he met the
Defendant through Mr. Cotham and did some remodeling work for the Defendant. Mr.
Schmahl said Mr. Cotham asked him for assistance obtaining a gun in July 2010, which Mr.
Cotham said he wanted for personal protection. Other evidence established that Mr. Cotham
was a convicted felon and could not legally purchase or possess a firearm. Mr. Schmahl said
Mr. Cotham liked to boast and display money and answered questions indirectly. He told Mr.
Cotham he would not obtain a weapon for him. He said Mr. Cotham later came to his
apartment with a Hi-Point nine-millimeter handgun in a maroon lunch bag. He said the gun
looked like the gun depicted in a photograph that was identified by another witness as a
photograph recovered from Mr. Cotham’s cell phone. He said Mr. Cotham asked himto

                                              -6-
clean the gun and asked for his opinion on its value. He said Mr. Cotham claimed to have
purchased the gun for $350, which Mr. Schmahl told him was too much. Mr. Schmahl was
an Army veteran and was familiar with guns from having been around them all his life. Mr.
Schmal said he last saw Mr. Cotham one or two days after Mr. Cotham showed him the gun.
He said Mr. Cotham was moving out of the apartment complex and wanted help moving.
He later learned