Newsome found not guilty of murdering ‘common-law husband’

Brittany Whitley
Staff writer
Published: June 25, 2008

Rosemary Latrice Newsome stood over the grave of James “Captain” Heard, told her “common-law husband” she loved him, and cried.

Earlier Wednesday afternoon, the 28-year-old was found innocent of Heard’s murder.

“James Heard, he’s looking down on me,” said Newsome, who visited the grave at Garden Hills Cemetery — located less than a mile from the site of Wednesday’s momentous circuit court decision at the Lee County Justice Center — with family members. “I know it because I never stopped looking up at him.”

Heard, a 57-year-old grandfather and former Opelika-Auburn News dock worker, was shot to death in his Beauregard home the morning of Aug. 14, 2007. Newsome shared the residence with Heard, though she was lawfully married to another. Heard, who was arrested and charged with murder on Aug. 31, still considered Heard her “common-law husband.”

After three days of testimony within the chambers of Judge Jacob Walker III, jury members deliberated for roughly 90 minutes early Wednesday afternoon before returning with a verdict.
Not guilty.

Newsome, who contended her innocence all along, seemed the most surprised and fainted into the arms of her attorney, Jerry Hauser.

“For those who didn’t know what to think… for those who turned and walked away from me, I know they did what they had to do…I’m not mad at them,” she said.

Newsome, who has four children between the ages of 7 and 12, spent nearly 10 months in jail awaiting trial.

The trial resumed Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. when Newsome took the stand in her own defense and told her version of what happened.

Newsome said she left Heard in the couple’s mobile home off of Highway 51 on the morning of Aug. 14 to take her vehicle to be serviced. She left Reginald Core — a former friend and the young man who Newsome claims killed Heard — asleep at the house.

Core had spent the night Aug. 13, she said. Newsome claims that Core killed Heard when she left the home.

Core, on the other hand, claims Newsome killed Heard and she offered him $5,000 to implicate another man. When Newsome returned, she found Heard, the victim of multiple gunshot wounds.

“When I got to the bedroom I saw him covered in blood,” she said. “I said ‘baby’ and he didn’t say nothing.”

No blood splatter or gun powder residue were found on Newsome’s clothing, according to forensic evidence. Also, the murder weapon was never found. The prosecution presented phone records in which Core and Newsome called one another beginning at 5:30 a.m. that morning.

“Me and Reginald did not exchange any phone calls at that time in the morning,” she said.

They asked jurors why the two would be calling one another if they were at the same house. Despite the early morning phone calls, the jury acquitted Newsome after an hour and a half.

Since her arrest, she made four statements to the Opelika Police Department, which handled the investigation. In each statement, her story changed and she admits to her tarnished creditability.

“A word of advice to anybody who is thinking about telling a lie,” she said. “I encourage them not to and tell the truth because the truth will set you free. Like it did me today.

“For Mr. Heard’s family, I would like to apologize because I know I confused the situation,” she said.

Now that she is out of jail, Newsome said she plans on getting re-acquainted with her family, especially her children, and friends.

Attempts were made to reach Brian Heard, James Heard’s son, for comment, but were unsuccessful.

“I think if the Opelika Police Department re-routes their investigation they will bring Mr. Heard’s real killer to justice,” she said.