Pickup is at center of homicide case
In the days leading up to Gary Davidson’s death, Oklahoma City pastor Michael Elder solicited the help of two congregation members with criminal records to repossess a pickup from his son-inlaw.
Elder, 53, is charged with first degree-murder in the Feb. 20 death of Davidson, 27, who was married to Elder’s daughter. He is accused of shooting Davidson as the estranged couple struggled for control of a red 2004 Dodge Ram being driven by April Davidson.
A tearful April Davidson testified at Elder’s preliminary hearing that Gary Davidson used drugs, was physically abusive and previously had threatened her life.
She said he intended to push her out of the vehicle the day her father intervened.
The pickup was a bone of contention between the couple, who had been separated for nine months when Davidson was killed.
Elder, the daughter testified, repossessed the pickup Feb. 19 with the help of church member Bradley Scott Cordis.
Cordis, 39, of Oklahoma City, is a felon with con- victions in Logan County for drug possession, attempted grand larceny, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and forgery dating to 1993. He spent more than five years in prison, according to records provided by the Oklahoma Corrections Department.
In 2011, Cordis was charged in Oklahoma County with possession of a stolen welding truck and concealing stolen property. The case is pending, according to court records, which show Cordis is participating in drug court.
At 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds, Cordis casts an imposing shadow. But he insisted in a recent phone interview that he did not accompany Elder to Davidson’s house to intimidate him.
“The reason he took me was because I buy and sell cars, and finance cars, and I know the procedure,” he said.
Cordis insists he never laid a hand on Davidson, despite testimony from a neighbor who saw three men scuffling in front of the house Davidson shared with his girlfriend.
“He came out screaming and hollering and throwing a fit,” Cordis said of Davidson. “There wasn’t really a scuffle. He tried to get me to fight with him but I wasn’t there to fight with him.”
‘Pushing and shoving’
The neighbor, Terri Herring, told a judge she saw “pushing and shoving” going on in front of Davidson’s house.
“I thought someone was trying to steal his truck,” Herring testified.
Cordis said he and Elder were acting on April Davidson’s authority and within their rights to re- possess the pickup, which was jointly owned by the couple.
April Davidson testified at her father’s preliminary hearing that she intended to sell the repossessed pickup because Gary Davidson was not making the payments.
“We had agreed that he would pay me so much a month and he didn’t do it,” she said, adding that she was making two car payments, covering insurance for both vehicles and paying the mortgage.
She traded in the repossessed pickup for a new car but changed her mind after learning her husband had filed for divorce and picked up their daughter from day care without her permission.
April Davidson also acknowledged an attempt to repossess the pickup Feb. 18 with the help of Elder, Cordis and congregation member Steven Don Kirby, but her carpenter husband was not home.
Kirby, who also goes by “Hoss,” is 6 foot 3 and 280 pounds. He, too, has a criminal past with time served in prison, court records indicate.
“Me and Brad knew each other from the streets,” Kirby said. “I started going to church there and brought Brad into church with me.”
Cordis acknowledged a drug problem but said he has been clean for about a year and operates a sober living facility. He views Elder as a mentor.
“That’s something Mike helped me with, the spiritual side of recovery,” Cordis said.
Although Kirby was not with Elder and Cordis the day they repossessed the pickup, he said Cordis did not put hands on Davidson.
“She didn’t see nothing … Kirby said of the neighbor. “There was really no scuffle. If there was a scuffle, Gary would have been in trouble.”
Kirby said he and Cordis “were just looking out for Mike.”
“With our size, it usually keeps anybody from escalating anything,” Kirby said. “Me and Brad know how to handle things without having to put our hands on anybody.”
Unlike Cordis, Kirby said he no longer attends The Cross Baptist Church, 1615 SW 96, because of a falling-out with the acting pastor.
“We need to stand behind Mike,” he said.
What happened
Police found Gary Davidson, 27, dead Feb. 20 about 5:45 p.m. near a residence in the 2700 block of NW 12 where Davidson lived with his girlfriend.
Davidson was fatally shot after jumping into the pickup, which April Davidson testified she returned in exchange for the couple’s daughter.
When Gary Davidson refused to hand over the girl, April Davidson got in the pickup and drove away, she testified.
Prosecutors allege Elder ran after the pickup and fired several shots at Gary Davidson, who was in the rear passenger seat.
Elder faces trial on the murder charge. His next court date is set for July 10.
Cordis, a staunch supporter of Elder’s, is a regular at the pastor’s court appearances.
“I don’t feel like he had any other choice. I really don’t think there was any other option,” he said. “If there was any other option, he would have taken it. I believe that with my heart.”