Musician Acquitted of Jamul Murder

A local jazz musician was acquitted Tuesday of murdering a woman he claimed was stabbed to death by the woman’s companion.

After less than three hours of deliberations, Billy Elias, 37, of North Park, was found not guilty of first- and second-degree murder in the June 25 death of Charlotte Oakley, 29, who had lived on the Barona Indian Reservation near Lakeside.

Elias, who had been in County Jail since his arrest that day, was ordered released from custody by San Diego Superior Court Judge J. Perry Langford.

According to Elias’ attorney, Kerry Steigerwalt, jurors in the case said afterward that they believed Elias’ testimony that he had picked up the woman and a long-haired male companion with her.

Elias testified that the couple were hitchhiking, and he gave them a ride to Jamul, but ordered them out of the car when they couldn’t find the house they were looking for at 3 a.m. The defendant said the couple fought after leaving his car and the woman vanished, but minutes later the man returned to California 94 and caught a ride by hitchhiking.

Elias testified that he looked for the woman and found her stabbed to death, getting blood on himself. He said he removed the knife from her body, panicked, and ran to his car, taking the knife with him.

He was arrested minutes later by a sheriff’s deputy, who noted the description of his car matched the description given by two drivers who had called 911, telling them that a man was seen struggling with a woman.

Those motorists testified they saw a white man in a fight with a woman. Elias is black.

“They’re (the jury) kind of upset the real killer is out there,” said Steigerwalt afterward. “They’re pretty staunch that in their opinion, he was not the killer, that he had nothing to do with the killing.” Deputy Dist. Atty. Evan Miller, who had sought a murder conviction, said the jury heard all the evidence, and he wasn’t going to quarrel with the system.

“I’m not going to try to second-guess their decision,” Miller said.

Testimony began Jan. 29 and lasted three weeks. Steigerwalt said Elias’ wife is scheduled to give birth in seven days, and he was happy to be freed in time for that.