Stanley Pipes delivers bizarre, third-person account of fiancee's murder in court

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- In court Tuesday, Stanley Pipes says he was worried his fiancee was stealing the money he needed to take care of his family.

Pipes testified Monday that the fight that ultimately led to her death was over cat food. A prosecutor had Pipes read notes found after the murder which claimed the reason was her addiction.

He told the jury his strange third-person perspective during the murder of his fiancee Kristie Claassen in December of 2015, and he claims it was over money.

"You raised the gun up, correct?" an attorney asked Pipes.

"I saw myself raise the gun," he replied.

Pipes is accused of shooting Claassen multiple times and says he believed she was going to steal his assets used to care for his mom and brother.

An attorney asked Pipes to read notes he wrote the night of her murder where he claimed it was because of her pain pill addiction.

"Pain pills was what it was all about, hello, she will not feel any pain now," he read.

In his notes, he also wrote he couldn't stand to go on watching her suffer in absolute pain and that he was sorry for "extinguishing" her life.

"Not once in these letters did you write about a fight over cat food, correct?" the prosecution asked Pipes.

"Not once," he replied.

"And not once in this letter did you write anything about seeing yourself shooting her, did you?"

"No sir."

Pipes says he saw himself shoot Claassen in the back of the head, but says he was controlled by another source where he saw himself do it through a third-person view and says that person wasn't him.

"Who would this other person be?" the prosecution asked.

"I don't know, I don't know this person."

Pipes is being charged with first-degree murder and his trial will continue Wednesday.