Witnesses recount events surrounding fatal Cape Girardeau stabbing

CORRECTION: This article has been corrected to reflect that the bouncer testified to seeing Harkey throw his hands in the air as if to stop the fight, not Conrad.

The bouncer at the downtown Cape Girardeau bar where a fatal altercation began in December testified that he saw only fists during the event that led to Jerry Conrad's death.

Brian Fercho, a bouncer at Rumors bar at 36 N. Spanish St., also told a judge he saw the man accused of killing Conrad strike him in the back of the head.

Ryan Harkey

Seven witnesses revealed new details Tuesday regarding Conrad's death.

Conrad, 25, was stabbed to death in front of the Common Pleas Courthouse after an altercation began inside Rumors. Ryan Harkey, 23, of Jackson, is charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action in connection with Conrad's death.

Harkey pleaded not guilty to the charges Dec. 27.

At a pretrial hearing for Harkey's murder case Tuesday, four Cape Girardeau police officers, the county coroner, a forensic pathologist and Fercho all gave their accounts about what happened during the early morning of Dec. 9.

The bouncer

Fercho testified that he was watching the door that night when a disc jockey had told him Harkey was being a nuisance and needed to leave the bar immediately. Fercho said he did not see any altercation because he was looking outside the bar.

"I saw five men standing around not saying anything, but there was definitely hostility," Fercho testified. "When another employee asks you to throw someone out, you don't ask questions."

Harkey left without any problems, Fercho said.

Roughly 20 minutes later, Harkey returned to close his tab and retrieve his credit card. Fercho did not allow Harkey back inside the bar but waited with him outside while one of the bar's owners got Harkey's card. The owner had been watching the door while Fercho met with Harkey, Fercho said.

With the door unattended, five men rushed outside to again confront Harkey, Fercho testified. Harkey and Conrad ran across the street and began fighting as others watched from about five feet away, Fercho said.

Fercho's view was obstructed by cars parked along Spanish Street, but he could see the two were involved in an altercation. Fercho said he did not see any weapons on either combatant.

"All I saw was just fists," Fercho said.

Fercho testified that at one point during the altercation, he saw Harkey raise his arms as if he was trying to end the fight.

He also said he saw Harkey strike Conrad in the back of the head before fleeing the scene, Fercho said, adding that no one else had struck Conrad.

The police

Officer Eric Ralls was the first police officer on the scene. When he arrived, he found two men holding a blood-soaked Conrad, "trying to wake him up," Ralls said. Conrad had a faint pulse when Ralls tried to resuscitate him, Ralls testified.

Conrad took a large breath after several minutes of Ralls' resuscitation efforts. Ralls continued to give Conrad CPR until paramedics came 10 minutes later, he testified. Conrad was transported to Saint Francis Medical Center where he later died.

While Ralls tried to resuscitate Conrad, Fercho gave Harkey's credit card to officer Matthew Cotner. Five minutes after getting the card, Cotner was contacted by officer David Templeton, who had found Harkey.

Harkey was out of breath when Templeton found him. Templeton testified that he was initially unaware that Harkey had run from Rumors. While speaking with Templeton, Harkey said he had been jumped by several men outside the bar and that he had used his pocket knife to defend himself, Templeton said.

When Harkey reached in his pocket to show Templeton the knife, Templeton placed him under arrest, he testified.

Cotner confiscated the knife for evidence, Templeton said.

Officer James Zeidler testified that he found blood on the knife's blade and hilt after he examined it at the police station that morning. Zeidler then went to examine Harkey, who was in the booking area of the station.

Zeidler said he found no visible injuries on Harkey's body, but did not look at areas under Harkey's clothes. No blood was visible on Harkey's body, and there were no rips or tears in his clothing, Zeidler testified.

The Coroner

Under the supervision of Cape Girardeau County Coroner John Clifton, Conrad's body was transported to Mineral Area Regional Medical Center that afternoon.

Around 1:30 p.m., Dr. Russell Diediker, a forensic pathologist who serves more than 20 Missouri counties, conducted an autopsy and found that Conrad's primary injuries were three stab wounds to the chest. A three-and-a-half-inch puncture wound that damaged Conrad's coronary artery appeared to be the fatal blow, Diediker testified.

The two other primary wounds were found in Conrad's right lung and his left shoulder, while two other wounds were found on the back of Conrad's head and on one of his hands, Diediker testified.

"The wounds were consistent with a knife," Diediker said.

The fatal wound was square, something that could have been caused by the knife's hilt, Diediker said.

When asked by Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle what kind of motions with a knife would produce wounds like the ones found on Conrad's chest, Diediker jabbed his closed fist forward with his thumb facing outward and his knuckles facing down. He also pounded the air with a closed fist to illustrate another stabbing method.

Swingle declined to comment on the case following the hearing.

Swingle had more than 20 photographs related to the case to accompany the witnesses' testimony. While Swingle did not show the courtroom audience the photographs -- several of which were of Conrad's body and the wounds -- Conrad's friends and family members in the courtroom Tuesday caught glimpses of the pictures and cringed. Conrad's grandmother, Wanda Conrad, buried her face at the sight of the photos.

Wanda Conrad and other family members at the hearing Tuesday declined to comment.

Arthur Margulis, Harkey's attorney, said the testimony presented at Tuesday's hearing speaks to his defense that claims Harkey was acting in favor his own safety.

"I believe the evidence taken today clearly indicates it was a matter of self-defense," Margulis said in a phone interview Tuesday.

Judge Scott Thomsen bound Harkey over to circuit court. He will be back in court Feb. 6.

psullivan@semissourian.com

388-3635

Pertinent address:

36 N. Spanish St., Cape Girardeau, MO

100 Court St., Jackson, MO