A Marana man testified Wednesday that he and murder suspect Michael Carlson never discussed the disappearance of Kenneth Alliman and Rebecca Lofton, only to later testify Carlson told him he killed the couple.
Larry Menden changed his testimony after being confronted with a transcript of a June 26, 2009, interview he gave Pima County sheriff's detectives.
In the interview, Menden said on May 27, 2009, he and Carlson were cleaning up a fire pit on his Marana property when he raked up what he thought was a human leg or arm.
Menden said when he confronted Carlson, Carlson told him he'd shot Alliman, 49, and Lofton, 52, while the Menden family was in Tucson May 25, 2009, and burned their remains.
While confessions aren't normally good news for defense attorneys, Menden's account to detectives was purposely brought out by Carlson's defense attorney, Harley Kurlander.
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Kurlander told jurors at the beginning of Carlson's capital murder trial last week that Carlson falsely confessed to killing Alliman and Lofton to avoid going back to prison in Texas, and to protect the couple's real killer.
Kurlander contends someone in the Menden family killed the couple because they believed the pair were thieving methamphetamine addicts.
Menden testified he didn't tell authorities about Carlson's confession for a month because he was afraid for his family, which included his son, daughter-in-law and three granddaughters.
During cross-examination, however, Menden acknowledged that during that one-month period he and his family interacted with Carlson, going so far as to drive him to Benson a couple of times.
In May 2009, Carlson, Alliman and Lofton were all living rent-free on five acres owned by Menden.
Prosecutors told jurors the evidence will show Carlson burned the remains in three fire pits while most of the family was camping near the town of Cochise between May 26 and May 30.
The couple were reported missing by their respective family members on June 2, and Carlson was arrested on an outstanding Texas warrant on June 16.
The couple's remains were found after Carlson confessed to a Tucson TV station reporter.
Menden told prosecutor Nicol Green Wednesday morning that he didn't notice anything unusual while his family was in Cochise. He assumed Alliman and Lofton had left the property of their own accord.
While he may have said he'd like to kill the couple for stealing from him, Menden said he was joking.
After Green and Kurlander were through questioning Menden, jurors had the opportunity to submit written questions.
Despite what he told detectives in June 2009, Menden told jurors that if he helped burn the bodies, he didn't know it.
Judge Richard Nichols is presiding over the trial.
On StarNet: Follow the news and events at Pima County's courthouses in Kim Smith's blog, At the Courthouse, at azstarnet.com/courthouse
Contact reporter Kim Smith at 573-4241 or kimsmith@azstarnet.com. On Twitter: KimSmithStar
