Testimony continued Thursday in the trial of Seth Cravens, the La Jolla man charged with second-degree murder for allegedly delivering the punch that killed local surfer Emery Kauanui. Two friends of Cravens and Kauanui took the stand and gave different versions of how Cravens reacted.
The first of the two friends to take the stand was Kristin Link. She recalled calling Cravens the morning after the fight and asking the defendant why the two men had fought. Link testified when she told Cravens that Kauanui was in the hospital Cravens "started crying."
The second friend to take the stand was Nicole Sparks. She testified during a call with Hank Hendricks she had asked what the fight the night before was all about. According to Sparks, Hendricks and Cravens were driving in a car at the time of the call and Sparks testified she heard Cravens in the background say "I put him to sleep." The prosecutor went on to ask Sparks if she remembered hearing Cravens laugh. Visibly shaken, Sparks replied, "yes."
Professional surfer Emery Kauanui fell after being punched May 24, 2007. He hit his head and died at a hospital four days later. Four other suspects pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter.