Attorneys/Judges
| Prosecutor(s): | Ben McLaughlin | | Defense(s): | Kaleb Cockrum | | Judge(s): | Dale Reinholtsen |
CONVICTED: Was justice served?
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Case #14677 Rating: 3.4 out of 5
Cat stabbed to death, woman beaten with hammer
Eureka, CA (US)Incident Date: Monday, Dec 31, 2007
County: Humboldt
Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Robert Primeau
Case Updates: 2 update(s) available
It was a late November night when Robert Primeau allegedly sat his two children down to take a blood oath, according to court transcripts.
"We made a blood oath to kill the Barnums," Primeau's daughter, Collette Primeau, 23, testified at her father's preliminary hearing. "We all cut on our thumb and the three of us swore together to keep it between the three of us because if we didn't, we'd be dead."
"When you said, 'we'd be dead,' who specifically?" Deputy District Attorney Allan Dollison asked.
"My brother and I," Collette Primeau replied.
"Who said you'd be dead?" Dollison asked.
"My father," Collette Primeau answered.
After the preliminary hearing, Humboldt County Superior Court Judge Bruce Watson ruled there was sufficient evidence to hold Robert Primeau to stand trial on eight charges, including two counts of soliciting murder, a count of assault with a deadly weapon causing great bodily injury and a charge of cruelty to another's animal.
He pleaded not guilty to all charges in April, and remains held in the Humboldt County jail on $100,000 bail awaiting trial, which is scheduled to begin Sept. 2.
Transcripts from the two-day preliminary hearing paint the picture of how a Eureka Police Department investigation into grisly allegations of Robert Primeau's spousal abuse uncovered allegations of a plot to kill an affluent and well-known Eureka couple, Robert and Patty Barnum, who own the Barnum Timber Co. and whose family owned the Eureka Inn for a time.
Robert Primeau's attorney, Kaleb Cockrum, declined to comment for this story.
During the preliminary hearing, Robert Primeau's wife of four years, Patricia Brannon-Primeau, testified that a New Year's Eve 2007 argument bubbled over into a series of violent altercations -- one that left her unconscious and her bathroom bloodied after Robert Primeau hit her in the left temple with a ball-peen hammer, and another that left Robert Primeau's cat, Kamikaze, dead from an alleged stab wound.
EPD Detective Ron Harpham testified that he exhumed the multi-colored calico cat and found a one-inch long cut between the cat's chest and its abdomen before taking to the police department, where he stored it into an evidence freezer.
Under cross examination, Harpham testified that he was unable to determine if the cut on the cat occurred before or after it died and that he was unable to find any evidence tying the cat's death to Robert Primeau.
Brannon-Primeau testified that her husband told her he killed the cat, but that she found it still alive with an open wound, and that it died days later.
Harpham testified that he was brought onto the case to investigate the solicitation of murder allegations and that he first interviewed Robert Primeau's 24-year-old son, who told him of the blood oath.
"(Robert Primeau) told them that he was sorry that he had not provided for them well financially, that he had a plan to rectify that and he was planning on killing and taking money from -- stealing money from the Barnums," Harpham testified.
According to the testimony of Harpham and Collette Primeau, Robert Primeau told his children that he had done some painting work for the Barnums and knew the layout of their home. He asked his son to wear a disguise and stake the place out to learn the Barnums patterns -- when they were home, when they weren't and when they would go to sleep at night.
Collette Primeau testified that her father is a "military junkie" and concocted a plan to wire the Barnums' home with explosives. His plan was to call the Barnums at night, she testified, and tell them the house was wired and that Robert Barnum needed to come out front with a suitcase full of money or they would detonate the explosives.
As soon as Robert Barnum exited his home, Collette Primeau testified, the plan was that Robert Primeau would shoot him, take the suitcase and then detonate the explosives, blowing up Patty Barnum in the process. Collette Primeau testified that her role was to drive the getaway car, adding that the plan scared her.
Harpham testified that he showed the Barnums pictures of Robert Primeau, but the couple did not recognize the man. He also testified that he contacted several painting companies hired by the Barnums, and only one said Robert Primeau had worked for them. But, the head of that company, Harpham testified, had no recollection of sending Robert Primeau to work at the Barnums' residence.
Robert Primeau is expected to appear in court Aug. 19 for a trial confirmation hearing, and a jury trial is tentatively scheduled to begin Sept. 2.
Charges at a glance: - Counts 1 and 2: Soliciting murder
- Count 3: Threatening a crime with the intent to terrorize
- Count 4: Felony cruelty to another's animal
- Count 5: Threatening a crime with the intent to terrorize
- Count 6: Felony assault with a deadly weapon causing great bodily injury
- Count 7: Misdemeanor vandalism
- Count 8: Misdemeanor violating a court order to prevent domestic violence
Case UpdatesRobert Primeau, a Eureka man who pleaded guilty to striking his wife in the temple with a hammer and stabbing a cat to death during a three-day alcohol binge in 2007, was ordered to serve four years and four months in jail Thursday.
In addition to the jail time, Humboldt County Judge Dale Reinholtsen ordered Primeau pay restitution fines, and stipulated that he is ineligible for probation.
The sentence was given minutes after Primeau's former wife and a victim in the case, Patricia Brannon-Stanley, tearfully addressed the court.
"How could you, in that three-day period, after four years of being married, try to kill me?" Brannon-Stanley asked Primeau, who stood handcuffed, silently watching her. "What did I do that was so bad, other than love you?"
In late August, Primeau pleaded guilty to charges of threatening his family with violence, animal cruelty and assault with a deadly weapon causing great bodily injury. During Primeau's preliminary trial, Brannon-Stanley testified that a New Year's Eve 2007 argument escalated into a series of violent altercations -- one that left her bleeding and unconscious on the bathroom floor after she was hit in the head with a ball-peen hammer.
"I laid on the floor for two-and-a-half hours bleeding, and you didn't call an ambulance," Brannon-Stanley told Robert Primeau. "I trusted you with my life, and you tried to take it."
A second incident that took place days later left the family cat, Kamikazee, dead from a stab wound. Brannon-Stanley testified during a hearing her husband told her he had killed the cat, but she found it alive with an open wound, and it died some time later.
Kaleb Cockrum, Primeau's attorney, said the violent acts in 2007 were the result of heavy alcohol use, and were not indicative of Primeau's general character.
The alcohol consumption, coupled with existing psychological problems, for which Primeau was taking prescribed antipsychotic and antidepressant medication, severed his connection with reality, Cockrum said.
"This is a time, after many years of sobriety, that Mr. Primeau drank a lot of alcohol and had a break with reality," Cockrum said. "There is considerable proof Mr. Primeau suffers from a mental condition."
According to Cockrum, Primeau attempted suicide shortly after his incarceration.
Primeau spoke to the court at his sentencing, saying he was "fully ready" for a sentence.
"I don't remember most of the things that went on that night," Primeau said, adding he was "not making excuses."
Primeau's August plea agreement dismissed a number of other counts including two counts of soliciting murder, which stemmed from allegations he attempted to enlist his two children in a plot to rob and murder a well-known Eureka couple.
Collette Primeau, Robert Primeau's 23-year-old daughter, testified during a pretrial hearing that her father made her and her brother take a blood oath before plotting to murder the couple by shooting them and detonating explosives attached to their house.
Deputy District Attorney Ben McLaughlin, who prosecuted the case, said he was pleased with the sentence. Collette Primeau expressed frustration.
"Only four years and four months? That's not fair," Collette Primeau said upon hearing the verdict. "There's no justice done in this at all."
After the sentence was issued, Robert Primeau, was returned to the Humboldt County jail, where he will serve the remainder of his sentence. | Source: Times-Standard - Oct 3, 2008
Update posted on Oct 6, 2008 - 12:50AM |
Sentencing for a man who pleaded guilty to threatening his family was continued for a third time by a Humboldt County judge Tuesday.
Robert Primeau is scheduled to be sentenced Thursday. He faces a maximum sentence of four years and four months with the possibility of probation.
In an August plea agreement, Primeau pleaded guilty to charges he threatened his family with a crime, animal cruelty and assault with a deadly weapon causing great bodily injury. The plea agreement dismissed two charges of soliciting murder and two misdemeanor charges. | Source: Times-Standard - Sept 30, 2008
Update posted on Oct 6, 2008 - 12:50AM |
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