Testimony: Friendship Turned To Murder In Moments

RIVERSIDE -A firefighter accused of shooting an acquaintance in the back on New Year’s Eve 2007 was buying the victim drinks and treating him like a friend until moments before the quarrel that led to the man’s death, a witness testified today.

Melissa Florez said that she and the victim, Mark Allen Owsley, socialized with the defendant, Steven Ray Strebe, for a couple of hours on the night of Dec. 31, 2007, and all seemed fine until the trio got together in a hot tub.

According to the prosecution, Strebe, 33, gunned down Owsley when the 43-year-old victim resisted leaving the defendant’s Banning home.

Strebe faces life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted of first-degree murder, with gun and great bodily injury allegations.

Florez testified that on New Year’s Eve 2007, she and Owsley, whom she described as her best friend, went to Paddy O’Reilly’s Grill & Pub in Banning to hang out. Shortly after arriving, Strebe approached and offered to buy them drinks, she said.

Florez said she had run into Strebe on prior occasions, but was only vaguely acquainted with the then-firefighter.

Over a two-hour span, the trio drank about $100 worth of liquor, most of which Strebe bought, according to the witness. She said she and Strebe flirted back and forth, and the defendant invited her and Owsley back to his house at 41 W. Hoffer St.

According to Florez, after they got there, Strebe poured some tequila, and the trio continued to drink as the defendant showed them around his property, eventually suggesting they all take a dip in his hot tub.

Florez said she borrowed one of Strebe’s T-shirts and got into the hot tub, along with Owsley, who wore his underpants, and Strebe, who had on bathing trunks.

Florez said she and the defendant kissed and continued drinking.

According to Riverside County Deputy District Attorney Michelle Paradise, Strebe asked Owsley to leave, but the victim balked because he had no transportation.

A scuffle broke out when Strebe tried to force the victim out of his house, according to Paradise, who said both men were drunk.

Strebe told investigators that Owsley struck him in the stomach with a sharp object, which caused puncture wounds. But according to Paradise, the wounds were superficial.

Florez testified that Owsley’s right arm was permanently damaged from a motorcycle accident.

“He couldn’t grasp anything with his right hand,” the witness recalled tearfully. “He couldn’t even tie his shoes.”

Owsley retreated and was running out of the house when Strebe shot him, according to the prosecution. The victim died less than an hour later at San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital in Banning.

Strebe told authorities he was defending himself.

The defendant worked for the California Department of Forestry as a seasonal firefighter until his arrest. He is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Robert Presley jail in Riverside.