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Dustin Camp, left, gets off the elevator Thursday at the Potter County Courts Building. Henry Bargas/Globe-News

By RICKY GEORGE
Globe-News Staff Writer

A passenger in Dustin Camp's Cadillac on the night Camp allegedly ran down Brian Deneke testified in Camp's murder trial on Thursday.

Camp, 19, is on trial for Deneke's death. Deneke was hit by a car Dec. 12, 1997, during a fight that had spread to the Western Plaza Shopping Center parking lot after starting in the parking lot of IHOP, 2100 S. Western St., police reports stated.

The trial is in 108th District Judge Abe Lopez's court.

Camp's friend Rob Mansfield, 18, said he was in the front passenger's seat in Camp's car on Dec. 12 when he drove from the IHOP to Western Plaza. Another Camp friend, Elise Thompson, sat in the back seat, he said.

Two friends of Brian Deneke wait outside the courtroom Thursday during a break in the trial. Henry Bargas/Globe-News

Mansfield testified that the Cadillac made three passes around the parking lot to watch the fight.

"It was chaos, people running all over the place," Mansfield said.

An unknown attacker struck the Cadillac on the passenger side during the first pass, Mansfield testified.

"It looked like a chain with a lock on it," he said of the weapon that hit the car.

On the second pass, Mansfield said he saw Camp's friend Andrew McCulloch on the ground being beaten by about five assailants. Camp kept driving around the parking lot, he said.

During the car's third pass, Mansfield said he was looking out the passenger-side window toward McCulloch before looking through the front windshield and seeing Brian Deneke in front of the car.

"He was just standing there," Mansfield said.

Mansfield said the car made contact with Deneke about a second after he looked around.

"That's all you saw," defense attorney Warren Clark said during his questioning.

"Yes, sir," Mansfield said.

After Deneke was struck, Camp took the eastbound Interstate 40 access road and got onto the highway, Mansfield said.

Mansfield testified that Camp said "I think I messed up," while driving away from the scene. Mansfield also said Camp told he and Thompson not to worry because no one knew they were in the car with him.

"I was in shock the whole time," Mansfield said.

Camp dropped his two passengers at Thompson's house, Mansfield said.

Assistant district attorney Pat Murphy asked Mansfield about Camp's state of mind after Deneke was struck.

"He was crying," Mansfield said.

Clark asked Mansfield if Camp stopped at a park and met their friend Brian Kelly before dropping he and Thompson off.

"I don't remember," Mansfield said.

Clark asked if Mansfield had trouble remembering details of the incident because he had five beers earlier that night.

"The stuff I recall is pretty hard to forget," Mansfield said.

While under Murphy's questioning earlier, Mansfield said he drank four or five beers at a friend's house a few hours before going to the IHOP.

"It'd been a while since I had the beer," Mansfield said to Clark.

Mansfield said he and Thompson did not tell her parents about the incident immediately.

"Me and Elise just sat there (at Thompson's house) still in silence and amazement," Mansfield said.

Later, the two went to Mansfield's house, he said, but did not tell his parents immediately either. Thompson went home about an hour later but the two talked on the phone after she got home.

Thompson and Mansfield decided to tell their parents during the phone call, Mansfield said. The two families went to the Amarillo Police Department to give statements, Mansfield said.

Mansfield said he did not know if Deneke was dead after being struck by the car. He said he found out about the homicide when his friend Justin Devore called. Devore testified on Wednesday he was injured during the fight and spoke to police while at a hospital being treated.

The trial will resume today.