When trial will begin for sheriff’s deputy accused in Modesto woman’s death
A judge has scheduled a trial to begin March 6 for a Stanislaus County sheriff’s deputy accused in the shooting death of a Modesto woman in a February 2017 pursuit that ended in Ripon.
Justin Wall faces a charge of voluntary manslaughter in the death of Evin Olsen Yadegar, 46. The shooting occurred in the early hours of Feb. 26, 2017.
The prosecution says there was no justification for Wall to shoot and kill her. The defense has argued that it was Yadegar’s choice to move her car toward the officers that caused Wall to make a split-second decision.
Wall’s reaction time and whether he decided to open fire as the car backed up or later, when it moved forward, were at the forefront of testimony during a preliminary hearing that ended in March.
Along with scheduling Wall’s trial, San Joaquin Superior Court Judge Ronald Northup on Tuesday scheduled the defendant to return to court Jan. 7 to make sure both sides will be ready to start the trial in March. Wall remains free on his own recognizance as he awaits trial.
The trial will be held in San Joaquin County, because the shooting occurred in Ripon. But sheriff’s deputies began chasing Yadegar in Stanislaus County.
The deputies responded to a call shortly before 3 a.m. at the Hampton Inn & Suites in the 4900 block of Sisk Road in Salida. Yadegar reportedly was in a physical confrontation with hotel security before she drove away in her Volkswagen Jetta.
Yadegar had bipolar I disorder, which is described as episodes of extreme moods, particularly mania. That night, her husband told Modesto police that she was missing and could be a danger to herself.
The chase moved off the highway and into Ripon, heading south on South Manley Road and stopping near Tornell Circle.
Video footage from a Ripon police patrol car dashboard camera shows Yadegar backing up her car a few feet before moving forward and going around Wall’s Chevrolet Tahoe. Wall then shot Yadegar as she was moving the car forward again. Yadegar’s car continued down Tornell Circle, before it crashed into the front of a house.
There were six other law enforcement officers at the scene when Wall fired his gun, including four other Stanislaus County sheriff’s deputies, their supervising sergeant and a Ripon police officer. Wall was the only one who fired his gun.
Authorities initially said Yadegar did not respond to commands to get out of her vehicle and then put her car in reverse, driving toward two deputies and a Ripon police officer. Wall told investigators that he fired his gun in response to the car threatening the lives of the deputies and the officer.
The San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office determined that Yadegar stopped her Volkswagen sedan for several moments in the neighborhood off Main Street, before she drove off again. Then, Wall fired four shots at Yadegar.
This story was originally published September 25, 2019 at 2:34 PM.