he bought drugs from Registe for five years, documents say.
A witness identified by records as LaKesha King will testify that she saw Registe sell drugs and get involved in “violent acts” while selling drugs, the filings state.
Murphree also wants jurors to hear about accusations that Registe shot a man in the head, arm and leg in November 2005, had cocaine and marijuana that he intended to distribute and possessed the drug Ecstasy, records state.
Murphree intends to tell jurors about Registe pleading guilty in June 2002 to charges of possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute and obstruction of an officer. Registe was sentenced to three years in prison, followed by two on probation, for those offenses, records state.
Court filings show that Registe pleaded guilty in December 2000 to entering an automobile and possession of tools during the commission of a crime. He was sentenced to a year in prison, followed by two years’ probation, for those crimes.
Registe’s attorney, Atlanta lawyer Manubir Arora, recently filed motions on his client’s behalf asking for a change of venue and for certain evidence to be kept from a jury.
Registe argues that he can’t get a fair trial in Columbus and that evidence gained from what he calls the illegal seizure of his cell phone records should be tossed.
Prosecutors haven’t yet responded to Registe’s motions.
This story was originally published January 24, 2011 at 6:29 PM with the headline "Court documents: Michael Registe had drug transaction with Bryan Kilgore 3 days before shooting."