Four people who saw Rulon Allred gunned down 15 years ago detailed that murder in court Tuesday, describing gunfire that sounded like firecrackers to most of them.
All four witnesses, including Allred's widow, Melba, said they didn't pay much attention to the two women in wigs and parkas who entered Allred's office May 10, 1977, at 4:45 p.m.Rulon, a naturopath, and Melba were rushing about the office taking care of two patients in the examining rooms, Melba Allred testified. One of the women sat down in the waiting room. The second, Rena Chynoweth, walked to the doorway of Allred's office.
Melba glanced at her but decided to assist her patient before speaking to Chynoweth. As Melba hurried to the examining room, she passed her husband, Rulon, in the hall. He came out of the second examining room and headed into a small laboratory to read a blood test for one of the patients, Melba said.
"I heard two very, very loud shots," she testified. "I heard Dr. Allred cry out. I think he cried, "Oh, my god!" I know he cried out in awful surprise and agony. I realized he'd been shot."
Melba heard other shots and rushed out into the hallway. She saw her husband lying on the floor. "He had just fallen. He was lying on his back. His hands were in the air and still vibrating. His eyes and his mouth were half open."
A bullet hole the size of a dime marred his right cheek, she said. His chest was bleeding from other bullet wounds and he gasped for air.
Melba turned to the phone and began dialing for help. Meanwhile, Richard Bunker, a family friend, was wrestling with Chynoweth and a second armed woman at the office's outer door, Bunker testified.
Melba said she heard more commotion and looked up from the phone to see Chynoweth come back into the office. As she approached Allred's body, Melba stepped in front of her, blocking her way.
Chynoweth stepped to the side, and Melba Allred moved again to block her. Chynoweth tried one more time to get around Melba, holding her gun to Melba's stomach.
Melba said she realized Chynoweth did not want to kill her, but she feared Chynoweth might gun her down if she continued to block the woman's path to her husband's body.
"I wondered why I was risking my life because my husband was either dead or dying," Melba said. She stepped aside, allowing Chynoweth to approach Allred's body.
With her back to Melba, Chynoweth fired two more shots, possibly into Allred's body, Melba said. "But it didn't look like she had done anything to him. He didn't look any different."
Then Chynoweth fled.
"I knelt down and said, `Oh, please speak to me, sweetheart.' I don't know why I said that, because I knew he was gone," Melba said, weeping.
Then she kissed her dead husband's lips.