Thunder's trial opens

Thunder Collins came to Nebraska to be a star.

This isn't quite what he had in mind.

The 29-year-old, who ultimately had more name than game during his three years as a running back at Nebraska, will be front and center before a courtroom full of media, attorneys, a judge and, most importantly, a jury who will decide whether he ever sniffs freedom again.

Over the two weeks of his first-degree murder trial, which began this morning with jury selection, there will be tales of thugs and drugs. Nice wheels and big-time deals.

A summer of fast cash and the almost-cinematic dramatics of a fall day: A blind man shot dead as he cuts up cocaine in the garage of a Benson home, while his fellow drug dealer, shot four times, smashes his SUV through a garage door in a desperate escape.

The widespread rumors that immediately surfaced: that Collins had been killed.

The surreal TV interview hours later in which Collins reassured everyone that he was alive and looking to play professional football in Canada.

His arrest a day later and the filing of first-degree murder and five other charges that, if proven, would put Collins away for life.

Beyond the bizarre, beyond the man who wanted to be a star, authorities say this case is nothing more than a drugjacking gone wrong.

Prosecutors Jim Masteller and John Alagaban will argue that Collins or an accomplice killed Timothy Thomas with premeditation or while trying to rob him of more than a kilo of cocaine.

Either way, prosecutors say, Collins is guilty of first-degree murder under a state law that holds accomplices accountable if someone dies during a robbery.

It remains to be seen what Collins' defense will be. He has denied shooting anyone but has acknowledged getting into a fist fight before Thomas was killed in the garage of a home near 70th Circle and Military Avenue.

His attorney, Steve Lefler, declined to reveal Collins' defense. In pretrial hearings last week, Lefler argued that a second gunman, Karnell Burton, fired the shot that killed Thomas — an assertion Burton's attorney denies.

Lefler also tore into the men who will testify against Collins.

“There's no question that everyone in the courtroom will know that they're liars,” Lefler said. “You can't trust a word they say.”

Authorities, meanwhile, wonder the same about Collins.

After his September arrest, the Los Angeles native told The World-Herald that he had never been around drugs and that doing so would make him “look like a hypocrite” in light of all the anti-drug talks he has delivered.

“I never seen no drugs at the scene or heard of any drugs,” Collins said. “I've never even seen kilos of cocaine in person in my life, only on ‘Scarface' movies or something.”

This case isn't “Scarface.” But it has its own cast of characters:

— Timothy “Twin” Thomas. A legally blind man who had a prosthetic eye after taking a shotgun blast to the face years ago, Thomas helped secure the cocaine and helped bring it from California to Omaha. He then cooked the cocaine with another man — and was helping to cut up a kilo when he was shot dead.

— Marshall E. Turner. Turner, 27, is the prosecution's key witness and a rarity: a shooting victim who lived to tell all. Last week, Turner hobbled in legshackles into Collins' pretrial hearing.

Turner testified matter-of-factly that his business was dealing crack cocaine. That Collins first called him in the spring of 2008 and the two eventually “code-talked” about Turner supplying Collins with cocaine.

That by the summer of 2008, Turner, his cousin Thomas, and another man traveled from Los Angeles to Omaha, shacked up in a hotel room reserved by Collins, cooked the cocaine into crack and turned it over to Collins to sell.

That the first two trips netted the California men $31,000 and $39,000. That they brought $71,000 worth of cocaine on their third trip.

It was during that third trip, in September, that Collins and a second gunman, Karnell Burton, ambushed them, Turner testified.

Turner is expected to detail his cousin's death and the four gunshot wounds he suffered. Lefler, meanwhile, promised to grill his every word.

— Darryl C. Reed. Reed, 49, was described as the “worker” in the trio of Los Angeles drug dealers.

Reed echoed much of Turner's testimony about the men's trips to Omaha and Collins' stopovers to the hotel where they were cooking crack.

Asked if he had a felony, Reed chuckled. “Yeah,” he said.

“Know how many?” a prosecutor asked.

“No,” Reed said.

—Ahmad W. Johnson. The 22-year-old Omahan testified last week that he met Collins a few years ago through Johnson's brother — former Husker defensive lineman Titus Adams.

Originally charged with first-degree murder, prosecutors have reduced his charges to conspiracy to deal drugs and to commit robbery.

Johnson testified that he didn't know what kind of business Collins was conducting, though he “took it to be something illegal coming from California.”

On Sept. 23, Johnson said, Collins asked to use a blue house Johnson's father owned. Johnson said he was in a car in the driveway listening to music when the shooting occurred.

— Burton. The 21-year-old, who has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges in Thomas' death, is expected to refuse to testify at Collins' trial.

In court last week, Lefler promised to pin the shootings on Burton. At that, Burton smiled incredulously and shook his head at Collins.

— Collins. Lefler described his client as a “loquacious, likeable” man who is actively involved in his defense.

The question is whether Collins has been too talkative to take the stand. Prosecutors can use his previous statements try to root out inconsistencies.

Lefler said he doesn't know whether Collins will testify.

“That's going to be my call to make, not Thunder's, even though he would like to tell his story,” Lefler said. “It's not Thunder's responsibility to prove he's innocent; it's the state's responsibility to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. I don't think they're going to be able to do it.”

Contact the writer:

444-1275, todd.cooper@owh.com

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