Alleged accomplice details role in professor’s murder

Thursday, October 17, 2008

In Thursday’s testimony, alleged accomplice Carlos Filomeno said Mohamed Kamaludeen stabbed Judy Calder in the chest five or more times, stashed the body in his van, let her husband look inside the van with the hidden body and dumped her corpse a few miles outside of Jackpot, Nev.
Kamaludeen, the defendant in the murder trial, stared at his table, his hands cross-hatched across his forehead, while Filomeno spoke.
Filomeno, an illegal immigrant and convicted felon, was arrested Aug. 30 on parole violation. His arrest led to his testimony about the murder of Calder, a University of Nevada, Reno human development and family studies professor.
Calder’s husband reported her missing Aug. 19. Hunter’s found her body eight days later along old Highway 93.
Kamaludeen faces two charges: murder with a deadly weapon of a person aged 60 or older and solicitation to commit murder. Filomeno faces no charges related to Calder’s murder.
Bruce Hahn, the chief deputy district attorney prosecuting the case, said Filomeno has no deals, promises or guarantees from himself or the state.
Filomeno said in testimony that he watched Mohamed Kamaludeen stab Calder four, five or more times in the chest. Filomeno said he was in the bathroom when he heard a soft cry for help
He walked towards the open door separating the building’s office and warehouse when he saw Kamaludeen stab Calder in the chest.
Katherine Raven, a forensic pathologist, testified that two stab wounds penetrated the heart. One wound cut through Calder’s bone.
Filomeno said Kamaludeen told him not to touch the body and he stood still for a few minutes.
“I scared,” he said. “I don’t know what to do.”
Kamaludeen put the knife in a black garbage bag.
“Carlos, please, can you help me clean the blood?” Kamaludeen asked, according to Filomeno.
Filomeno wiped up the blood with paper towels and a wet rag, he said. A three-foot puddle of blood pooled around the body, he said. Blood streamed from Calder’s chest and nose, he said.
Filomeno said Kamaludeen gave him $40 to give to his roommate to borrow the steam cleaner to clean up the carpet in the building’s office. He drove the van alone, leaving Kamaludeen at Imaging Technologies.
Defense attorney Jay Slocum questioned Filomeno’s actions, asking why he did not go to the police when he drove away from Kamaludeen in safety.
Filomeno said he worried about going to the police because Kamaludeen knew where his mother lived.
“I don’t know what’s going on in his mind,” he said.
Filomeno drove back to Imaging Technologies and cleaned the carpet in the office, to clean up bloody foot prints, he said.
Kamaludeen and Filomeno put Calder’s body into a large cardboard box lined with plastic and a blanket. Kamaludeen shrink-wrapped the top of the box. They moved it into Kamaludeen’s work van, he said.
Kamaludeen opened Calder’s Lexus and turned the car on, Filomeno said.
“Carlos, drive this for me,” Kamaludeen said, according to Filomeno.
Filomeno said he followed Kamaludeen and parked the Lexus on Evans Street. Kamaludeen dropped him off where he was staying, told him to take a shower and be ready.
Filomeno said Kamaludeen and James Calder talked about Kamaludeen’s trip to Arizona. Kamaludeen opened the back of the van to show James Calder the items to be taken to Arizona. Calder left and Kamaludeen took Filomeno with him to Kamaludeen’s house, he said.
They drove the van on Interstate 80 east for four to five hours in silence, Filomeno said.
“I was scared every time he moved,” Filomeno said, like he was talking about buying a pack of cigarettes.
Kamaludeen and Filomeno dumped the body 20 feet from the road and put the box back in the van, he said.

nevadasagebrush.com/blog/2008/10/17/alleged-accomplice-details-role-in-professors-murder/