Michael Carlson was so terrified of returning to the Texas prison system he falsely confessed to killing two Pima County residents, even though he knew he could get the death penalty, defense attorney Harley Kurlander told jurors Tuesday.
Carlson, 56, is charged with kidnapping and murdering Kenneth "KR" Alliman and Rebecca Lofton on May 25, 2009.
Opening statements were given Tuesday in Pima County Superior Court before Judge Richard Nichols.
Three years ago, Alliman, 49, and Lofton, 52, were living near Marana on property owned by the Menden family, Deputy Pima County Attorney Nicol Green told jurors. They invited Carlson to stay on the property because he had no where else to go.
Lofton and Alliman were last seen on May 25, 2009, by members of the Menden family who were leaving town, Green said.
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On June 22, 2009, deputies found tiny human bone fragments scattered in three fire pits on the property, along with Alliman's belt buckle and a peace-sign pendant belonging to Lofton, Green said.
Carlson was arrested on an outstanding Texas warrant and while in custody, he requested an interview with a Tucson TV station.
He told the reporter he killed the couple because he believed they were stealing from the Mendens, who wanted them evicted, Green said. He said he tied up the couple, put them in the trunk of his Cadillac and shot them to death when they got loose.
Crime-scene technicians discovered the couple's blood in the trunk of the car, Green said.
"He not only evicted the victims from the property, he evicted them from this life, from this earth," Green said.
Kurlander told jurors Carlson was raped, beaten and stabbed during his 22-plus years in Texas prisons and didn't want to go back.
He contended the Mendens wanted Alliman and Lofton off their property because Alliman used methamphetamine, kept late hours, fired his guns indiscriminately and recklessly, and was pilfering from the family.
Kurlander played for jurors portions of the TV interview, including a snippet where Carlson confessed to killing 10 people, including the rapist of a young girl, describing himself as a protective person and providing vivid details.
Investigators determined that despite the elaborate details, eight of the murders never happened, Kurlander said.
Carlson didn't commit the other two either, Kurlander said.
Jurors don't know it, but Carlson also confessed to Pima County sheriff's detectives. Nichols threw out the tape as evidence due to Miranda violations.
During the same interview, Carlson also said he killed his sister, Maria Thoma, in 2003.
The Pima County Attorney's Office dismissed all of the charges in that case after Judge Christopher Browning threw out the tape for the same reasons.
Contact reporter Kim Smith at 573-4241 or kimsmith@azstarnet.com. On Twitter: @KimSmithStar
