Daughter takes stand in Ellington murder trial

A juror in Jonathan Wade Ellington’s second-degree murder trial wiped tears from her face Wednesday as a daughter described watching her mother get run over by a Chevy Blazer on New Year’s Day.

Jovon Larsen gave emotional testimony against Ellington, who is also accused of two counts of aggravated battery in the death of 41-year-old Vonette Larsen, and the ramming of Jovon’s white Honda Accord.

“I just remember seeing my mom under his car, and I just watched her roll underneath him,” Jovon Larsen said, pausing and looking at the ceiling as tears fell from her cheeks.

Jurors also listened to a 27-minute audio recording and a patrol car video from Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department Deputy William Klinkefus on Wednesday and heard testimony from Ellington’s fiancée, Ann Thomas.

The deputy had made the audio recording during his initial interview with Jovon and Joleen Larsen, who had called 911 to report that Ellington had allegedly threatened them on the road before they followed him around Athol to tell dispatchers where he went.

The tape is an account of the incident from when Klinkefus first met the young women to sometime after he arrived on the scene where Vonette Larsen had been killed.

The Larsen family can be heard screaming on the tape as the deputy arrived. Klinkefus began trying to speak to Vonette Larsen, who was bleeding and lying on her side on the ground. “Ma’am, can you hear me?” Klinkefus said.

“No she can’t! Jesus Christ!” Vonette Larsen’s husband, Joel, can be heard screaming in response.

Klinkefus and Dan Gregg, Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department deputy sheriff of the county jail, are heard on the tape trying to get a pulse on Vonette Larsen and trying to do CPR. Gregg, who was off duty Jan. 1 and passing by the scene, testified Wednesday, however, that they were unsuccessful because of the massive swelling and injuries to Larsen’s jaw and airway.

“Yeah, she’s gone. There’s no signs of life,” Klinkefus can be heard telling Gregg, then speaking to the Larsen family. “We’re setting up a perimeter, guys, we’re going to catch him, OK?”

They worked on Larsen some more but could not find a pulse.

“Dude, there’s nothing we can do medically here,” Klinkefus said to Gregg.

A short portion of Klinkefus’ patrol car videotape was played as well, in which Vonette Larsen is seen lying on the ground before the deputy places a yellow blanket over her up to her chin and Gregg begins to search for signs of life.

In the afternoon, Ellington’s fiancée testified that they had gotten into a disagreement during the early morning hours on Jan. 1, although she was not sure what time.

Kootenai County Deputy Prosecutor Art Verharen asked Thomas if Ellington was angry, but she insisted he was not overly mad. She also testified that, despite a conversation she had with sheriff’s Sgt. Brad Maskell, she did not recall Ellington ever telling her that he punched the window of Jovon Larsen’s Honda Accord during the initial incident on New Year’s Day.

When she left the stand, Thomas looked at Ellington, smiled, and raised her eyebrows.

Sgt. Maskell, however, when recalled to the stand, testified that Thomas had called him at work and told him a different story of the incident. “She said (Ellington) had explained to her that he had stopped … got out of his vehicle and yelled at the two girls and struck their window,” Maskell said.