Jurors in Santa Barbara County Superior Court in Lompoc began hearing testimony Monday from witnesses in a double-murder trial for a man accused of fatally shooting his wife and her nephew nearly two years ago. 

Zavian Chappell, 62, has been charged with two counts of murder plus sentencing enhancements, including for the use of a firearm, a 9mm handgun.

Officers responded at approximately 3 a.m. April 30, 2023, to the 1600 block of West Pine Avenue regarding a domestic-violence incident. 

Police found 59-year-old Cassandra Chappell (also known as Cassandra Butler and Cassandra “CeCe” Sims) dead inside the home. 

A nephew, 29-year-old Tyree Sims McPherson, was found nearby. He had multiple gunshot wounds and died days later at Marian Regional Medical Center.

The trial’s first witness, LaTwila Sims-Frelot, recalled receiving a phone call from her frantic nephew early in the morning.

“He was telling me, ‘Hurry up, Auntie, and get here.’ He’s losing his mind,” she said, adding that Tyree Sims-McPherson was referring to the defendant.

As she rushed to their home, Sims-Frelot remained on the phone, hearing the incident involving one of her sisters and a nephew.

“I heard the fear in their voice,” she said, adding that she heard the defendant yelling in the background.

Upon arriving at the house, she entered and saw her sister lying in the hallway with blood everywhere.

“I went outside and I sat on the ground. I screamed because I knew she was gone. My life changed forever,” Sims-Frelot said.

Later, jurors heard a 911 call with more screaming in the background before the recorded voice of her dying sister caused Sims-Frelot to begin sobbing on the witness stand. 

Judge Stephen Foley asked if she needed a break, but the woman repeated, “I’m good. I’m good. I’m good,” before she regained her composure.

As the wounded woman asked emergency dispatchers to send an ambulance, Cassandra Chappell could be heard saying, “I’m dying,” as the defendant screamed in the background.

Family and friends of the two homicide victims filled half of the audience seating in the Lompoc courtroom as the prosecution team of Lindsey Bittner and Jordan Lockey from the District Attorney’s Office began presenting their evidence.

Neighbors from across the street also took the witness stand, with Rita Timmons recalling hearing Tyree Sims McPherson calling for help.

The woman looked out her window and saw the man sitting on the bench on her front porch.

“I have a gentleman on my front porch who says he’s been shot,” Timmons said in a 911 call.

When a 911 emergency operator asked her who shot him, Timmons tried to ask the man before responding, “He’s convulsing.”

Another neighbor, Kirsten Chipps, recalled hearing loud screams and the word “help.”

When she opened the door, “a lot of blood” covered her front porch. A picture displayed on the screen showed a couple of large puddles of blood plus multiple drops on the porch and steps. 

The registered nurse found the male shooting victim on a neighbor’s porch and applied pressure to wounds on two areas of his body.

“His shirt was covered with quite a bit of blood, and he had very labored breathing,” Chipps added. 

In the afternoon, the lead investigator, Detective Elizabeth Renner of the Lompoc Police Department, testified about the defendant’s social media posts in the months and hours before the fatal shootings.

The various posts displayed rage and despair, focused on his wife. 

During the opening statement, defense attorney Sydney Bennett said Zavian Chappell perceived a threat, contending that his way out of the home had been blocked by his wife and her nephew, or “Auntie’s manipulator.”

Bennett also maintained that the defendant’s extreme emotional state overcame his reason and judgment during the incident.

The defense intends to show that the shooting lacked “willful deliberate” actions or “malice aforethought” required to convict him of murder, according to Bennett, who along with colleague Megan Leisz make up the defense team.

Testimony in the trial is scheduled to resume Tuesday and continue Friday in a Lompoc courtroom.

Chappell has remained in the custody of the Santa Barbara County Jail since his arrest.