1/15/14 - With a jury selected, the trial of the alleged I-96 shooter got underway with opening statements and witness testimony yesterday. 44-year-old Raulie Wayne Casteel faces several counts in Livingston County Circuit Court stemming from a string of shootings along the I-96 corridor in October of 2012. Among his charges are terrorism, assault with intent to murder, and weapons charges. Gregory Townsend from the Michigan Attorney General's Office pointed out in his opening statement that a charge of terrorism requires an act that is intended to coerce or intimidate a civilian population or governmental unit. He argues the impact of the shootings met this criteria by causing residents to change their driving routes out of fear and causing law enforcement agencies to set aside jurisdictional boundaries to form a multi-government task force. Defense attorney Charlie Groh argued that the evidence would show that Casteel had no specific intent to terrorize, and that the assault with intent to murder charge is inappropriate because he did not even intend to kill anyone. He claims Casteel was instead trying to chase off âdemons in his mind,â brought about when other drivers aggravated his preexisting delusions. Groh spent most of his opening argument claiming that Casteel was not in a sound state of mind. He said Casteel firmly believed that his friends and family were conspiring to make sure he remained unemployed, that he believed other people could read his mind, and that he blamed malicious satellites for various problems including his wife's miscarriage and the death of a family cat. Judge David Reader has prohibited Groh from introducing testimony as to the mental state of his client. The prosecution called several witnesses yesterday, including three alleged victims of the shootings, two police officers, and a mechanic who examined one of the vehicles after it had been shot. Testimony continues today. (TD)
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