Russ Mann takes stand for the prosecution

With much of the foundation of the prosecution’s case in place, the jury got to hear from one of the key players on July 26, the fourth day of the Kevin German trial.
Russ Mann of Enders was one of the first individuals arrested in the disappearance of Annika Swanson, 22.
Many of the events surrounding Swanson’s death unfolded at Mann’s trailer home near Enders.
Mann, an admitted methamphetamine addict and distributor, told jurors there was a lot of drug activity at the home.
In his testimony, he referred to it as a “trap home,” which is drug culture speak for a place where people go to use drugs and procure drugs.
Swanson had moved in with Mann, the source for her meth.
Mann told State Attorney Mike Guinan that their relationship was also sexual and developed into an exclusive relationship.
Mann acknowledged Swanson was a daily user of meth.
German seeks out Mann
Guinan established that Mann knew Eve Ambrosek, he also supplied her with meth and that she had come to his home to do meth.
She was also a high school friend and classmate of Swanson.
It was Ambrosek who first introduced German to Mann. German and Ambrosek had developed a relationship and had just returned to the area after a trip to California and Louisiana.
German said they needed some money and asked Mann to front them a half ounce of meth that they could sell.
Mann said that amount would run $150-200. Within a week, German repaid Mann for the meth.
German told Mann he had a source for cocaine and that it could be sold to Mann’s meth customers.
Over the course of August to November 2019, they traded drugs for both personal use and distribution, with Mann providing meth and German cocaine.
Mann operated a trucking operation for corn silage and corn harvest. He said German drove a silage truck for three days as their friendship continued to develop.
Mann said he would work long hours, starting in the early morning hours, into the night. It was at night when he would work on his trucks at a building he rented.
Mann said the cocaine sales weren’t that successful, noting that cocaine is more expensive than meth and that the high from meth was better than a cocaine high.
Mann said German’s relationship with Ambrosek ended later that fall. In November, Mann said he first met Keonna Carter. German had resumed a previous relationship with Carter.
Around Nov. 11, 2019, German and Carter returned to Imperial to deliver cocaine and pick up meth and were at Mann’s house.
Carter’s car needed some work so German took it to Mann’s shop while Carter remained at Mann’s home.
Both Mann and German got calls, saying Swanson had pulled a gun on a friend of Mann’s, Jaime (pronounced Hi-me), who had been dropped off to see Mann, who wasn’t home.
Both rushed back to the trailer and when Mann arrived, Carter had already talked Swanson down and had possession of the gun.
He said Swanson was uncomfortable that Jaime wouldn’t leave. When he used a racial slur towards Carter, Swanson pulled a gun on Jaime—a Glock 9 mm Mann kept under his pillow.
German was angry with Jaime over the racial slur. Mann said he stepped between them in an attempt to de-escalate the situation.
Mann took Jaime to his home, but not before admonishing Swanson for pulling the gun and how dangerous that was.
After dropping off Jaime,  Mann said he went back to the shop to get his truck ready for the next day.
When he returned home early in the morning, he found Ambrosek there with German, Carter and Swanson. The mood was tense.
There was some discussion about Ambrosek trading some jewelry for meth.
He said German was angry  with Ambrosek and wanted her to pay him back $5,000 for the trip they took to Louisiana and California.
He said German told Ambrosek she could go to Fort Collins and become a prostitute to pay him back.
German was also mad at Swanson, Mann said, because German believed she had apparently told or texted someone his name, possibly tying him to drug activity.
Mann said German continued to press Swanson about who she had talked to about him.
The discussion lasted four to five hours, Mann said.
About 4 a.m., Mann said he left the trailer and went to work, getting back to the shop, about 10 p.m.
During the day, Swanson called Mann to let him know a sheriff’s deputy had stopped by looking for David Jameson, who previously worked for Mann.
That night, Mann got a text or call to pick up Carter, who was in Imperial at Abbi Murillo’s home. He picked her up and they drove on back roads to Mann’s trailer.
When they arrived, German was laying out what Ambrosek would have to do to pay back the money he believed she owed. He told her to stay at Mann’s trailer so Mann could keep an eye on her.
German and Carter were planning to head back to Colorado that night.
Mann said he was glad they were leaving, wanted the “situation” to come to an end.
Guinan asked what situation he was referring to.
“Them abducting Eve,” Mann said.
Mann said he felt she had been abducted, to which Guinan asked why.
“Because she was being held against her will,” Mann said.
Mann said German and Carter left around 11 p.m. to go get gas. When they didn’t come back for several hours, Mann assumed they had left for Colorado.
Instead, the pair ended up back at Mann’s trailer.
Mann said German barged into the home, appeared extremely angry and grabbed Swanson.
Mann said it was a side he had never seen of German. It was almost like he was cut off from reality, he added.
He grabbed Swanson by the arms and under the arms and started to the porch, where he shoved Swanson down.
Mann said Swanson was resisting and was scared, crying and screaming. She was asking German what he was doing and screaming that she hadn’t said anything to anyone.
German picked her up and put her in the back seat of Carter’s car.
Mann said he didn’t know what to do because he didn’t know where Carter was and what she might do.
Mann said he and Ambrosek were “stunned.”
After they left with Swanson, Mann said he and Ambrosek talked about what to do.
They first thought they were going to rough her up like they had done to Ambrosek the night before.
“It was false hope, obviously,” Mann said.
That would be the last time they saw Swanson alive.
German and Carter returned to the trailer about an hour and a half to two hours later, Mann said. Swanson was not with them. Ambrosek was asleep on Mann’s bed.
When German came in, he  asked for Russ’ car. He wanted to make it look like Swanson had taken Mann’s car and left.
Mann refused to give German the car, which angered German further, telling Mann he wasn’t a true friend then.
Mann said Carter also came into the trailer. She looked pale  and in shock, he added.
Mann asked German where Annika was. He said he had given her something to drink.
“One thing I remember is him looking at us and saying, ‘I can take you to her,’” Mann said.
But it was the way he said it. Mann said it was in a threatening manner, like he could do to them what he did to Annika.
Mann said the conversation lasted a minute or two and then German and Carter left. Mann told Guinan he had no further contact with them.
When asked, Mann said he and Ambrosek stayed at the trailer for the next two or three days, doing drugs and having sex.
After the Chase County Sheriff’s Office started its missing persons investigation, they went out and questioned the pair. They later returned and asked them to come to the courthouse for interviews because things weren’t adding up.
Mann was arrested that night, Nov. 21, 2019 on two counts of accessory to kidnapping.
Guinan asked Mann why they didn’t call the police. He said it was the fact that he was using and dealing drugs. He added he was fearful for himself, Eve and their families because of the threat German made before leaving.
Ambrosek provided a statement to deputies and was released into the custody of her father.
Mann’s charges were dropped in January 2020 after he provided the prosecution with a proffer statement, on the condition that his testimony on the kidnapping and murder was fully truthful.
Mann remains jailed on unrelated drug charges brought in 2020.
Cross examination
Defense Attorney Denise Frost began Mann’s cross examination Tuesday afternoon and finished it Wednesday morning. In total, Mann was on the stand about four hours.
Frost noted it was Swanson’s father who brought her out to Mann’s place and then she began living with him.
Mann said Swanson never dealt the drugs but was doing a lot of meth.
He said initially they were just friends but it developed into more than that. Shortly after moving in, Swanson was in Mann’s bed.
Frost said Swanson loved Mann but that he didn’t love her back. He countered, saying he loved her.
If that was the case, then why was Mann meeting up with Eve Ambrosek? Frost asked.
Mann said she was a friend and was having issues with her husband beating up on her and her daughter so she needed support, too. He added the relationship was platonic.
In the proffer, Mann said there wasn’t a lot of love loss between Swanson and Ambrosek. He added Ambrosek was a “wild one” and “could push buttons.”
During direct examination, Frost noted Mann said that German had threatened him. Yet, in the proffer, he testified German did not make any threats to him.
Which is true, Frost asked?
She told Mann the government was relying on the fact he told them German made no threats toward him.
“You admit you said that in a proffer where you were sworn to tell the truth,” Frost said, cutting off a response by Mann.
She said Mann also indicated in the proffer that he was going to do the right thing and call someone.
“But you didn’t,” Frost said.
In direct examination, Mann said there was no arrangement for German to sell drugs for him.
He answered he and German were just trading meth and cocaine. He said he gave German  drugs to sell so German could make some money.
“Sir, if you’re giving him drugs to sell for money, you’re saying in essence, he was working for you. ...
“You said under oath not once but twice that you never made arrangements with Kevin German to sell drugs. So what is true?” she asked.
Frost continued to quiz Mann about numerous differences between his testimony and the proffer or vice-versa.
Frost noted Mann testified the whole chain of events happened within a 36-hour period, following by what he said was the abduction of Ambrosek. However, he was unsure of the exact dates.
If Ambrosek was being held against her will, what was preventing  her from saying “Hey, I’m over here. There’s been a kidnapping?” Frost asked.
Mann reiterated he wasn’t there at that time.
Mann told Frost he’d been selling drugs for about eight months. She asked why he started selling.
“I was just in a place in my life where I felt sorry for myself and making bad choices,” he responded.
Frost said between May 2018 to November 2019, Mann had judgments filed against him for over $190,000.
“So you were probably trying to make a little money on the side,” she said.
Mann said he wasn’t selling drugs to make that kind of money. It was more to feed his own meth addiction.
She also said to Mann that in his deposition he wanted Annika to move out so he could bring in another “best friend” from Colby, Kansas. Frost noted he didn’t even know her last name.
Mann told Swanson she would have to find a different place to stay after she pulled the gun on Jaime.
He said the other girl was someone he’d known for five years and would text her but only had her first name in his phone.
“What I’m kind of wondering,” Frost said, “is that it seems like you’ve identified three different women for us at least, at least two which, Annika and Eve, are young enough to be your daughter.
“And you’re having these young women move in with you in a serial fashion—use drugs, have sex. I mean, and then, you want a third woman coming, but you don’t even know her last name,” she said.
Frost said Mann testified to the jury that he loved Annika,  yet these actions suggest something else. Mann agreed.
“I agree. My behavior in all of this suggests my head is not in the right place. And there’s so many things I wish I could go back and change but I can’t,” he said.
Frost told Mann Deputy Einspahr and other officers were counting on him to tell the truth during their first interview.
At least eight times, Frost said Mann claimed to be telling the truth but was withholding information.
She added Mann was very firm in two interviews, saying that Kevin German did not take Annika Swanson.
Mann said he told them that Kevin German was the last one to leave with Swanson.
Frost responded, “ Sir, leaving is not the same thing as taking.”
Mann noted that he’d been up 14 days straight smoking meth and had just gone through something that changed his life forever.
“Still, do you realize that by the things that you said to that deputy and these prosecutors and all of the folks that care about all the people in this case, you have changed their lives? Your truth is important,” Frost said.
On Wednesday morning, Frost continued her cross-examination for another 20 minutes.
Guinan used another 20 minutes on re-direct, clarifying some of the statements Mann made in cross-examination.