Welton's surviving son testifies in murder trial

PALMER -- The son of accused murderer Suzette Welton testified at her trial Tuesday that he thought his mother was trying to kill him and his brother when his bedroom went up in flames.

Jeremiah Welton, 18, spent about eight hours on the witness stand answering questions about the Sept. 15, 2000 fire at the Mulchatna Drive duplex where he lived with his mother, sister and brother.

An enlarged photo of Sam Welton, who was killed in the fire, was propped on the floor facing jurors during much of Jeremiah's testimony for the prosecution.

"Do you feel you were the intended victim in this fire?" Palmer District Attorney Roman Kalytiak asked Jeremiah.

"Yes," he answered.

According to his testimony, Jeremiah believes Suzette Welton gave him and Sam sleeping medicine the night before the fire by slipping it into a Pepsi and a Sobe she had purchased at the store. He said he felt sleepy and they went to bed unusually early, about 10 p.m.

He also was questioned about whether he knew about the State Farm life insurance policies his mother purchased for the boys.

Jeremiah accompanied his mother to an appointment with a State Farm insurance agent who already had the paperwork drawn up, he testified. At no point did his mother mention it was an insurance policy, instead calling it an investment that would eventually allow him to purchase a vehicle.

Kalytiak asked Jeremiah if any of his friends had life insurance policies and he said no, he didn't know of anyone his age who had life insurance.

A few days before the fire, Jeremiah said, Sam had a feeling in his heart that "something bad was going to happen." Both boys missed their friends in Nikiski and Soldotna and had no friends in Wasilla, he said. The two of them stayed home a lot, though Jeremiah also had a summer job working on a Palmer farm.

When they moved to Wasilla in June 2000 to be closer to Suzette Welton's boyfriend, the boys noticed a change in their mother, Jeremiah said. "She wasn't herself around [him]. She was nicer to us when he was around and then totally different when he wasn't there," he said.

Public Defender Greg Heath challenged Jeremiah's memory about the events, asking him extensive questions about how often he took drugs and with whom.

Heath asked him the names of friends whose handles were listed on an ICQ chat printout and showed him excerpts from conversations where he bragged about drug use.

Jeremiah said he only smoked pot a few times in Wasilla, and that he was only making it up when he told friends he was using drugs a lot. He also was challenged about conflicting testimony given before two grand juries about his drug use. "Remembering your brother dying and remembering whether you toked up are two different things," he told Heath. The memory of what happened to his brother "will be with me until my dying day," he said.

Kalytiak asked the 18-year-old if it's common for friends to try to shock one another on chat lines. "All the time," Jeremiah said.

Suzette Welton appeared emotional during her son's testimony. During a break, she wept as she remained seated at the defense table.

In other testimony, a Federal Bureau of Investigation forensic toxicologist who analyzed a T-shirt worn by Jeremiah during the fire confirmed he had diphenhydramine in his system. Marc LeBeau testified that the ingredient is found in several over-the-counter medicines. His lab has had extensive experience with it because it is used on victims of crimes, particularly sexual assaults, he said.

Alaska State Trooper Eric Burroughs testified about the condition of the Welton duplex after the fire. There were no photos on the walls when he arrived, he testified. Outside in Suzette Welton's Nissan Pathfinder her purse was in the vehicle, along with a folded eviction notice.

The state is contending Welton was ready for the fire, and in preparing for it, removed nearly a dozen photos from the living room walls. The defense pointed out that even the phone used to call 911 and report the fire was missing from the wall by the time fire investigators took photos several hours after the fire had been extinguished.

Burroughs said he found a safe in a storage area that contained the insurance policies. He also found two window crank handles and an as yet unidentified bottle of medicine in that storage area, he said.

The state has contended Suzette Welton removed the window crank handles to keep the boys from being able to escape through their windows. The defense said this was not true, that the handles frequently fell off because they lacked the bolts that would hold them in place.

The prosecution is expected to continue to present witnesses next week.