Former California fire battalion chief Orville "Moe" Fleming took the defense stand Tuesday afternoon to talk about his time with his girlfriend, Sarah June Douglas, before her death.
"We had out struggles. We had lots of struggles," Fleming said on the stand, "Once I moved in with her, there were lots of drugs involved... and alcohol. Patron. Vodka. Champagne. It was every night."
Fleming went on to describe the struggles he faced with Douglas, how he objected to her drinking, doing drugs, and working for RedBook. He stayed with her, he said on the stand, because he thought he could make things change.
As he continued to talk about their relationship, Fleming became teary-eyed when he described their talks about getting a home together. Fleming also testified about her many mood swings, where he described how she threw things, smashed his truck and trashed his garage.
Fleming said that he also called 911 at least once because of her volatile actions. He also mentioned that they called each other derogatory names. Fleming said he called her a whore and she called him "a loser trick."
When asked why he stayed, his voice softened and he sniffled with the answer, "I thought I could fix it."
Fleming ended up breaking down on the stand after he described the fight that went too far.
"I just lost it. As I described it, I felt like a zombie," Fleming said.
He said he grabbed a knife and stabbed her. Fleming said when he came to realize what he did, he said, "there was blood everywhere."
Fleming said he checked Douglas' pulse twice before taking off.
Right after the attack, Fleming said he thought about taking his own life in several different ways. He said he drove around and thought about laying down on some railroad tracks. He said he later returned home and tried to turn on the gas in his garage. Then, he said he tried to slash his wrists. Fleming said he ultimately fled and hid from law enforcement.
"I'm realizing what has happened," Fleming said. "I was the one who did it. This was a person that in two to three months, we were going to be married."
Fleming was arrested following a 16-day manhunt in May 2014 after Douglas, 26, was found fatally stabbed in the south Sacramento home they had shared. The 56-year-old Fleming had pleaded not guilty.
Fleming allegedly gave a videotaped confession to investigators, according to Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones. However, at a later court appearance, Fleming's lawyer said the confession doesn't mean the former CAL FIRE employee is admitting to first degree murder.
Fleming taught at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection training academy.
His arrest triggered a separate California Highway Patrol investigation of the academy that led to 16 CAL FIRE employees being disciplined.
They were fired, demoted or quit for activities including cheating, drinking on duty, and sharing sexually explicit photographs.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
