The day before Frank Craig drowned, former pastor Howard "Doug" Porter said a building project sponsored by Craig would be easier if its benefactor were not part of the picture, according to a Hickman Community Church leader who testified this afternoon in Stanislaus County Superior Court.

But Jerry Morgan, the church custodian who also is a member of the board of elders, did not view the comment as a sinister prediction.

Instead, he said Porter was trying to relieve tension as he defended himself against complaints that he was stretched too thin, giving short shrift to his church duties because he was spending so much time caring for the elderly man and working on plans for an agricultural museum Craig wanted to build.

"I thought it was done in bad taste, but we all do things in bad taste," Morgan said. "There were some people laughing and then it was over and we all moved on."

The next day, 85-year-old Craig was dead.

Despite a five-year business relationship with Porter and the church, the museum Craig dreamed of was never more than a plan on paper.

The church plan called for a multipurpose building that would include a sanctuary and classrooms along with exhibit space, because the elders were only interested in the project if it benefited a growing congregation.

And the project was scrapped after Porter stepped down in Fall 2005, according to former elder David Piazza, who also testified.

Authorities allege that Porter embezzled $1.1 million from Craig and staged two collisions to cover his tracks.

Craig was crippled March 5, 2002, when the truck, driven by Porter, veered off Lake Road and slammed into a tree. Craig drowned April 22, 2004, when his GMC Sonoma, driven by Porter, veered off an access road and into the Ceres Main Canal. He was 85 when he died.

Porter, 57, of La Grange has pleaded not guilty to murder, attempted murder, theft or embezzlement from an elder by a caretaker and elder abuse causing death.

Morgan recalled payments he received from an account set up to fund the Central Valley Museum of Agriculture, saying he was given bonuses for installing sprinklers and fencing around a field that was to become a baseball diamond, yet has not been used for any games.

He also was reimbursed from a museum account because he took a group of pastors from Mexico to a baseball game.

But when a prosecutor showed him copies of cancelled checks written to Waterford Farm Supply, Morgan said he had no idea why stair nosing and carpet bar and toilet paper had been charged to a museum account that included Porter and Morgan as signatories.

As he testified, Morgan added a new twist that seemed to surprise prosecutors, by saying that he saw Porter and Craig driving together in Craig's GMC Sonoma, which was routinely driven by Porter, about a week before Craig died.

That could be significant, because live-in Craig's caretaker told the jury that Craig was upset with Porter in the months before his death, because Porter did not come to visit as he had in the past.

Morgan said he had not shared that story with investigators until trial.

The trial resumes Wednesday.

To comment, click on the link with this story at www.modbee.com. Bee staff writer Susan Herendeen can be reached at sherendeen@modbee.com or 578-2338.

Join the discussion

Note: If this is your first time using our NEW commenting system, you will have to LOG OUT and then LOG BACK IN.

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.CommentBody@

@Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@