Billy Forte
Billy Forte told a Criminal Court jury on Thursday that he had no doubt that his son, Charles, would have shot him had he not shot first.
Billy Forte, presenting his side to the jury in the premeditated first-degree murder trial, explained his relationship with Charles and the events leading up to the shooting.
A few hours before Charles’ death on April 2, 2018, Billy said he banned Charles from returning to Eaves Formal Wear because he said he stole money from the business several times.
Charles allegedly wrote checks to himself through access to the business. Billy claimed that Nicole Pearson, an eye witness to the shooting, was also stealing money.
Billy said Charles was locked out of the company’s Quickbooks system a day before the slaying. Billy said Ms. Pearson was at the business to help Charles get back into the system. He said Charles confronted him about this earlier on April 2.
“I told him I didn’t want Nicole in the books anymore,’ said Billy. “I told him if he felt like the company owed him something to file it to the trustee and he would get paid like everyone else.”
Billy said he locked the building after everyone left, went to UPS and then returned back to the business where he found Ms. Pearson and Charles looking at Quickbooks again.
“There was a car I didn’t recognize so I went to the office,” said Billy. “I don’t think Charles knew I was coming back and they were surprised to see me.”
Billy said because he is “non confrontational” he walked into the shipping area, grabbed the shotgun and returned to the office. Billy said after he walked in, Charles made eye contact and Billy fired a homemade “dum dum” shot at the ground. He said Charles reached in the drawer.
“He was really mad when I last left him and I knew he had that pistol in the drawer,” said Billy. “When he reached for that drawer I shot his head.”
Billy claims he told Ms. Pearson to wait until the police got there so they could ask her questions. But, according to Billy, she walked by the drawer where the alleged pistol was kept, carrying her keys with her and something else in the other hand, then left. Ms. Person testified that she left the scene after Billy told her to get out of his business.
“I was not happy that I shot him,” said Billy. “I did everything I could for that boy and it turned out he wanted to do me in. I shot my son because he wanted to shoot me.”
Billy told the jury he adopted Charles after marrying his mother when he was about three. He said Charles did well in school but never finished college.
“He started college then got involved in the drug business,” said Billy. “You can always talk to him but just cause he had a certain knack with people doesn’t mean he needed to go down that path.” Billy got emotional when discussing Charles’ involvement in the drug business.
Billy said Charles went to jail in the mid nineties for having a brick of cocaine. He described an argument he and Charles had after he got out of prison where Charles reached for a weapon. However, Billy’s ex-wife gave testimony that this incident never happened. Charles went back to prison and got out in 2016.
“I could tell that prison hardened him and that changed things between us,” said Billy. “But his momma loved that boy so we had a mutual relationship. I knew Charles well and I knew he got more violent as time went on.”
Closing arguments and deliberations continue Friday morning.