Murder suspect's girlfirend takes the stand

Murder defendant Carelton Cook's former girlfriend, who lived with him around the time of Jesus Benuelos' murder at San Mateo's Hollywood Motel, testified yesterday about their business selling appliances, clothes and other items out of their room.

Felicia Adams also told the jury about her knowledge of Cook's business relationship with Benuelos, also known as Jesse, selling drugs.

"He said Jesse was going to hook him up with a deal," Adams said.

And she also said she was upset that Benuelos, who had a key to their room at the Hollywood Motel, used the room to take drugs.

"[Carelton Cook] said, 'Jesse couldn't do his business at his mama's house, so he did it there,' and I didn't appreciate that...I didn't want all that stuff going on around me, where I lay my head. Home is sacred to me."

Adams only lived with Cook for a short time in 1997. She and Cook have a child, who was in state custody at the time in San Francisco. Adams said she was trying to get a stable residence so she could be re-united with her child.

She moved out of Cook's room in October and returned on the night of Nov. 20, after she and Cook were interviewed by the police department. A day later, the police got a search warrant to the room and discovered items strewn around, a bloody carpet and maggots. The last time Adams had been there was in late October or early November to pick up a backpack she had left there when she moved out.

During her time living with Cook, Adams also helped him run a second-hand business out of their home. She said that Cook was looking for a permanent shop elsewhere, although he was never successful in getting one. The motel eventually put a stop to their selling goods at their parking spot outside and bringing customers inside to look at other items.

Adams is not a suspect in the murder, although she was held in jail and was just released yesterday.

The former maintenance manager of the Hollywood Motel, Donald Mike'll Bakken, also testified yesterday, and identified the bedspread and brown blanket that was wrapped around Benuelos' body when it was found as one of the motels.

The blanket, Bakken said, "was one of the newer blankets we received right before Carelton Cook moved in." The bedspread was discontinued at the motel, but there was one left in 1997, which Bakken said he gave to Cook right before Oct.19, the expected date of Benuelos' murder.

"I gave Carelton Cook a change about three weeks before Oct. 19," he said.

Bakken also said that he remembers seeing Cook leave the motel around 10 a.m. on Oct.19, and did not see him again until about a week later.

"I was out doing a repair work in another room. All I saw was him headed towards the walkway...I didn't see him the rest of that day," Bakken said.

When Cook returned on Oct. 27, Cook said he was "in San Francisco, looking for property for his business," Bakken said.

The next day, Bakken said he noticed a strong smell coming from the room, which Cook said was rotting chicken and beef.

"It had a nasty odor. It was more of a smell of a dead body than it was meat or chicken," Bakken said. He said he could identify the smell because he had once before smelled a dead body at a hotel in San Francisco.

Later that evening, the body of Jesus Benuelos was found dumped in a San Francisco gutter.