Day 1

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
We're here today to start the matter of l Aliah Valley.
So it's State of Connecticut versus Eliah Valley. First day
of evidence is prepared to commence. Council, please identify yourselves
for the record.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
Good morning, you're our market the State of Connecticut, Connecticut.

Speaker 3 (00:22):
Good morning, yourarner, Kevin Smith from mister Alan Valley, who's
at my side.

Speaker 1 (00:25):
Good morning. All right, before we begin, there are some
preliminary matters that need to be addressed. First. There has
been a substitute information that's been filed in this matter
of Attorney Smith. Have you had an opportunity to review
the substitute information?

Speaker 3 (00:41):
Yes, all right.

Speaker 1 (00:42):
And did you go through that substitute information with your
tid Yes, I did. It appears to the court the
only change in the substitute information is the lessening of
one of the charges that count for from assault in
the first degree to assault in the second degree. Is
that your understanding, I'll hear from the state on that.
That's your understanding.

Speaker 4 (01:01):
Yes, you're on.

Speaker 1 (01:02):
It's the only change that's been made.

Speaker 2 (01:03):
That is the only change.

Speaker 1 (01:04):
Thank you. And Attorney Smith, does your client wish for
a long reading of the long form or are you
prepared to enter performa please.

Speaker 3 (01:13):
We're prepared to enter perform and not guilty pleasure.

Speaker 1 (01:15):
All right, Jerry election, I'm assuming so, then we're prepared
to move forward a few more things before we begin.
Come on, and sir, all right, I'd like to take
a moment to address those in the gallery here to
observe the proceedings as well as those watching via livestream broadcast.

(01:37):
Pursue into Connecticut Practice Book Section one Dash ten, you
may use a personal computer in this courtroom during proceedings
to take notes, unless and until the Court determines that
the use of such device is becoming disruptive to the proceedings.
The personal computer, however, may not be used for any
other purpose while you are in the courtroom, including but

(01:58):
not limited to, says to the Internet, social media, posting
or live streaming, email, text messages or chatting, recording, live streaming,
or any other form of posting or transmitting information about
the trial as it proceeds, unless conducted pursuant to a
media request filed by a member of the media defined

(02:19):
at Connecticut Practice Book Section one Dash one ten A,
and in accordance with Connecticut Practice Book Section one Dash
eleven c as permitted by this Court. Media orders have
been entered in this file. If you have any questions
recording the scope of the order, please refer to the
Clerk's file the Clerk's office. To date, the only formal

(02:41):
request that has been made in accordance with the rules
of practice has been made by one media outlet long Crime. Hence,
no other person or outlet should be recording, either by
way of video or audio, any of these proceedings, including
still photographic images. This order does extend to any video recording,
audio record, or the taking of photographs of any of

(03:03):
our jury members while such jurors are on court property. Additionally,
no other electronic devices, including cell phones, are to be
used in this courtroom for any purpose whatsoever. You are
prohibited from using a cell phone or any electronic device
at any location of the Superior Court to take pictures,

(03:23):
to take videos, audio recording, or broadcasting still or moving images,
unless you are at the Clerk's office photographing records. Lastly,
this Court will not tolerate any violation of these procedures.
To note disruptive behavior from the gallery, including but not

(03:43):
limited to, any extreme emotional behavior, outbursts, comments, intimidating behavior
or any other actions which may affect the integrity of
this trial process may result in immediate removal of you
from the courtroom. This extends and applies equally to all
public areas of the courthouse as well. Please be mindful

(04:05):
of your behavior. If you feel yourself becoming unable to
control your emotions at any time during these proceedings, kindly
remove yourself from the courtroom. Also, as a general announcement,
it is anticipated that graphic and or sensitive evidence may
be introduced. We will do our best to provide you
notice before any such evidence is displayed. However, I cannot

(04:29):
assure you that this will be full proof, and therefore
provide you with notice that if you are sitting here
in the gallery watching the proceedings, or you are watching
the proceedings live stream, you should please be vigilant and
pay attention to the evidence and make your own determination
as to what is tolerable and when perhaps you should

(04:50):
remove yourself from the proceedings or turn yourself away from
the live streaming broadcast. So I do ask everyone to
please follow these rules they pertain to court room and
court house to quorum so that we can proceed through
this trial in the fairest and most efficient way for
all parties involved. So thank you so much for your cooperation.

(05:13):
Does anything need to be addressed by counsel before the
court brings a jerian, Your honor, just from.

Speaker 3 (05:18):
The defense, we would be moving for sequestration of the
witnesses pursuing for forty two deaths thirty six and asked the.

Speaker 1 (05:23):
Court inner such an order, attorney or so, do you
wish to be heard on them?

Speaker 2 (05:27):
I don't have an objection to that. I don't see
one witness that was on the witness list. The defendant's
mother was on the witness list. The except that she
becomes a potential witness in rebuttal or on defence's.

Speaker 5 (05:40):
Case in chief.

Speaker 2 (05:41):
I think that that needs to be addressed by the courts.
But outside of that, I don't know the witnesses.

Speaker 3 (05:45):
Attorney Smith, your honor, I understand that she is a
witness on the state's witness list of the defense certainly
does not have any intention to call her. I would
ask that she'd be allowed to remain in the courtroom
and not be subject to that sequestration.

Speaker 1 (06:03):
So, Attorney Smith, she's not on your witness list currently
carve those out and bring that to the court's attention.

Speaker 2 (06:10):
I guess I can, you're honor.

Speaker 6 (06:13):
The defendants mother would become a potential rebuttal witness that
would obviously be the state's concerned. So for her to
watch the entire trial and maybe, you know Taylor, her
testimony would be problematic. That's the only concern that state
has at this time. Obviously I don't know what the
evidence is going to be on the defense side, but

(06:33):
that's the state's concern.

Speaker 1 (06:34):
All right. So what I'm going to do is I
am going to allow the mother to stay in the courtroom.
I am going to ask the state's attorney to at
any point in time that if you feel there is
testimony that would create a tailoring issue with respect to
that particular potential witness on your witness list, to please
bring that to the court's attention and we'll address it

(06:55):
at that time. All right, thank you, and that's sufficient
with you, Attorney Smith, thank you? All right? So then
the court did he anticipate that this would be requested.
I'm just going to read through this instruction quickly so
that everyone has an understanding of what this means. So
I am going to go ahead and grant the motion
to sequester or witnesses. This is the order that is

(07:18):
going to be in place. All witnesses defense and prosecution,
including expert witnesses, shall be sequestered while another is giving testimony,
and shall be precluded from discussing testimony with any other witness.
This order extends to any and all such testimony via
live coverage, testimony recorded, broadcasted displayed on any other media platform,

(07:39):
transcribed or documented by way of any other written or
photographic form. The order extends to the transmittle of testimony
to a witness by any means, directly or indirectly through
a third person or entity. Upon a sequestered witness's completed testimony,
the sequestered witness is allowed to observe the proceedings in
person or otherwise. The sequestered witness, however, continues to remain

(08:02):
under the court's order to not discuss or transmit their
testimony by any means to any other prospective witness. Council
shall provide notice to all prospective witnesses of this obligation
under the orders to their witnesses, and also shall inform
the Court immediately of any known or suspected violation of
the order. The intent of the Court in entering this

(08:23):
order is to impose a broad application of the rule
for the purpose of preventing witnesses from tailoring their testimony
to that of other witnesses, and to help to ensure
a fair trial in the days of digital streaming, live
media coverage, and other technological advancements. So with that the
order stands, Madame Clerk, I'll give you a copy of
this Is there anything else that needs to be addressed

(08:45):
by the court before we bring our jury in. I
don't believe there are not from this's so with that
we are ready to proceed. Madam Clark, please bring in
our jury. Good morning, ladies and jolemen of our jury.

Speaker 3 (09:00):
Don't stipulate as well.

Speaker 1 (09:00):
You are all right, thank you. So, members of our jury.
At this point in time, I am going to ask
you to pay your attention to Madame Clerk. She is
going to be conducting a jury roll call and providing
enough to you. Thank you.

Speaker 7 (09:12):
I'm glad, ladies and gentlemen in your presence by answering
your ride this case between.

Speaker 8 (09:23):
The states, and then, based on the evidence given important
and on the laws of the state, as explained by
the judge. So you will not talk to each other
about this case until the instructed.

Speaker 9 (09:32):
To do so.

Speaker 8 (09:33):
That you will listen to and consider what the other
jurors have to say in deliberations about this case. That
you will not speak to anyone else or allow anyone
else to speak to you about this case. And that
when you reach a decision, you will not disclose the
decision until it is a noun support So help you
God or platyperdrie, You're so pleased, added I thank you

(09:55):
may be seated as your names are called. Please indicate
your presence by answering here that if you become a
member of the jury for this case, you will decide
this case between the state and the defendant based on
the evidence given import and on the laws of this state,
as explained to you by the judge. That you will

(10:16):
not talk to each other about this case until I'm
struggled to do so. That you will listen to and
consider what the other jurors have to.

Speaker 10 (10:22):
Say and deliberations about this case.

Speaker 8 (10:24):
That you will not speak to anyone else or allow
anyone else to speak to you about this case. And
that when you reach the decision you will not dispose
the decision until it is announced. Supportant to help you
God or come announce you in surgery, and so said.

Speaker 3 (10:37):
I do, thank you.

Speaker 1 (10:40):
All right, thank you, members of the jury. My remarks
at this time, or to generally acquaint you with some
of the legal principles that will control your deliberations and
give you an idea as to how this trial will proceed,
how long it's expected to take, in what our daily
schedule will be. You will get detailed instructions of the
law at the end of the trial before you begin

(11:01):
your deliberations. Now, I will be reading from a set
of documents to ensure that I do get all of
the important information that I intend to get out to
you out to you accurately. So this is a criminal case.
The state has brought charges against ral Eliah Valley as
follows in the substitute Information in the Superior Court of

(11:25):
the State of Connecticut for the Judicial District of Ansonia,
Milford and Docket ending four point eighteen, Part A June
of twenty twenty five. Mark R. Durso, Senior Assistant State's Attorney,
accuses rael Eliah Valley of murder and charges that in
the County of Fairfield, in the City of Shelton, Honor,
about the fourteenth day of May twenty twenty two, at

(11:46):
or near forty three Laurel Glenn Drive, in said city,
the said Eliah Valley, with intent to cause the death
of one James McGrath, did stab and cause the death
of the same said James McGrath, in violation of Section
fifty three a Dash fifty four a sub Section A
of the Connecticut General Statutes, count two, And said State's

(12:09):
Attorney further accuses the said Raoul Eliah Valley with the
crime of assault in the first degree, and charges that,
in the County of Fairfield, in the City of Shelton, Honor,
about the fourteenth day of May twenty twenty two, add
or near forty three Laurel Glen Drive, in said City,
the said Raul Eliah Valley, with intent to cause serious

(12:30):
physical injury to one Ryan Hines, did cause serious physical
injury to the said Ryan Hines with a dangerous instrument
to wit a knife, in violation of Section fifty three
A Dash fifty nine sub Section A one of the
Connecticut General Statutes, Count three, And said State's Attorney further
accuses the said Raul Eliah Valley with the crime of

(12:53):
assault in the first degree, and charges that, in the
County of Fairfield, in the City of Shelton, Honor, about
the fourteenth day of May twenty twenty two, add or,
near forty three Laurel Glen Drive, in said City, the
said Raul Eliah Valley, with intent to cause serious physical
injury to one Thomas Connery Junior, did cause serious physical

(13:14):
injury to the said Thomas Connery Junior, with a dangerous
instrument to wit a knife, in violation of Section fifty
three Ash. Fifty nine sub Section A one of the
Connecticut General Statutes and Count four. Said State's Attorney further
accuses the said Rayuel Eliah Valley with a crime of
assault in the second degree and charges that, in the

(13:37):
County of Fairfield, in the City of Shelton, Honor, about
the fourteenth day of May twenty twenty two, add or,
near forty three Laurel Glen Drive, in said City, the
said Raul Eliah Valley, with intent to cause physical injury
to one face on teal, did cause physical injury to
the said face on teal with a dangerous instrument to

(13:58):
wit a knife, violation of Section fifty three a D
sixty sub Section A two of the Connecticut General Statutes,
dated at Milford, Connecticut, the thirteenth day of June twenty
twenty five, signed by Mark R. Durso, Assistant State's Attorney. Now,
ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the information which I

(14:18):
just read to is not evidence. It is merely the
formal means of accusing a person of a crime and
bringing him to trial. You must not consider it as
any evidence of the guilt of the defendant or draw
any inference of guilt because the defendant has been arrested
and formally charged. Every defendant in a criminal case is
presumed to be innocent, and this presumption of innocence remains

(14:40):
with the defendant throughout the trial unless and until he
has proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The burden is
on the state to prove the defendant guilty beyond a
reasonable doubt, and that burden of proof never shifts throughout
the trial. Unless you find, at the conclusion of all
the evidence that the state has proved beyond a reasonable
doubt that the defendant has committed every element of an offense.

(15:02):
You must find him not guilty of that offense. On
the other hand, if you are satisfied that the evidence
establishes the guilty of the defendant beyond a reasonable doubt,
you should not hesitate to find him guilty. Now, the
defendant may or may not testify. In this case, an
accused person has the option to testify or not to

(15:23):
testify at the trial. He is under no obligation to testify.
He has a constitutional right not to testify. You must
draw no unfavorable inferences from the defendant choice not to
testify if the defendant chooses to not testify in this case,
the procedure of the trial is as follows. After I
finish this instruction, the state will present its evidence. Then

(15:45):
the defendant may present evidence. The defendant has no legal
obligation to present evidence. The law does not require a
defendant to prove his innocence or to produce any evidence.
If the defendant does present evidence, the state may then
present rebuttal evidence if it so chooses. When all the
evidence has been presented to you, the lawyers will then

(16:07):
make their arguments to you. Bear in mind, argument is
not evidence. You may consider argument of counsel during your deliberations,
but it is not evidence. Under our rules, the state
argues first, then the defendant, through council, argues, and then
the state argues the second time, but the defendant does
not argue a second time. Each council is, however, given

(16:27):
the same amount of time for argument. It is only
the state that breaks its argument into two parts. When
arguments are completed, I will then instruct you as to
the law that you must apply in this case. At
the conclusion of the instructions, I will send you to
the jury room to begin your deliberations. That is the
first time you will discuss this case with anyone. Up

(16:49):
until that time, you will not discuss this case with anyone,
not even each other. Once deliberations start, all deliberations must
be conducted in the jury room and only when all
jurors are present. When you deliberate, you apply the facts
that you find to the law as I instruct to
reach your verdict, and your verdict must be unanimous. My

(17:12):
responsibility as judge is to conduct the trial this case
in an orderly, fair and efficient manner, to rule on
questions of law that arise during the trial, and to
instruct you as to the law that applies to this case.
It is your duty to accept that law as I
state it to you, whether you agree with it or not.
My actions during the trial in ruling on claims or

(17:34):
objections by counsel, in comments to counsel, in questions to witnesses,
or in setting forth the law in instructions to you
are not to be taken by you as any indication
of my opinion as to how you should determine the
issues of fact. If you come to believe during the
trial that I have expressed or intimated any opinion as

(17:55):
to the facts, you should disregard it. As I've told you,
my job is judged to ensure there is a fair
trial so that you can decide this case. During the
course of the trial, I may occasionally ask questions of
a witness. Do not assume that I hold any opinion
on the matter to which my questions may relate. Remember
at all times that you, as jurors, are at liberty

(18:16):
to disregard all comments of the court in arriving at
your own finding as to the facts. In this case.
You must not take anything I may say or do
during the trial as indicating what I think of the
evidence or what your verdict should be. Your function as
the jury is to determine the facts. You are the
sole and exclusive judges of the facts, and you alone

(18:37):
determine the weight, the effect, and the value of the evidence,
as well as the credibility of the witnesses. You must
consider and weigh the testimony of all the witnesses who
appear before you, and you alone are to determine whether
to believe any witness and the extent to which any
witness should be believed. It is your responsibility to resolve
any conflicts and testimony that may arise during the course

(18:59):
of the trial, and to determine where the truth lies.
In the course of evaluating the evidence, you are entitled
to draw any and all inferences that you find reasonable
and logical from the evidence you hear. You will decide
what the facts are from the evidence that is presented
here in this courtroom. That evidence will consist of the

(19:20):
testimony of witnesses, documents and any other material admitted into
evidence as exhibits, and any facts on which the lawyers
agree or that I may instruct you that you must accept.
The following are not evidence, and you must not consider
them as evidence in deciding the facts of this case.
Statements and arguments by attorneys, questions and objections of the attorneys,

(19:43):
and testimony that I instruct you to disregard. There are
two kinds of evidence in a trial, direct and circumstantial.
Direct evidence is testimony by a witness about what that
witness personally saw or heard or did. Circumstantial evidence is
indirect evidence. That is, it is evidence from which you

(20:04):
can infer another fact. As an example, if you wake
up in the morning and see that the sidewalk is wet,
you may infer that it rained during the night. The
wet sidewalk is circumstantial evidence that it rained. Other evidence, however,
may provide another explanation for the water on the sidewalk,
such as a garden hose that was left on overnight. Therefore,

(20:27):
before you decide that a fact has been proved by
circumstantial evidence, you must consider all the evidence in the
light of reason, experience, and common sense. In deciding this case,
you may consider both direct and circumstantial evidence. The law
permits you to give equal weight to both, but it
is for you to decide how much weight to give

(20:48):
to any evidence. Now, some evidence may be admitted for
a limited purpose only when I instruct you that a
piece of evidence has been admitted for a limited purpose,
you must consider it only for that purpose and for
no other. In deciding the facts of this case, you
are the sole judges of the credibility of witnesses. You
will have to decide which witnesses to believe and which

(21:10):
witnesses not to believe. You may believe everything that a
witness says, or only part of it or none of it.
Every witness, however, starts on an equal basis. You are
to listen to all of them with an open mind
and judge all of them by the same standards. Police
will be testifying in this case. You must determine the
credibility of police officials in the same way and by

(21:33):
the same standards as you would evaluate the testimony of
any other witness. The testimony of a police official is
entitled to no special or exclusive weight merely because it
comes from a police official. You should recall his or
her demeanor on the stand and manner of testifying, and
weigh and balance it just as carefully as you would
the testimony of any other witness. You should neither believe

(21:56):
nor disbelieve the testimony of a police official merely because
he or she is a police official. During the course
of the trial, counsel for either party may object to
a question asked by the other lawyer. It is the
responsibility of counsel to object to evidence which he or
she believes is not properly admissible, and you should not

(22:16):
be prejudiced in any way against a lawyer who makes objections.
When that happens, I will rule on the objection. If
I sustain the objection, you will not hear an answer
to the question, and you should not wonder why it
was asked or speculate as to what an answer would be.
If I overrule an objection, you will hear an answer
to the question, and you may give it whatever consideration

(22:38):
you feel that it is entitled too. There may be
times when council or the court may ask that you
be excused when arguments or objections are made. Those arguments
often include matters or evidence that the court may eventually exclude.
The reason that I ask you to step out is
to assure that you will not hear evidence that is
not properly admissible, and not to keep view from evidence

(23:01):
that you should hear. A few moments ago, you took
an oath that will govern your conduct as jurors between
the time you took the oath and the time you're
discharged by me after you've rendered a verdict in this case,
that oath and the rules of court obligate you to
do certain things and to avoid other things. So I
would like to review those obligations with you at this time. First,

(23:23):
you must decide this case based solely on the evidence
presented here in the courtroom and on the law as
I explain it to you. Second, do not make up
your minds about what this verdict will be until after
you have heard all the evidence, heard the closing arguments
of the attorneys, my instructions on the law, and after
that you've had an opportunity with your fellow jurors to

(23:44):
discuss the evidence. Keep an open mind until that time.
There are some rules that flow from these obligations. I'm
going to go over those. You may not perform any
investigation or research or experiments of any kind on your own,
either individually or as a group. Do not consult any
dictionaries for the meaning of words, or any encyclopedias, or

(24:05):
the Internet or any other source for general information on
the subjects of this trial. Look anything up on the
Internet concerning any information about this case or any of
the people involved or the locations involved, including the defendant
and witnesses. The lawyers or the judge. Do not get
copies of any of the statutes that may be referred

(24:26):
to in court. Do not go to the scenes where
any of the events that are the subject of this
trial took place, or use the Internet, maps or Google Earth,
or any other program or device to search for or
view any place discussed during this particular trial. You may
ask yourself why, because the parties have a right to

(24:49):
have this case decided based only on the evidence they
know about and that which has been introduced here in court.
If you do some independent research or investigation or experience
experiment that we don't know about, then your verdict may
be influenced by information that has not been tested by
the oaths to tell the truth und or by way
of cross examination. The same thing is true of any

(25:12):
media reports you may come across about this case or
anybody connected with this case. If you do come across
any reports in the newspaper, magazine, TV, Internet, by way
of any type of blog or social media report, you
may not read, watch it, or listen to it. As
it may refer to information not introduced here in court
and may contain inaccurate information. If you are accidentally exposed

(25:36):
to such information despite your best efforts to avoid it,
do not discuss it with your fellow jurors and notify
notify the clerk in writing. You may not discuss this
case with anyone else, including anyone involved with this case,
until the trial is over and you've been discharged as jurors.
Anyone else includes members of your family, your friends, and

(25:57):
your coworkers. If you wish, you may tell them you
are serving as a juror, but may not tell them
anything else about the case until it is over and
I have discharged you. You may not talk to any
of the court personnel, including Marshal's clerks, and anyone else,
about this case. You may not ask any friends you
have who are lawyers or law enforcement personnel or medical

(26:19):
personnel for any advice or information about any matters related
to this case. You may not communicate to anyone any
information about this case. This includes communication by any means
such as text messages, email, internet chat, blogs, social websites
such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, or x Both the

(26:42):
defendant and the state are entitled to a fair trial
rendered by an impartial jury, and you must conduct yourself
so as to maintain the integrity of the trial process.
When you have rendered a verdict and you've been dismissed
by the court, at that time, you will be free
to discuss the case with anyone you wish. They'll remember,
you will not be required to do so. Until then, however,

(27:05):
you must be focused solely on the evidence presented in
the courtroom and your obligations to the fairness of these proceedings.
In addition, you may not talk to each other about
the case until I tell you to do so, and
that will not be until you've heard the evidence, you've
heard the closing arguments by the attorneys, and you've heard
my instructions as to the law that you are to

(27:26):
apply to the facts that you find. Now, it may
seem only natural that you would talk to each other
while the case is going on. The problem with that
is when people start discussing things, they take positions on
them and express opinions which are often hard for them
to change later on. So if you were permitted to
discuss the case while it was going on, you might

(27:46):
reach conclusions or express opinions before you've heard all the evidence,
or heard the final arguments of counsel, or heard the
law that you must apply in this case. Your verdicts
in this case might then be improperly influenced by the
conclusions or opinions you or your fellow jurors have reached
before you knew about all the evidence or the law

(28:06):
that will help you put that evidence in the proper
context for your verdicts. What happens if the rules are
violated by a jurk well. In some cases, violations of
the rules a juror conduct have resulted in hearings after
trial at which the jurors have had to testify about
their conduct. In some cases, the verdict of the jury
has been set aside and a new one ordered because

(28:28):
of jury misconduct. So it is very important that you
abide by these rules. If someone should attempt to talk
to you, either one of your fellow jurors or someone
from the outside of your jury, please report it to
the clerk immediately. If you see or hear anything of
a prejudicial nature or that you think might compromise the
proper conduct of this trial, please report it to the clerk. Immediately.

(28:52):
These communications should be in writing. Do not discuss any
such matters with your fellow jurors, so you may if
you wish take notes during the trial. You are not
required to take notes even if your fellow jurors do.
Let me emphasize some ground rules for regarding note taking
if you choose to do so. Notes are a sound
tool to help you refresh your recollection during deliberations. However,

(29:16):
notes by themselves are not full proof. If there is
a conflict between your notes and your recollection, it is
your recollection that must prevail. Additionally, if there is a
conflict between your recollection and the notes of a fellow juror,
it is again your recollection that should prevail. As your
notes are not evidence, you will recall my earlier definition

(29:39):
of what constitutes evidence. Your verdict must be based exclusively
on evidence presented a trial and the principles of law
given to you in my final instructions. The note taking
process should not distract you from focusing on the witness,
because the credibility that you ascribe to a witness is critical.
It is essential that you do not allow note taking

(29:59):
two and affair with or impede your ability to view
the witness, to listen to him or her, and to
size him or her up, that is, to properly evaluate
the witness. You should not be so preoccupied with taking
notes that you overlook what the witness is saying and
how the witness is saying it. You may find that
no taking may distract you from giving full attention to

(30:20):
a witness. You will need to observe the demeanor of
a witness while he or she is testifying. You will
be able to get testimony played back to you during
your deliberations, so you do not need to make your
own record of exactly what was said. There is no
need to try to take a lot of notes or
to take down testimony word for word. You may not

(30:40):
make or modify any notes outside of court. Notepads will
be collected at the end of each trial day and
kept secure and confidential by the Marshal or court officer.
No one will look at them, so whatever notes you
take are confidential. You are not to exchange or discuss
your notes with your fellow jurors during the trial itself.
You may just us your notes if you choose, during

(31:01):
the deliberations, just as you cannot discuss or deliberate this
case among yourselves until the case has been completed. So too,
you cannot exchange or discuss your notes until the trial
has been completed. There is no requirement, of course, that
you take notes. This is an option to be exercised
by each of you individually. Those of you who elect

(31:21):
not to take notes will be no less conscientious than
jurors who take notes. The juror who takes few or
no notes should not permit his or her individual recollection
to be influenced by a juror whose notes may differ
from that recollection. Notes are only a tool, and notes
are not always accurate. Do not assume that a voluminous
note taker is taking notes that are necessarily more accurate.

(31:44):
I take notes because I may be asked to rule
on issues during the evidence. Your decision whether to take
notes at any point should not be influenced by my
note taking. Finally, notwithstanding note taking by you and your
fellow jurors, do not hesitate to seek a reading of
any point of testimony back if you deem it essential
during your deliberations. The lawyers have informed me that they

(32:08):
expect the evidentiary portion of the trial to take approximately
two weeks. However, that's only an estimate. The trial may
go on longer or shorter. I will try my best
to keep you informed of any changes or any adjustments
to that schedule. Once the evidence is presented and the
case is presented to you for deliberations. The length of
the deliberations will depend on you during the trial, and

(32:32):
this is important to Any communication you wish to make
with me must be in the form of a note
which will be read to the lawyers and the parties
and made a part of the record. If you have
a question or a concern, write it down, give it
to the marshal or court officer, who will bring it
to me. With these comments, I will make a brief
inquiry to counsel and then we will be attending to

(32:52):
the evidence. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury. Thank you
for your attention. Counsel. Do you wish to be heard
regarding preliminary instructions.

Speaker 9 (33:00):
At this time?

Speaker 2 (33:01):
Nothing from the state ground, nothing from the defense grounder.

Speaker 1 (33:04):
All right? With that, then I will direct the state
to please call us first witness.

Speaker 4 (33:07):
Thank you, Thank you.

Speaker 2 (33:08):
State would call Lonnie Blackwell, does a stand Please.

Speaker 1 (33:11):
Watch your said, Please remain standing as you enter the
witness box, I pay attention to Madam Clark will be
putting you under Thank you right hand. Do you solemnly
swear or solemnly hearing the firm.

Speaker 10 (33:22):
As the case may be, that the evidence that you
shall get staring the space show the.

Speaker 11 (33:26):
Truth, the whole truth.

Speaker 10 (33:27):
Enough the truth will help you.

Speaker 12 (33:28):
Got it?

Speaker 10 (33:32):
You see your full names, your last name for the record,
as well as your badge number and business address.

Speaker 5 (33:37):
Lonnie Blackwell. Last name is B L A C K
E L LL.

Speaker 2 (33:44):
Badge number and currently I.

Speaker 5 (33:46):
Don't have a current badge number. My business address will
be one hundred and fifty Court Street in New Am
of Connecticut.

Speaker 1 (33:54):
Thank you, maybe soon.

Speaker 2 (33:56):
Good morning, mister Blackwell, good morning. Mind just keeping your
voice up.

Speaker 6 (33:59):
It's let allowed in here with the ac okay, no problem.
Can you please tell ladies and gentlemen jury what you
currently do for a living.

Speaker 5 (34:06):
Yep.

Speaker 13 (34:07):
So currently I'm employed by the Department of Homeland Security.
I'm a waiting to go on my training to become
a special agent in about two months. I've been employed
by them for about a month. Prior to that, I
was a police officer for the Shelmon Police Department for
about four years.

Speaker 6 (34:21):
And when you were a police officer, did you have
any training that you had to go through to become
a police officer.

Speaker 7 (34:26):
Yes.

Speaker 13 (34:26):
I attended the Milford Police Academy for about eight months
in twenty twenty one.

Speaker 6 (34:31):
And I want to direct your attention to May fourteenth
of twenty twenty two. Were you working that day for
the Shelmon Police Department.

Speaker 5 (34:37):
Yes, I was working the evening shift four pm to midnight.

Speaker 2 (34:40):
And what were your responsibilities that night?

Speaker 13 (34:43):
I was on the patrol division at the time, so
I was responsible for responding to calls that were in
my area that was assigned to me.

Speaker 2 (34:51):
Did you receive a nine to one one call that
night to report to an area of Shelon. Yes, I did,
And can you tell us a little bit about that.

Speaker 13 (34:58):
Yes, So, around eleven fifty three pm that night, dispatch
reported that there was multiple stabbing victims at the address
of forty three Laura Glenn Drive. I immediately responded to
the area and arrived to the area of the scene
in about six or seven minutes.

Speaker 14 (35:17):
John, I don't think there's an objection. We have some
exhibits that have been pretty mark. Maybe asking maybe full
exhibits at this time. Objection, have they been Mark bulled?

Speaker 2 (35:28):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (35:31):
John, I have to review these in advance.

Speaker 1 (35:36):
Give me one moment once to Mark, guess what what
number has that one? Thank you, Thank you, Attorney Smith.
You've had an opportunity to review Exhibits one through nine.

Speaker 13 (35:52):
I have to run on.

Speaker 3 (35:52):
Take a chance one more time now that we've got
the numbers on them.

Speaker 1 (35:55):
Thank you, No objection, John, all right, Cortill, go ahead
and accept evidence States Exhibits one through nine.

Speaker 6 (36:03):
If id me approach the witness shownor mister Blackwell, I'm
showing you as we marked as State's Exhibit one for
as a full exhibit. Can you tell us television and
gentleman the jury where you responded to in State's Exhibit one?

Speaker 9 (36:17):
Yep.

Speaker 13 (36:17):
So when I initially was going to the call, I
turned on to Adams Drive here and I drove up
to the intersection of Laurel Glenn and Adams.

Speaker 2 (36:28):
When I approached Laurel Glenn, I could see.

Speaker 5 (36:31):
From my cruiser that there was a large group of.

Speaker 13 (36:34):
Juveniles at the time, I approximated maybe thirty juveniles right
in front of the yard of forty three Laurel Glenn,
and I was flagged down at the corner of Adams
and Laurel by a small group of female juveniles who
waved me down and started pointing me towards the direction
of where the incident occurred.

Speaker 5 (36:55):
So I exited my cruiser at the time and began
jogging me over to the front art of forty three
Lare Glen.

Speaker 6 (37:01):
And just for the benefit of the record, is forty
three Laurel Glenn located where that red mark is on
top of in the middle of States one.

Speaker 2 (37:08):
Yes, And when you when you got to the scene,
What was the scene like?

Speaker 5 (37:15):
I was chaotic as you can imagine a large group
of juveniles pandemodium. I would describe it as that as
his best ro What time did.

Speaker 2 (37:25):
You arrive there?

Speaker 5 (37:27):
Right around midnight?

Speaker 2 (37:28):
And what were the lighting conditions out that night?

Speaker 13 (37:31):
It was dark, but I could clearly see, probably due
to the mix of lights on the house as well
as a ton of the juveniles had phones out lights
from the phones as well as my own flashlight.

Speaker 5 (37:43):
But everything I could see pretty clearly.

Speaker 4 (37:45):
I want to show you States exhibit too.

Speaker 15 (37:49):
Can you see that?

Speaker 12 (37:50):
Yes?

Speaker 16 (37:53):
Again?

Speaker 6 (37:53):
Is this what do you do Laurel Land? Where you
arrived at twelve am on the fifteenth of May twenty two. Yes,
And is this States two kind of show the area
what it was like.

Speaker 2 (38:08):
Absent the individuals on the front lawn.

Speaker 5 (38:12):
Yes.

Speaker 2 (38:12):
And when you got to forty three Laurel Glen on
the fifteenth midnight on the fifteenth, where did you respond?
Can you tell us where you responded to in States two?

Speaker 13 (38:27):
Yes, So when I walked up on foot, I responded
to this specific area of the grass area to the
right of the house if you're looking at the front
of the residents, and that's where a large majority of
the juveniles were located, as well as the four victims
that I later identified.

Speaker 15 (38:44):
I'll show you States five.

Speaker 2 (38:46):
This is a this is a daylight picture that was
taken obviously at forty three Glare of Len.

Speaker 17 (38:53):
Yes, and the area that you responded You see this
free area here to the middle section of the grass where.

Speaker 2 (39:07):
The basketball just below. Is that in the area that
you responded to?

Speaker 6 (39:15):
Yes, and when you responded there, tell the ladies and
gentlemen of the jury what you encountered.

Speaker 2 (39:21):
At that point time.

Speaker 13 (39:23):
Yep, souh. A few of the juveniles pointed me to
the to the victims. So at first within this area
on the grass to the.

Speaker 5 (39:32):
Left identified two victims. One victim had a.

Speaker 9 (39:38):
Wound to his arm.

Speaker 5 (39:39):
He was responsive, he was standing, he was talking.

Speaker 13 (39:41):
Another victim was sitting upright on the grass and I
witnessed ah would appear to be a stab wound to
his torso area.

Speaker 5 (39:50):
He was still responsive at the time.

Speaker 13 (39:53):
And then I moved on to the right side of
the grass area where then I identified another.

Speaker 5 (39:59):
Victim with moremultiple stab wounds to his leg.

Speaker 13 (40:02):
At that time, I saw he was bleeding a lot
out of the leg and I applied to tourniquet to
his left thigh area as high as I could, and
then after applying that tournique, I moved on to the
last victim that I identified as having a wound to
his chest area and began providing medical attentions.

Speaker 6 (40:22):
Could with regards to the third third individual that you
applied to tourniquet, can you tell the ladies in the
gentlemen of the jury why you did that.

Speaker 5 (40:30):
Yes.

Speaker 13 (40:30):
So, for my training and the police Academy, for our
medical training, we're taught if you have a wound and
are bleeding a lot from from an appendage, and you're
able to place a tourniquet, that that can assist in
stopping the bleeding. So that's why I placed it as
high as I could on his on his left leg
where most of the wounds I saw were, to assist

(40:51):
them stopping the bleeding.

Speaker 6 (40:52):
And based on your training experience, based on what you
saw the wounds to be, like, what gave you that
impression that the tourniquet was appropriate at that point in time?

Speaker 5 (41:02):
Uh? First of all, because they were on an appendage.

Speaker 13 (41:07):
And I witnessed a large amount of blood being lost
from the wounds, so I was able to apply the
tourniquet do it at being on the leg.

Speaker 6 (41:16):
I'm sure you seetivity again, this is the area that
you responded to that.

Speaker 5 (41:21):
Night, Yes, and you see there's like a.

Speaker 2 (41:25):
Blue T shirt here what appears clothing to the middle
of Yes. And can you tell the ladies and gentlemen
of the jury, is that the area that you responded to.

Speaker 6 (41:40):
After you were after you applied the tourniquet to the
third individual, is that where you found the fourth individual.

Speaker 2 (41:46):
Around that area?

Speaker 6 (41:47):
Yes, in that area, and when you found the fourth
individual in that area, tell the ladies and gentlemen of
the jury what you observed when you.

Speaker 2 (41:54):
When you when you got to that person.

Speaker 5 (41:56):
Yes, So when I.

Speaker 13 (41:58):
Identified the fourth victim, I immediately recognized that he was
blue in the face, which was indicating to me that.

Speaker 5 (42:05):
He probably had lost a large amount of blood.

Speaker 13 (42:08):
And I did locate a wound to his chest area,
right near the heart, and did see a lot of
blood coming from that wound.

Speaker 5 (42:18):
So at the time, I believe some other.

Speaker 13 (42:21):
Juveniles brought out rags or cloth or some sort maybe
a T shirt, and me as well as then we
were assisting and just compressing the wound, just trying to
stop the bleeding the best we could until MS arrived.

Speaker 6 (42:34):
And were you successful in stopping any of the bleeding
before EMS arrived?

Speaker 5 (42:44):
Partially? But from my observations, there was a lot of
blood lost.

Speaker 4 (42:48):
And how long would you.

Speaker 2 (42:51):
Say it took for EMS to arrive after your arrival?

Speaker 5 (42:56):
Approximately ten minutes when you got there.

Speaker 6 (43:00):
Did anybody else from the Shell and Police department arrive
on scene prior to ems's arrival.

Speaker 5 (43:05):
I believe Officer in m Hart or right around the
same time.

Speaker 6 (43:09):
And as you know, at the point where you and
neb Hard were on scene, what were your responsibilities at
that point?

Speaker 14 (43:17):
Uh?

Speaker 13 (43:17):
First of all, just to just secure the scene, make
sure we identified all the victims number one, and also
if there were still suspects in the area or on scene,
as well as in the house which we had not
cleared yet. So just a lot of moving parts and
identifying what was going on.

Speaker 2 (43:35):
I just want to just go through these exhibits.

Speaker 18 (43:39):
Three.

Speaker 2 (43:40):
This is just another angle looking towards the shoot Laurel
lend that night.

Speaker 6 (43:44):
Is that reflect what the what the area looked like
minus maybe the headlights of the cruiser there?

Speaker 10 (43:49):
Yes?

Speaker 19 (43:51):
And again six four angle n in the area where
he respond Yeah, the picture of what that area looked like?

Speaker 5 (44:01):
Yes.

Speaker 2 (44:03):
Six, six Again another perspective to that area on or
about maybe the end of twenty two.

Speaker 5 (44:13):
Yes, and again eight.

Speaker 17 (44:17):
He pulled her up perspective of the area where you
responded to and found the individuals suffering from stabs.

Speaker 6 (44:24):
That that that.

Speaker 5 (44:26):
Yes?

Speaker 20 (44:27):
And again nine Is the area.

Speaker 2 (44:31):
From the web side or forty two low Leine the
area you responded to?

Speaker 5 (44:35):
Yes.

Speaker 6 (44:36):
Now, after police responded to the scene and EMS finally
responded ten minutes later, did your responsibilities change.

Speaker 5 (44:45):
At the scene now?

Speaker 13 (44:47):
At the time, I still assisted EMS and providing medical attention.

Speaker 5 (44:52):
Like I mentioned before, with whatever cloth or rag I
was provided.

Speaker 13 (44:55):
I kept compressing on the wound while EMS then began
UH compressions as well as with the assistance of a
neighbor I believe.

Speaker 2 (45:04):
And during your.

Speaker 6 (45:05):
Time providing aid with EMS, how long would you say
you stayed with the fourth individual at.

Speaker 5 (45:12):
That point approximately ten minutes.

Speaker 2 (45:15):
And at some point after ten minutes what happened after that?

Speaker 5 (45:19):
EMS then transported him And.

Speaker 6 (45:22):
Did you follow EMS to where they were transporting I deny,
I stay un scene. Now when the individual individuals were
starting to be transported, well withdrawn at some point in
time with the other individuals who were suffering from wounds
transported to the hospital, do you have yes? And did

(45:45):
your responsibilities at that point change once those individuals left
forty three Laurel Glen, Yes, And what was your responsibility.

Speaker 13 (45:51):
At that point at that point was to secure the
rest of the scene and contain the large amount of
juveniles that were there, so then we can began interviews.

Speaker 2 (46:01):
And did you in fact begin interviews at the scene.

Speaker 5 (46:04):
Yes, I did conduct a few interviews.

Speaker 6 (46:07):
And the information that you received from those individuals, did
you pass that information on to anybody?

Speaker 5 (46:12):
Yes, it was all passed along to the detective Bureau, And.

Speaker 6 (46:15):
Did the detective Bureau, based on your observations, respond to
forty three Laurel Glen that night, yes?

Speaker 2 (46:19):
And who responded to that scene that time?

Speaker 13 (46:24):
Detective Bango responded as well as Lieutenant Kaslowski.

Speaker 6 (46:29):
And at that point in time in May fifteenth of
twenty twenty two, did you have body worn camera?

Speaker 3 (46:36):
No?

Speaker 21 (46:36):
Why not?

Speaker 5 (46:37):
They were not issued to us yet.

Speaker 6 (46:39):
And at some point in time later on in that year,
was bodyworm camera a requirement of all police departments?

Speaker 9 (46:47):
Yes?

Speaker 2 (46:48):
Was it a requirement of the Shelton Police Department honor
about July one?

Speaker 5 (46:51):
Yes?

Speaker 6 (46:52):
So do you know whether or not the shell And
Police Department in fact had a body camera at that
point in time?

Speaker 5 (46:58):
I believe they had one body camera issued.

Speaker 4 (47:01):
And do you know what, if.

Speaker 6 (47:03):
Anything, that body camera was used for in relation to
any investigation?

Speaker 5 (47:08):
I believe it was used to record some of the interviews.

Speaker 4 (47:11):
And do you know in fact whether or not that
body camera was used.

Speaker 2 (47:14):
In this case?

Speaker 5 (47:15):
I believe so.

Speaker 4 (47:17):
Now, how long would you say that you.

Speaker 6 (47:19):
Were on scene at forty three Laurel Glenn, conducting your
witness interviews and securing.

Speaker 5 (47:24):
The scene, approximately three or four hours?

Speaker 4 (47:30):
And at some point in time.

Speaker 2 (47:33):
Did you leave the scene?

Speaker 5 (47:35):
Yes, I went back to the headquarters to type my report.

Speaker 6 (47:42):
And based on your witness interviews at forty three Laurel
Glenn not telling us what they said, But were you
able to identify or develop a suspect that you were
looking for.

Speaker 2 (47:53):
From those interviews?

Speaker 13 (47:55):
Yes, we were able to develop a group of suspects
that fled in a vehicle from the scene.

Speaker 2 (48:00):
And were you able to develop and identify a vehicle
that was that they were seen fleeing.

Speaker 5 (48:05):
Yes, I believe it was identified as a as a
Honda SUV.

Speaker 2 (48:09):
And was that information passed along to the detective bureau
as well?

Speaker 5 (48:12):
Yes, they may have a moment.

Speaker 2 (48:17):
I have no for the questions for this first.

Speaker 1 (48:21):
Tony Smith, thank you own.

Speaker 3 (48:23):
Good morning, Officer Blackwell morning. I just want to go
over your testimony here. You are currently training, but you
haven't yet started with Department of Homeland Security.

Speaker 2 (48:34):
Is that true?

Speaker 5 (48:34):
I'm employed right now, I'm waiting to go to my training, okay.

Speaker 3 (48:38):
And where you employed right now? Is that also with DHS?

Speaker 9 (48:41):
Yes?

Speaker 3 (48:41):
With DHS okay, But you are going to complete your
training and then go on to do what exactly.

Speaker 5 (48:46):
Ought to be a Homeland security and investigator.

Speaker 3 (48:50):
You told us that you arrived about midnight in response
to a call from dispatch. Correct. Correct, And you got
to forty three Laurel Glenn Drive. That's a how in
the Shelter neighborhood that you've described there on that exhibit
one behind you.

Speaker 5 (49:03):
Correct, Yes, And that is a.

Speaker 3 (49:05):
Neighborhood that is comprised of a few through roads and
then a number of roads that end in cul de Sac.
Is that fair to say?

Speaker 9 (49:12):
Yes?

Speaker 3 (49:13):
Were you familiar with this neighborhood yourself prior to going
there to a degree? Yes? How were you familiar with it?

Speaker 13 (49:20):
We switch assignments every day on areas that we patrol,
so once or twice.

Speaker 5 (49:24):
A week I'd be assigned to that area.

Speaker 3 (49:26):
You described that once you got to the scene, it
was fairly well lit due to the vehicles that were there,
people using their own flashlights, your flashlight your far correct? Correct?
As you were driving there? Is it well lit along
that path from Adams on the road.

Speaker 5 (49:44):
On the road, I could have said I had had lights. Obviously,
I'm not super familiar with the street. There's street lights.

Speaker 3 (49:54):
Would you say that it got lighter once you got
to the scene than it was as you were driving there. Yeah,
when you arrived, there were cars parked in the driveway. Yes,
there were cars parked in the road. Correct.

Speaker 5 (50:09):
I believe so, both sides of the road.

Speaker 3 (50:10):
Correct.

Speaker 5 (50:12):
I believe so.

Speaker 3 (50:14):
And you in fact didn't park there at the house.
You parked some distance away and walked to the scene. Correct. Correct.
When you got there, did you notice that there are
any signs of drinking?

Speaker 5 (50:27):
Initially? No, But I initially don't know when you.

Speaker 3 (50:31):
Say initially no? At some point, though, you did come
to see that there were signs of drinking having gone
on at that location, correct, Yes, later on today? And
what signs of drinking did you encounter?

Speaker 5 (50:40):
I believe there was alcohol? Bottles found?

Speaker 3 (50:43):
Was that inside the house, outside the house? I can't
recall red solo cups, kegs, bottles of liquor? What are
we talking about?

Speaker 5 (50:52):
I can't recall exactly all of that.

Speaker 6 (50:54):
Perhaps, possibly, jacks the possibly I mean overworld.

Speaker 3 (51:02):
Were there any signs of any adults on scene?

Speaker 5 (51:05):
Initially? No, but some adults didn't respond.

Speaker 3 (51:09):
So when you initially arrived, you think there were maybe
thirty people there in.

Speaker 9 (51:12):
The yart.

Speaker 3 (51:14):
My best guess was about thirty all juveniles, Yes, And
do you think it's possible that there were, in fact
more than the thirty that you saw, were others in
the house?

Speaker 15 (51:25):
Section?

Speaker 11 (51:28):
Good?

Speaker 14 (51:28):
Uh?

Speaker 1 (51:29):
Sustained?

Speaker 5 (51:30):
Possible?

Speaker 1 (51:30):
Yes, striking the objection was sustained. I'll moved to strike
ladies and gentlemen. Was striking the response. So you're not
to consider that as evidence. Thank you, Jornie Smith.

Speaker 3 (51:42):
You believe you witnessed approximately thirty people in the art, Yes,
all juveniles.

Speaker 1 (51:47):
Yes.

Speaker 3 (51:48):
You told us at that point you had not cleared
the house, correct.

Speaker 2 (51:51):
Correct?

Speaker 3 (51:52):
Did there come a time when you did clear the house?

Speaker 5 (51:55):
Yes?

Speaker 3 (51:56):
And were there more people inside the house?

Speaker 5 (51:59):
I believe so?

Speaker 3 (52:00):
How many people would you say?

Speaker 5 (52:02):
I could not tell you.

Speaker 3 (52:08):
You told us that you began doing some interviews after
you'd secured the scene. Correct.

Speaker 9 (52:12):
Correct?

Speaker 3 (52:13):
What was the time that you started those interviews?

Speaker 8 (52:15):
Do you think?

Speaker 5 (52:16):
Approximately? Twelve forty five?

Speaker 3 (52:19):
It's about forty five minutes after you arrived on scene,
you think approximately. And you told us that you spoke
to I believe three different people on.

Speaker 5 (52:26):
Scene possibly more correct? Yeah, around you.

Speaker 3 (52:31):
Only took interviews or statements from three of those. Is
that correct?

Speaker 5 (52:34):
Yes?

Speaker 3 (52:35):
But you may have spoken to more. Yes, you told
us you came to learn some information that you passed
along to the detective bureau. Correct, and that was information
regarding possible suspects correct, correct, and information regarding the vehicle
that some folks claimed they were in correct. Correct. Did
you learn at any point of the existence of any

(52:57):
video or recordings that people have made?

Speaker 5 (53:01):
No, I was not aware.

Speaker 3 (53:04):
Did you learn that any of the people that you
had spoken to have been involved in fighting or attacking
either mister Valley or any of the other folks.

Speaker 9 (53:12):
That were there.

Speaker 5 (53:13):
I learned there was a fight.

Speaker 3 (53:15):
Did the folks that you did you learn that any
of the folks that you spoke to were involved in
that fight?

Speaker 5 (53:21):
Yes.

Speaker 3 (53:25):
When you were spoking with those individuals, did they show
any signs of having been drinking?

Speaker 5 (53:32):
Possibly?

Speaker 3 (53:35):
Did you take any notes while you were doing your
interviews or otherwise on the.

Speaker 5 (53:40):
Scene, Yeah, I had no pad, as well as a
written statement for him.

Speaker 3 (53:49):
When you cleared the house. Did you notice any signs
of drinking inside the house?

Speaker 12 (53:53):
I don't.

Speaker 1 (53:53):
I recall.

Speaker 3 (53:57):
We're shown here on.

Speaker 20 (53:59):
The almost some photographs from the scene.

Speaker 3 (54:06):
I just want to.

Speaker 20 (54:09):
Showing you whether it has been marked Exhibit three.

Speaker 3 (54:15):
And in this photo that you're seeing here, there are
cars parked on the street. You see those?

Speaker 5 (54:22):
Yes?

Speaker 3 (54:23):
Is that how it looked when you arrived on scene?

Speaker 5 (54:26):
I believe so.

Speaker 3 (54:26):
Did you take this photograph yourself?

Speaker 16 (54:28):
No?

Speaker 3 (54:30):
And you see that there's some tape there?

Speaker 9 (54:32):
Correct?

Speaker 3 (54:33):
Yes, that's the tape that y'all use to secure the scene.

Speaker 6 (54:36):
Right.

Speaker 2 (54:37):
Yes, I'm gonna show you now.

Speaker 3 (54:41):
What has been marked as States Exhibit nine. See that
same tape there, correct? Correct, securing the scene?

Speaker 5 (54:50):
Yes?

Speaker 3 (54:51):
And those vehicles, Uh, those are the same vehicles that
had been parked when you arrived the night before. Correct?

Speaker 9 (54:57):
I do not know.

Speaker 20 (54:59):
No, has Marcus States exhibited too?

Speaker 5 (55:02):
Do you see that a yes?

Speaker 3 (55:04):
Would you agree that those same vehicles are there in
the parking in the driveway as the previous picture, as
in the daylight picture that we just saw, with the
secure tape around it.

Speaker 5 (55:14):
I would have to look tide my side.

Speaker 20 (55:18):
You see what I'm showing you right now?

Speaker 5 (55:20):
Correct?

Speaker 20 (55:23):
Do you see those same vehicles there?

Speaker 16 (55:25):
Uh?

Speaker 5 (55:26):
Two of them?

Speaker 15 (55:27):
Yes?

Speaker 2 (55:28):
I can't see what was on the.

Speaker 20 (55:30):
Other side of those vehicles in the picture that was
shown before.

Speaker 2 (55:33):
Yes, but you see that tape behind those vehicles?

Speaker 20 (55:36):
Correct?

Speaker 9 (55:37):
Correct?

Speaker 3 (55:41):
From your training and experience, that tape is meant to
keep the scene as it is? Correct?

Speaker 5 (55:46):
Correct?

Speaker 20 (55:48):
Did you use that tape up yourself?

Speaker 5 (55:51):
I do not believe I did.

Speaker 3 (55:53):
I'm showing you now what is states exhibited too.

Speaker 2 (55:56):
Do you see that?

Speaker 5 (55:58):
Yes?

Speaker 22 (55:59):
See that same tape is corraling off the yard, right, Yes.

Speaker 3 (56:03):
Because that was the scene of your investigation and you
wanted to secure that correct. Correct, No tape used in
the street, would you agree?

Speaker 5 (56:13):
I do not recall.

Speaker 3 (56:14):
Did you ever use any tape to secure any of
the vehicles that were parked there on the road on
either side?

Speaker 2 (56:19):
I did not.

Speaker 20 (56:23):
I'm showing you no.

Speaker 5 (56:26):
Say yes, you see any tape that's in the street,
just on the basketball hoop.

Speaker 3 (56:36):
Nothing in the street, however, correct?

Speaker 2 (56:39):
No?

Speaker 3 (56:40):
And would you agree, sir, that vehicles that had been
there the night before are no longer there in this
daytime picture? Correct, Officer Blackwell? Fair to say, you've been
called here today to tell us about what you witnessed
when you arrived on the scene, right, Yes, and you've
done that to the best of your ability. Yes, But
if what these jurors want to know is why mister

(57:03):
Valley did what he did that night, you can't really
be any help to them at all, can you?

Speaker 2 (57:07):
No?

Speaker 5 (57:08):
Nothing further, I have.

Speaker 1 (57:13):
Not for the questions, and again don't discuss anything about
this case with your fellow jurors as we take that recess.
Thank you. Court stands and recess for fifteen minutes. May
I see counsel, Thank you, tournad So we're going to
call the jury and are you prepared to call your

(57:34):
next witness?

Speaker 2 (57:35):
The state is prepared to go forward.

Speaker 1 (57:37):
Thank you, Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen of the jury council.
Would you please stipulate the return of all our jurors.

Speaker 4 (57:43):
Yes, sure to say stipulate.

Speaker 1 (57:44):
Thank you so m thank you. So we will at
this time proceeds the state to please.

Speaker 6 (57:49):
Call it's next winness say Caullte Michael Egan to the stand,
Thank you, good morning.

Speaker 1 (57:54):
Please answer the witness box. Please remain standing. Madame Clok
will put you under a thank you you saw.

Speaker 9 (58:13):
I do.

Speaker 11 (58:14):
Thank you, thank your last names.

Speaker 9 (58:18):
Michael Egan, E G. A. N.

Speaker 23 (58:21):
My place of business in Psychohose Ambulance, one hundred Medalle Street, Shelton,
Connecticut was six four eight four.

Speaker 1 (58:27):
Thank you. You may be see that.

Speaker 9 (58:30):
Good morning, sir, good morning.

Speaker 2 (58:32):
Can you please tell the ladies and Jill in the
jury what you currently do for a living.

Speaker 23 (58:36):
I'm a paramedic with Echo Hoose Ambulance in Shelton, Connecticut.

Speaker 2 (58:39):
And did you have to go through any training to
be a paramedic?

Speaker 9 (58:41):
We did. It's a pretty extensive program.

Speaker 23 (58:44):
It's broken down by a didactic which is classroom and
then a clinical portion. My program was just under two years,
approximately eighteen hundred to two thousand hours.

Speaker 2 (58:54):
And as a paramedic, are you also an e MT?

Speaker 9 (58:57):
You are?

Speaker 23 (58:57):
I was an EMT first and then you started as
an and then you can work your way up and
if you choose to go on further, you can become
a paramedic.

Speaker 2 (59:04):
And what's the difference between being an EMT and a paramedic.

Speaker 23 (59:06):
So EMT is considered BLS, which is basic life support.
A paramedic would be advanced life support als. On the
EMT level, they can do bleeding control, CPR, AD assist
patients with taking some medications, administer a very small amount
of medications.

Speaker 9 (59:23):
Paramedics can do far more.

Speaker 23 (59:25):
We can go into cardiac monitoring, some invasive procedures. We
have a lot larger range of medications that we're allowed
to administer. Our scope is just a lot broader than EMTs.

Speaker 2 (59:36):
You had mentioned AED with regards to EMTs, what is that?

Speaker 23 (59:39):
So that's a defibrillator, an automatic defibrillator. That is where
you would apply it to someone who's in cardiac arrest.
It analyzes a rhythm and then we'll determine if the
patients should be delivered a shock or not. The machine
determines that, not the provider, and that's why EMTs don't
have extensive cardiac training like paramedics do. So the machine
will determine that for them or a layperson or nobody

(01:00:00):
who's using it.

Speaker 2 (01:00:01):
And what would a paramedic do In an instance where
an AD would.

Speaker 23 (01:00:04):
Be used, paramedic they would be hooked up to their
what's commonly referred to as a life pack or a monitor,
and the paramedic would be interpreting that rhythm based off
their knowledge versus the machine doing it, and the paramedic
would make the decision too. If the rhythm had to
be shocked or defibrillated, the paramedic would make that decision
versus what the machine. The machine making that decision.

Speaker 6 (01:00:26):
Now were you working back on May fifteenth, twenty twenty two,
I was, and what capacity were you working.

Speaker 9 (01:00:32):
I was an EMPT at that time.

Speaker 2 (01:00:33):
And where were you an EMT.

Speaker 23 (01:00:34):
At e Cohoes Ambulance and Shelton and EMT what does
that stand for? Emergency medical Technician?

Speaker 4 (01:00:40):
And what shift were you working then?

Speaker 23 (01:00:43):
I was working six pm that night until six pm
the next morning. I was on a twenty four hour shift.

Speaker 2 (01:00:48):
So you started on the fourteenth into the fifteenth.

Speaker 23 (01:00:51):
The night of the incident is when I started at
six pm, and you.

Speaker 2 (01:00:54):
Were slated to get off at six am the next.

Speaker 23 (01:00:57):
Six pm, twenty four. We call it our verse twenty
four start later in the day, okay?

Speaker 6 (01:01:01):
And did you have an occasion to respond to a
report of medical need at forty three Laurel Glend I didn't,
And I want to direct your attention to State's Exhibit
one behind you.

Speaker 2 (01:01:13):
Is that the area in which you.

Speaker 6 (01:01:14):
Responded that that just for the record, the red dot
there is forty three Laurel Blends.

Speaker 2 (01:01:18):
Yes, okay.

Speaker 6 (01:01:20):
And when you got there, can you please actually withdrawn
I'm gonna show you.

Speaker 20 (01:01:26):
States Exhibit two.

Speaker 2 (01:01:29):
Again. Is this the house that you responded to that night?
That is medical uh medical attention?

Speaker 9 (01:01:37):
Yes, sir, okay?

Speaker 2 (01:01:38):
And when you got there on May what time did
you get there?

Speaker 23 (01:01:43):
I believe the call was dispatched just before midnight, and
we arrived a minute or two after midnight.

Speaker 2 (01:01:48):
Okay, so for all intensive purposes, you arrived there on
the fifteenth of May.

Speaker 9 (01:01:52):
Yes.

Speaker 6 (01:01:53):
Uh so when you got there, can you describe to
the ladies and gem this jury what the scene was?

Speaker 9 (01:01:57):
Sure?

Speaker 23 (01:01:58):
So when we arrived, the police were obviously there. I
think there was maybe one or two units, I can't
remember specifically, and there was a large group of people
on the front lawn. We pulled just past the residents
to leave room for additional ambulances because at that point
we'd been told there was multiple patients. We got out
of the ambulance, we were encountered with a very large crowd.
It was rather chaotic. People were screaming and yelling. We

(01:02:21):
knew there was, you know, possibly four patients at that time,
so we started our triage. We came across the first patient.
In this picture, if you kind of see there's a
cluster of looks like kind of garbage that's right around
where we found the first patient. I'm a yes, yeah.

(01:02:44):
So there's that that red tree right there just in
front and to the right of that red tree. We
found our first patient. He was laying soup hine on
his back. He was completely unresponsive. His breathing was spontaneous,
but a erratic, which is not a good sign. We
immediately checked for a in times like that for triage,
we imediately checked for a pulse, which he had a
very weak, thready pulse, which is another bad sign.

Speaker 9 (01:03:05):
And he did not look well.

Speaker 23 (01:03:06):
You can look at someone that's very sick and determined
they don't look well, So we do a rapid trauma scan,
which is we checked for any major bleeding.

Speaker 9 (01:03:14):
So we did that.

Speaker 23 (01:03:15):
I remember his shorts were absolutely saturated in blood, and
we found a puncture wound to his upper left abdomen
kind of his left lower chest area. So we come
across a wound like that, where there's a spected trauma,
you apply what it's called a chest seal. In the
event that there is a punctured lung, it can help,

(01:03:35):
you know, stop that lung from collapsing any further. So
we applied that chess seal. At that point, we didn't
see another major bleeding, so my partner broke off and
continued to triage the rest of the patients. And when
I went to reassess that patient that was laying there.
We noted that he had stopped breathing. At that point,
I reassessed the pulse and he had no pulse.

Speaker 2 (01:03:53):
So you mentioned triage, What trioge can explain?

Speaker 9 (01:03:55):
Yeah, of course.

Speaker 23 (01:03:56):
So triage is when you get onto a scene and
you're overwhelmed by patients. For the amount of resources you
have immediately available, you have to determine who is in
the worst shape and who could benefit most from the help.
So if you come across someone that is in cardiac
arrest and deceased and you have four other patients, you're
not stopping to help that patient. Unfortunately, you're moving on

(01:04:18):
to someone who can still be helped because if you
stop to help that person, they're probably their odds are
very slim. Now someone else who had another chance to survive,
their odds are going down because you're spending time on
this person who really has no shot.

Speaker 6 (01:04:32):
So on the night in question, when you got there,
is it safe to say, based on what you've told
us so far, When you got there, you attended to
the first patient that you saw, We did, yep, and
that patient, based on your assessment, was still breathing.

Speaker 2 (01:04:47):
And had a pulse.

Speaker 23 (01:04:48):
Yeah, it was a very week thirty pulse. And his
respirations are very, very erratic, but they were spontaneous, so
he was still breathing.

Speaker 6 (01:04:55):
Technical And when you applied the chest seal, I think
you said, what if anything did.

Speaker 2 (01:05:02):
That do for the patient?

Speaker 23 (01:05:04):
In this case, I don't believe it did much because
when we went to reassessment right after that, he wasn't
cardiac arrest, so I don't I don't think it did anything.

Speaker 2 (01:05:13):
So when he went into cardiac arrest, what if anything
did you do next?

Speaker 23 (01:05:17):
So when someone goes into cardiac arrest, we immediately apply
to a D. The AD will analyze a rhythm while
we're setting up, the AD will start CPR. But in
a witness arrest, you want to get the a D on,
a ED on as quick as possible. The witness arrest meeting,
he went in a cardiac arrest right in front of us,
because odds are he's probably in a rhythm that can
be shocked. So we started CPR. I had a two

(01:05:38):
bystanders there. One said she was a nurse, one said
he was a neighbor that was trained in CPR. Because
at this point, my partner was triaging the rest of
the patients, so I directed them to start CPR.

Speaker 9 (01:05:50):
We applied to a ED.

Speaker 23 (01:05:52):
You step back, and AD analyzes and told us that
there was no shock advised.

Speaker 9 (01:05:56):
And then we retrieved a BVM, which is a bag
valve mask. It's called bagging.

Speaker 23 (01:06:02):
We applied it to him and we began delivering respirations
and CPR in two minute cycles.

Speaker 2 (01:06:07):
Now, when no, when it was no shock advised? What
does that mean?

Speaker 23 (01:06:12):
So the AD will analyze a number of heart rhythms,
but there's only two rhythms that you can shock, ventricular
tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation, and the AD will only deliver
a defibrillation. I'm sorry, uh, fibrillation. I'm gonna say fibrillation. Uh,
atrial fibrillation in particular, tachycardia sorry, sorry, ventricular tachycardia.

Speaker 21 (01:06:37):
And uh uh I'm sorry johnah blank.

Speaker 9 (01:06:44):
VIFA ptricular fibrillation. Sorry.

Speaker 23 (01:06:48):
Those are the only two rhythms that can be that
can have a defibrillation delivered to them. So the AD
won't deliver a shock to anything else besides that. So
when it says no shock advised, it means it wasn't
in one of those rhythms. I can't tell you what
rhythm it was. It doesn't tell you what it was,
just means it wasn't one of those.

Speaker 9 (01:07:03):
Okay.

Speaker 6 (01:07:03):
So when you applied the A D you received that information, what,
if anything, what steps did you take to continue to
render aid to that individy?

Speaker 9 (01:07:14):
Sure?

Speaker 2 (01:07:15):
Now, what was the scene like around you when this
was going on? Did you did you recall you recall
what the scene was like or were you completely was it?
Was it so dark where you couldn't see what you
were doing in front of you?

Speaker 23 (01:07:27):
No, I could see what I was doing, but it
was dark, but I wouldn't say it was like pitch
black where I couldn't see anything.

Speaker 9 (01:07:32):
I believe there was.

Speaker 23 (01:07:34):
I feel as though there was light coming from the
house as well. We have scene lights on the side
of our ambulance that we turn on as well that
are kind of like flood lights that provide light. In
this case, the ambulance was fairly close to where we
were working on this pation.

Speaker 6 (01:07:45):
And looking at this exhibit here states exhibited was your
ambulance park somewhere in the area of this h on
the street here, it was.

Speaker 23 (01:07:55):
Yeah, if you look at that reddish tree I'd say
we were just past that.

Speaker 9 (01:07:59):
No past it to the right or to the right.

Speaker 16 (01:08:03):
Okay.

Speaker 17 (01:08:03):
And with regards to States five, work, can you tell
where you were working on the patient you just testified.

Speaker 20 (01:08:10):
To State five?

Speaker 23 (01:08:11):
Yeah, so there's a cluster of looks like white garbage.

Speaker 9 (01:08:16):
Yeah, right there.

Speaker 23 (01:08:16):
I'd say it was right in that area, because that
looks like the remnants of kind of what we leave
behind some times in emergent situations, a lot of the
rappers of things that we use.

Speaker 24 (01:08:26):
If the record can reflect that, I'm porning to what
appears to be the lower right hand corner of the
grass area where there are white.

Speaker 17 (01:08:33):
There's white, it's like maybe gauze pads or debris or
medical material.

Speaker 1 (01:08:39):
Thank you, Attorney jur So the record shall reflect that.
Thank you.

Speaker 6 (01:08:43):
Now, you said you were an EMT back on May
fifteenth or twenty twenty two. Yes, did a paramedic arrive
to the scene at some point?

Speaker 9 (01:08:51):
He did? I would say.

Speaker 23 (01:08:54):
Just over five minutes, anywhere in the five to ten
minute range a paramedic arrived at that point. Our primary
paramedics were from a service called Them's Valley EMS and
they are out of Seymour. So anytime that there's a
call that is considered advanced life support, they will also
come in addition to us.

Speaker 6 (01:09:11):
And when that parent, what's do you know the name
of the individual that Jeff McKee? And when Jeff responded
to the scene, were you present when withdrawn? When Jeff
responded to the scene, did he take.

Speaker 4 (01:09:22):
Over care of that patient?

Speaker 9 (01:09:23):
He did?

Speaker 23 (01:09:23):
We give a short handoff report of what we encountered,
what we've done, and then he assumes primary patient care.

Speaker 6 (01:09:30):
And when you handed off care to mister McKee, what
if anything did you do or did you observe at
that point in time?

Speaker 23 (01:09:37):
At that point, I believe we did not spend much
time working on him there. We moved him on to
the stretcher, We moved the stretcher into the ambulance, and
then we start started transporting a short time later.

Speaker 2 (01:09:48):
And what were your responsibilities with regards to transport?

Speaker 9 (01:09:51):
During transport, I was driving?

Speaker 4 (01:09:52):
And who went with you withdrawn?

Speaker 9 (01:09:56):
Did you go to the hospital driving? I did? Yeah, okay,
what hospital did you go toge?

Speaker 15 (01:10:00):
And uh?

Speaker 2 (01:10:02):
Who was in the uh the ambulance with you while
you were driving?

Speaker 23 (01:10:06):
It was Jeff McKey and my partner. And who was
your part Sophia Kaiser And.

Speaker 4 (01:10:12):
What is the protocol when you withdrawn?

Speaker 6 (01:10:14):
How long would you say it took to get from
forty three Laurel Glen to Bridgeport Hospital.

Speaker 23 (01:10:21):
I can't recall the exact time. If I don't want
to guess, I can't give you. It's hard for me
to give you a number on that.

Speaker 6 (01:10:28):
When you were when you were driving from forty three
Laurel Glen over to Bridgeport Hospital.

Speaker 2 (01:10:33):
Does the ambulance you were driving is it Does it
have lights and sirens on it?

Speaker 9 (01:10:38):
Yes?

Speaker 2 (01:10:38):
Did you in fact initiate the license pl okay?

Speaker 4 (01:10:42):
And when you got to when you get to the hospital.

Speaker 6 (01:10:46):
Any given patient that you delivered to the hospital, what's
the protocol for handing off to the HOSPITALA?

Speaker 23 (01:10:50):
So generally at Bridgeport Hospital we touched base with what's
called the EMS triage nurse. She'll check the patient in,
you give a handoff, a handoff report to them, and
then I'll assign the patient depending on the acuity of
that calls like this, we do what's called the radio
patch where you call into the hospital ahead of time
and let them know what you're coming in with, you know,
and you try to impress on them the seriousness of

(01:11:12):
the situation. So when that happens, a lot of the
times you won't stop at MS triage. You'll bypass them
and go directly to the trauma room, whether the trauma
team will be waiting.

Speaker 2 (01:11:20):
And that happened in this case.

Speaker 9 (01:11:22):
Happened in this case, yush.

Speaker 6 (01:11:25):
And once you hand it off the patient to the
hospital deaf point, what if anything did you do in
relation to this case?

Speaker 23 (01:11:31):
At that point, I just removed the stretcher from the
trauma room. We go back to the ambulance and we
begin to decon so we can get back in service
for if there's any additional calls coming in.

Speaker 2 (01:11:40):
Thank you, I know for the question.

Speaker 1 (01:11:42):
Thank you Chinese smith, Thank you, welcome.

Speaker 9 (01:11:48):
Good morning, sir, I'm good. How are you good? Talk
a little quick, mister, I'm sorry, Yeah, I tend to
do that.

Speaker 3 (01:11:56):
So I'm gonna maybe ask you to just slow down
a little bit.

Speaker 9 (01:12:00):
Things.

Speaker 3 (01:12:02):
You used a term right there at the end which
I was unfamiliar with, maybe the jurors unfamiliar with as well.
You said after you took the stretcher out and went
back to d.

Speaker 9 (01:12:13):
Coog decon, decontaminate, decontaminate.

Speaker 3 (01:12:17):
Thank you all.

Speaker 6 (01:12:19):
Right.

Speaker 3 (01:12:22):
So you were telling us, mister Egan, that you arrived
on scene and it was chaotic.

Speaker 2 (01:12:29):
Correct.

Speaker 3 (01:12:29):
Yes, In fact you said people were screaming, correct, yelling obscenities.
Correct and in fact yelling obscenities at you and your
crew member, Miss guys are correct.

Speaker 9 (01:12:38):
Yeah, it happens frequently.

Speaker 3 (01:12:40):
You said that the crowd was difficult to part to
get to the patients. Ultimately, however, you did get to
the patients. We did, and you said one of the
patients was standing and able to talk.

Speaker 9 (01:12:52):
I didn't write that in the try.

Speaker 23 (01:12:53):
I believe Sophia might have written a adndum after she
was after she went riage, and I did not or
any standing patients.

Speaker 3 (01:13:00):
You didn't encounter any standing patients. You encountered one person
who was laying down on the grass. Correct, yes, and
then you rendered some aid to the person that you
indicated or believed was the most in need.

Speaker 5 (01:13:13):
Of your care.

Speaker 3 (01:13:14):
Is that fair to say?

Speaker 23 (01:13:15):
Yeah, he's the first one he came across. So we
do a rapid scan and then yeah, he after we
did the rapid scan, applied that chess seal. My partner
moved on to assess the rest of them, and then
I began working the doing you know, the ad CPR.

Speaker 3 (01:13:32):
Any indication that these yelling, screaming folks had been drinking.

Speaker 23 (01:13:38):
I did not witness any any alcohol, so I can't
comment on that.

Speaker 3 (01:13:43):
Did you feel threatened at all?

Speaker 9 (01:13:44):
I didn't feel threatened.

Speaker 16 (01:13:45):
No.

Speaker 23 (01:13:46):
I didn't feel the obscenities were being yelled like at
us in a violent method. It was more like, you know,
hurry the blank up. You know, he's blanking dying things.

Speaker 3 (01:13:55):
Like that, Okay, And yet they were still difficult to
part for you to get to the patient.

Speaker 23 (01:13:59):
Yeah, because it was. It was very chaotic. So people
tend to situations like this. People tend to move in
on the patients. You have to be like, excuse me,
move out of the way, give us some room.

Speaker 3 (01:14:08):
You mentioned that you parked up to the right of
where that red bush is on the exhibit that you
were shown. There were cars parked along the roadway.

Speaker 23 (01:14:18):
I can't remember if there were cars parked, like directly
in front of the house or where they were.

Speaker 3 (01:14:21):
To be honest, do you recall whether or not there
were cars parked in the driveway.

Speaker 9 (01:14:26):
I do not recall.

Speaker 3 (01:14:27):
Now, you were solely focused on trying to get to
the patients.

Speaker 9 (01:14:29):
Yes.

Speaker 3 (01:14:31):
And when you got to this patient that you have
described to us rendering a lot of aid to you
noticed that there was a puncture wound to the left
lower chest correct.

Speaker 23 (01:14:40):
Yeah, left lower es, upper abdomen, right in that area.

Speaker 3 (01:14:43):
That was the only wound that you saw on this
individual that you were treating.

Speaker 9 (01:14:47):
That's the only one I observed that time.

Speaker 3 (01:14:48):
Yes, And you described that it was rather dark in
the area, correct, Yes, sir, you said that an officer
may have been providing some light to you.

Speaker 23 (01:14:58):
I remember there being a flashlight, but it wasn't consistent
the entire time.

Speaker 3 (01:15:02):
You also had a light you described to us that
was on your vehicle itself.

Speaker 9 (01:15:06):
Correct, the scene lights.

Speaker 3 (01:15:07):
Yeah, the scene lights. Those, however, didn't provide a ton
of light. Is that fair to say?

Speaker 9 (01:15:12):
No, Yeah, it's not.

Speaker 23 (01:15:13):
It's not adequate by any means. It's completely light the
scene up now, gotcha?

Speaker 3 (01:15:18):
And this night was also rainy and misty, was it not?

Speaker 9 (01:15:20):
I don't remember to whether, to be honest with you, do.

Speaker 3 (01:15:23):
You recall whether or not the grass was wet where
you were?

Speaker 16 (01:15:25):
I do not.

Speaker 3 (01:15:28):
Do you recall you said you were the driver? Correct?
I was? Do you recall whether or not. You had
your wipers on as you were driving to this I
don't recall. And then you describe for us rendering aid.
At some point you were joined by Jeff McKee correct, Yes,
he handed off to him. Did he stay in the
vehicle with you as you drove to Bridgeport Hospital?

Speaker 1 (01:15:50):
Like?

Speaker 9 (01:15:50):
Did he did you stay an ambulance with us? Yes? Yeah,
he was in the back working on the patient.

Speaker 3 (01:15:54):
So in this vehicle was you the patient? Ms? Kaiser
and mister McKee yes, mm hm. And so you've been
called here today to tell us what you witnessed when
you responded to the scene. Yes, you've done that to
the best of your ability, yes, sir. But if what
these jurors are interested in is why mister Valley did
what he did that night, you can't really be of

(01:16:16):
any help to these jurors.

Speaker 9 (01:16:17):
No, sir, thank you, nothing further, thank.

Speaker 1 (01:16:19):
You, thank you any redirect? Thank you you said? Did
you say?

Speaker 11 (01:16:24):
No?

Speaker 1 (01:16:25):
Thank you? All right? So you may step down. You
please watch your step, Thank you, missus. Stay prepared to
call it's next witness.

Speaker 2 (01:16:32):
Yes, sure say. We called Jeff McKay to the stand.

Speaker 1 (01:16:34):
Thank you, good morning, sir. If you please enter the
witness box. Please watch your step, please remain standing once
you're in the box, Madam Clark will put you to
Thank you.

Speaker 10 (01:16:49):
Solve last week your business?

Speaker 25 (01:17:04):
Sure Jeffrey McKee mc k is last name and Value
Emergency Medical Services seven sixty four Derby Avenue and Seymour Connected.

Speaker 5 (01:17:15):
Thank you, Thank.

Speaker 2 (01:17:18):
You, Good morning Miss McKie morning. Can you please tell
ladies jump the jury what you do for a living?

Speaker 11 (01:17:23):
So?

Speaker 21 (01:17:23):
I am a paramedic providing advanced life support.

Speaker 25 (01:17:26):
I've been working with Value Emergency Medical Services for low
over four years, and prior to that, I was in
the EMT for about ten and a combat medic in
the Connectic National Guardment.

Speaker 2 (01:17:36):
Did you have to go through any training or education
to be paramedic? I did.

Speaker 25 (01:17:40):
I went through just about eighteen months worth of didactic
and skills training as well as clinical at Capital Community
College to obtain my paramedic license.

Speaker 2 (01:17:49):
And what's the difference between a paramedic and the EMT.

Speaker 25 (01:17:52):
So EMT does what's called basic life support where they
can perform CPR, administer oxygen, basic medications and to very
basic assessments of patients.

Speaker 2 (01:18:03):
And what does a paramedic do as a paramedic?

Speaker 25 (01:18:05):
We're a more advanced level of care where we can
initiate IVS, we can intubate, provide advanced airways, and give
a bunch of medications that we're trying to give.

Speaker 2 (01:18:16):
And how long have you been in paramedic.

Speaker 21 (01:18:17):
I've been in paramedic for just over six years.

Speaker 2 (01:18:20):
And I want to direct your attention to May fifteenth
of twenty twenty two. Were you working that day?

Speaker 21 (01:18:24):
I was in what capacity as a paramedic?

Speaker 6 (01:18:27):
And did you have an occasion to respond to forty
three Laurel len on that day? I did, okay, And
I want to direct your attention to States one where
that red mark is right behind you on the exhibitar
right behind you? Is that the home the residents that
you responded to.

Speaker 2 (01:18:42):
On that night? Around what time did you say you
arrived to the scene.

Speaker 21 (01:18:46):
I arrived the scene shortly after midnight.

Speaker 6 (01:18:49):
And what was the information that you had in relation
to responding to that scene at that night?

Speaker 25 (01:18:54):
I was dispatched for a possible assault with possibly multiple
victims on a Priority one as the first incoming paramedic
from out of town.

Speaker 2 (01:19:02):
And what is priority one mean?

Speaker 21 (01:19:03):
So it means lights and sirens?

Speaker 2 (01:19:05):
And why would you put on lights and sirens.

Speaker 25 (01:19:08):
It was reported as a critical call that required in
a paramedic or advanced life.

Speaker 21 (01:19:12):
Support to respond.

Speaker 2 (01:19:14):
So what time would you say you arrived there?

Speaker 25 (01:19:18):
I believe it was shortly after twenty twenty, after midnight,
somewhere in that timeframe.

Speaker 2 (01:19:23):
And when you got there, I want to direct your
attention to five five. It's on your screen. There is
this the area that you responded to? A forty three
laurld Blend.

Speaker 21 (01:19:33):
Yes, it was.

Speaker 2 (01:19:34):
And when you got there? Can you tell the laz
and gel on the jury if you can in State's
five where you responded to? What did you do when
you got there?

Speaker 25 (01:19:43):
So upon arrival there was a lot of individuals on
scene as well as police and care providers. I was
directed to the patient that was on the lawn sort
of where all the trash is to the right of
that red bush.

Speaker 9 (01:19:55):
So just so we know we're on the.

Speaker 17 (01:19:56):
Same page, A pointing for the record. You're on right
side on the grass area where there's percy medical material.

Speaker 9 (01:20:06):
Is that where you were?

Speaker 3 (01:20:07):
Yes?

Speaker 6 (01:20:09):
Then you're and when you got there, can you tell
the ladies and gentlemen the jury what you observed?

Speaker 25 (01:20:16):
So upon arrival I observed a chaotic scene with a
lot of younger individuals, individuals crying, screaming, upset, and I
observed the Shelton ambulance on scene with a patient in
the grass there performing CPR with a bystander as well
as PD officers around.

Speaker 21 (01:20:35):
And that's the patient I was directed to.

Speaker 25 (01:20:37):
I know there was another paramedic on scene who had trioged,
and that's the patient, my most critical patient I was
directed to.

Speaker 2 (01:20:44):
So were you aware that there were other patients at
the scene.

Speaker 25 (01:20:47):
I was told there was on route to the scene
and there were providers on scene that directed me to
the patient that was in the front lawn that you
mentioned right there.

Speaker 6 (01:20:56):
Okay, and when you got to that patient, can you
tell us what care, if any of you provided to
that patient.

Speaker 15 (01:21:02):
Sure?

Speaker 25 (01:21:03):
So I got the report from the EMT that was
performing CPR on the patient and he had placed an
AD in an oral airway in the patient on finding
out that the patient was pulseless. So I had them
continue CPR and connected them to my cardiac monitor via
the AD pads that are previously placed, did a brief pause,

(01:21:24):
checked for a pulse check for breathing on the patient,
as well as check the initial heart rhythm, which was
a sistily. Upon doing that and determining there was no
pulse and no breathing, directed CPR to be continued, as
well as ventilation with oxygen.

Speaker 2 (01:21:37):
What is a sisterly.

Speaker 25 (01:21:39):
A sistly is essentially flatlined, where there's no cardiac electrical
activity originally in top of the heart or in the
heart whatsoever.

Speaker 6 (01:21:46):
When you got to the scene, what did you observe
about the patient outside of your assessment of the patient medically?

Speaker 2 (01:21:52):
What did you observe about the patient?

Speaker 25 (01:21:54):
The patient was a young male in his teens. The
patient appeared to be in good shape healthy.

Speaker 2 (01:22:01):
Did you observe any wounds on the patient?

Speaker 21 (01:22:04):
I did.

Speaker 25 (01:22:04):
I observed a small puncture wound right under the patient's
left nipple in the area of the chest with a
chess seal that was placed on there prior.

Speaker 5 (01:22:11):
To my arrival.

Speaker 4 (01:22:12):
Was there any active bleeding at that point?

Speaker 21 (01:22:15):
There was bleeding in and around the site.

Speaker 25 (01:22:17):
The chess seal was doing a decent job of controlling
that bleeding, and there was direct pressure being held on that.

Speaker 6 (01:22:22):
Upon my arrival, and when you medically, when you assess
the patient at that point in time, and you said
they were in a sister league.

Speaker 4 (01:22:32):
Yes, what steps did you take at that point?

Speaker 2 (01:22:35):
You when you determined that CPR should continue, and so
there was a flatl wow.

Speaker 25 (01:22:41):
The EMT partner and the other provider provided quality CPR
to the patient and then if there were any if
there was any additional bleeding that needed to be rectified
before moving the patient.

Speaker 6 (01:22:51):
How long would you say that you were on the
scene providing medical care to that patient when you got.

Speaker 25 (01:22:56):
There, No more than fifteen minutes from the time I
made patient contacts, getting the patient in the back of
the ambulance and starting transport.

Speaker 4 (01:23:04):
Why did you withdraw?

Speaker 2 (01:23:06):
Did you determine that the patient needed to be transported
to the hospital? I did, okay, And why did you
determine that?

Speaker 25 (01:23:11):
I determined that because upon arrival of the first responders,
they said the patient still had a pulse palpable pulse,
and just prior to my arrival that I had been lost.
So it's technically what's called a witnessed arrest, which a
provider witnessed the cardiac arrest. So there's still a chance
for us to provide life saving measures.

Speaker 21 (01:23:29):
And that's what I did.

Speaker 6 (01:23:31):
And at some point you transported the individual to the hospital. Yes, okay,
and did you what did you do between the time
you placed them on a backward backward put put them
in the in the back of the ambulance and transport
them to the hospital?

Speaker 2 (01:23:47):
What what life saving measures? Can you explain what you
did at that point?

Speaker 25 (01:23:51):
So, once we got the patient off of where they
were found into the back of the ambulance, I noticed
that the chess seal was not holding well, so I
replace place that to stem the continued bleeding. CPR continued.
I attempted to get IVY access on the patient. However,
his vasculature did not support IVY access, which I went
to what's called introcess infusion, which is a drill through

(01:24:14):
the tibial tuberosity on the left leg where you can
infuse medications fluid directly into the bone marrow.

Speaker 4 (01:24:22):
So, so you're in the back of the ambulance.

Speaker 2 (01:24:25):
Who's driving.

Speaker 21 (01:24:26):
So one of the empts was driving to the hospital.

Speaker 2 (01:24:28):
And you tried to administer medication in the patient's veins.

Speaker 21 (01:24:34):
And through the introcess infusion.

Speaker 6 (01:24:37):
Now, why did why did you do that? Why did
you do an introst Can you explain that to the jury.

Speaker 25 (01:24:41):
Yes, so I did an introcess infusion because the patients
did not have veins or vasculature that was apparent to
me either due to hypolemia, which is lack of fluid
or blood and or poor vasculature. So in an emergent
situation like that, the next choice is to do an
introst This infusion in through the bone marrow.

Speaker 2 (01:25:02):
Okay, and how do you do that? Can you just
explain that to the drill.

Speaker 25 (01:25:04):
So it is a needle attached to a drill, and
use the drill to drill through the outer layer of
bone in the select spot. And once it is through
that first layer of bone, you stop and you're able
to flush into the bone marrow with fluid or medication.

Speaker 15 (01:25:21):
And why is that?

Speaker 2 (01:25:22):
Why are you trained to do it that way?

Speaker 25 (01:25:23):
So we're trained to do that way in the instances
that you cannot get an IVY and that there's no
vasculature available to obtain an IVY while still be on
all provide care, to provide emergency care.

Speaker 6 (01:25:34):
And when you provide medicine in that manner, does how
how does that get into the Does it.

Speaker 2 (01:25:41):
Get into the body faster?

Speaker 21 (01:25:42):
It does?

Speaker 25 (01:25:43):
So it travels through the bone marrow directly into the
heart and then to the rest of the body once
it's pumped through the vasculture.

Speaker 26 (01:25:49):
And you did that in this case, yes, And what
medication did you provide the patient at this I provided epinephrine,
which is our standard advanced cardiac life support drug to
try to resuscitate a patient cardiac press.

Speaker 6 (01:26:01):
And in this particular instance, after you applied that epinephrine,
was it successful in reviving a heart type of hartword?

Speaker 3 (01:26:08):
It was not.

Speaker 4 (01:26:09):
And can you tell the ladies and.

Speaker 6 (01:26:11):
Gentlemen the jury what you continued to do on the
ride from forty through Laurel Line to the hospital.

Speaker 25 (01:26:17):
Absolutely, on the transport down, I continued to give epinephrine
every three to five minutes with total four doses to
try to restart the patient's heart. I also continued CPR
on the way down, and when the chess seal was
no longer effective, applied to pressure dressing which stemmed the
bleeding that was continuing and stopped the bleeding. With that,

(01:26:38):
I also intubated the patient to get a definitive airway,
which was confirmed my cardiac monitor and listening to it
as well, so ventilation while after being intubated, as well
as CPR continued as well as a normal sailing drip
to try to put some volume back into the patient.

Speaker 6 (01:26:55):
Now, when you initially got to the scene and you
assess the patient, did the patient have a pulse on
the scene?

Speaker 21 (01:27:02):
When I got to the patient, they did not.

Speaker 6 (01:27:05):
And from the time you left forty three Loyal Lend
to the time you got to Bridgeport Hospital, did you
assess the patient for a pulse.

Speaker 2 (01:27:13):
During that period of time?

Speaker 9 (01:27:13):
I did?

Speaker 4 (01:27:15):
And how long would you.

Speaker 6 (01:27:16):
Say if you can recall the ride to the hospital
was from forty three Loyal Glenn to Bridgeport Hospital.

Speaker 21 (01:27:22):
It felt to be between fifteen and twenty minutes.

Speaker 2 (01:27:28):
And at some point in time did you arrive at
Bridgeport Hospital?

Speaker 5 (01:27:31):
We did?

Speaker 2 (01:27:32):
And can you explain what happened when you arrived at
Bridgeport Hospital?

Speaker 25 (01:27:35):
So when we arrived, just prior, I had given a
trauma alert patch to the hospital advising them what I
found on scene, what interventions I had done on the
way down, and what to expect when we arrived. When
I got there, CPR continued into the emergency department. We
rolled into the trauma room and CPR continued throughout that process.

(01:27:55):
I had the attending doctor and the restory therapist confirmed
my intubation, my two placement that it was accurate, and
I gave a report to the attending physician and nurses
that were there, and then the patient was moved over
to the hospital bed and the staff continued their resuscitation process.

Speaker 2 (01:28:13):
And at the time that you handed the patient off
to the hospital.

Speaker 6 (01:28:18):
At that moment, was there any did you do any
final assessment as to any type of pulse or activity
with regards to this.

Speaker 25 (01:28:25):
I did just prior to bringing them into the ED,
I did a final pulse, breathing and cardioc ORITHM check.
The patient remained in a sisterly, remained pulseless and remained
not breathing. So we continued CPR from the ambulancing through
the ED with the ED staff taking over CPR.

Speaker 2 (01:28:42):
I have no Falther questions.

Speaker 1 (01:28:43):
Thank you, Attorney Smith, any redirect excuse me and across,
thank you.

Speaker 3 (01:28:47):
Thank you, Good afternoon, mister mc deeper. After I just
want to go over what you've told us here and
make sure I got this correct. You when you responded
to the scene, you encountered a chaotic scene that fair
to SAE, people screaming yes, crying yes, and did you

(01:29:11):
have any trouble getting to the patient.

Speaker 9 (01:29:13):
I did not.

Speaker 3 (01:29:14):
Path was cleared for you at that point. Yes, you
were directed to this patient by other responders that were
already on the scene.

Speaker 5 (01:29:20):
Yes.

Speaker 3 (01:29:22):
You told us that you did an initial trauma assessment correct. Yes,
that included trying to find whether or not there were
any other wounds. Correct.

Speaker 9 (01:29:29):
Correct.

Speaker 3 (01:29:29):
You didn't find any other wounds, did you did not?
You also looked for other bleeding correct? Yes, didn't find
any other bleeding. Correct. You looked for other traumas That
fair to say, yes, And you didn't discover any other trauma.
Just what you've noted as being a small wound, one
small puncture wound to his chest under the nipple, I believe.

Speaker 5 (01:29:48):
Correct.

Speaker 3 (01:29:52):
Did you see any signs of alcohol or drinking when
you got to the scene.

Speaker 21 (01:29:56):
I did not notice.

Speaker 3 (01:30:02):
Do you recall the conditions that evening?

Speaker 9 (01:30:04):
Was it rainy?

Speaker 3 (01:30:05):
Misty?

Speaker 18 (01:30:06):
It was misty, The roads were damp, the grass itself.
Do you recall whether or not the grass was wet
it was damper that caused you to slip or anything
while you were setting up? And then you described for
us the level of support that you gave to the patient.

Speaker 3 (01:30:27):
Correct? And that I believe you told us. At some
point you determined that he needed transport correct Correct. And
you determined he needed transport because it was what you
described as a witnessed arrest correct, meaning that the people
who had responded to the scene had gotten some indication
of a pulse correct yes, and some herd activity correct.

Speaker 18 (01:30:46):
Yes.

Speaker 3 (01:30:47):
And however, by the time you arrived, there was this
witnessed arrest, which meant that there was still a chance
to provide life saving measures correct. Yes, And that's why
you determined it was time to take this patient transport
him to Bridgeport Hospital, which you did, and then you
transferred care once you were there, over to the attending positions.

Speaker 5 (01:31:09):
Correct.

Speaker 3 (01:31:11):
And so, mister McKee, you've been brought here today, fair
to say, to tell us what you witnessed and observed
when you arrived on the scene.

Speaker 21 (01:31:16):
Correct.

Speaker 3 (01:31:17):
But if this jury was interested in knowing why mister
Vallely did what he did that night, you wouldn't be
able to help them at all, would you. I would
not thank you, So is the.

Speaker 1 (01:31:27):
State of any redirect.

Speaker 2 (01:31:28):
No, you're on, Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Speaker 15 (01:31:35):
So much.

Speaker 1 (01:31:36):
All right, So, ladies and gentlemen seated in the gallery
as well as anyone watching live stream. It's been brought
to the court's attention that the next witness is going
to be from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
Sensitive and or graphic material maybe discussed and or displayed

(01:31:57):
in terms of the evidentiary portion of this money. So
at this point in time, I would ask you to
use your own discretion as to whether or not you
would like to remove yourself from the proceedings or turn
away from the live streaming. Thank you. All right, this
time the state can go ahead and call it's next witness.

Speaker 10 (01:32:17):
Thank you, Thank you.

Speaker 11 (01:32:18):
Calls after James gild all right, good after you.

Speaker 1 (01:32:22):
If you could please step into the witness box and
remain standing, not unclerkable. Put you're under it.

Speaker 19 (01:32:27):
Thank you?

Speaker 14 (01:32:29):
Do you?

Speaker 10 (01:32:29):
Song the square or song the sincerely that the eminence
shall this case?

Speaker 9 (01:32:41):
I do Thanks Bill G.

Speaker 13 (01:32:43):
I L. L.

Speaker 9 (01:32:44):
Eleven Shuttle Road, Farmings in Connecticut.

Speaker 1 (01:32:47):
You may be seated.

Speaker 9 (01:32:48):
Thank you, Thank you.

Speaker 16 (01:32:54):
Good afternoon, doctor Gil. How are you today?

Speaker 9 (01:32:56):
I'm well, Thank you, good doctor Gil.

Speaker 16 (01:32:58):
Where do you currently work?

Speaker 9 (01:33:00):
I work at the office of a Chief Medical Examiner
in Farmington And for.

Speaker 16 (01:33:05):
How long have you been with the office Chief Medical Examiner.

Speaker 9 (01:33:08):
Since July of twenty thirteen.

Speaker 16 (01:33:11):
And what is your current position with that office.

Speaker 9 (01:33:14):
I'm the Chief Medical Examiner for the state of Connecticut.

Speaker 16 (01:33:18):
And how long you've been in that position.

Speaker 9 (01:33:20):
Since July twenty thirteen see some members of the jury.

Speaker 16 (01:33:24):
What your educational background is as well as the experience
that qualifies you to have the position.

Speaker 9 (01:33:30):
That you're I received a degree in biology from MIT,
followed by my medical school at the University of Connecticut.
I did an internship in medicine in Vermont, followed by
my pathology training at Yale. I did a fellowship in
cancer pathology at Memorial Sloan Kettering and then a fellowship
in forensic pathology at the New York City Medical Examiner's Office.

(01:33:53):
I'm board certified in anatomic and forensic pathology and licensed
to practice medicine in Conecticute in New York.

Speaker 16 (01:34:02):
And what are your duties of achief Medical exam I.

Speaker 9 (01:34:06):
Have administrative duties as well as investigative duties, so I'm
kind of the commissioner of the agency, but I also
do a medical legal death investigation, so that includes performing
autopsies and certifying guests.

Speaker 16 (01:34:22):
And please explain generally what the term pathology entails.

Speaker 9 (01:34:26):
So, pathology is that area of medicine that deals with
the laboratory aspects of the body, so things that can
go wrong with the body. And typical pathologists usually work
in the hospital and they all examine different tissue samples
from the operating room and so forth to determine if

(01:34:49):
there's cancer or whatever.

Speaker 1 (01:34:51):
And is there a.

Speaker 16 (01:34:51):
Difference between pathology and forensic pathology, And if there is,
what is that difference.

Speaker 9 (01:34:55):
Yes, So forensic pathology is a subspecialty of pathology requires
additional training, and it's that specialty that deals with the
investigation of sudden, suspicious or unnatural deaths, so deaths that
are related to trauma, injuries, intoxications, things like that.

Speaker 16 (01:35:18):
And up to date, if you can approximate how many
postmortem examinations you have conducted.

Speaker 9 (01:35:23):
I've performed over four thousand autopsies and many thousands more
of examinations of bodies.

Speaker 16 (01:35:30):
Do you primarily oversee the autopsies of other members of
your office or do you conduct the independently?

Speaker 9 (01:35:37):
I do both. I actually yesterday I did two autopsies yesterday,
but I also oversee the office.

Speaker 16 (01:35:47):
And in your career, have you conducted or overseen autopsies
or examinations with the cause of death was a stablolt?

Speaker 9 (01:35:55):
Yes?

Speaker 16 (01:35:56):
And can you approximate how many.

Speaker 9 (01:35:58):
Times many, many dozens of times, both homicidal as well
as suicidal self inflicted injuries?

Speaker 16 (01:36:09):
And prior today have you testified in court on the
field of forensic mythology. Yes, prior to you coming to
court today. Did you have an opportunity to review any
records from your office to prepare for your testimony?

Speaker 9 (01:36:23):
Yes?

Speaker 16 (01:36:24):
And did you review the postmodem report that was prepared
for this case?

Speaker 9 (01:36:27):
Yes? I did.

Speaker 16 (01:36:28):
And did you review any additional reports that may have
been part of that post mortem report?

Speaker 9 (01:36:33):
Yes?

Speaker 16 (01:36:33):
And which reports would that be?

Speaker 9 (01:36:35):
Those would include the toxicology report and some other laboratory
and investigative reports.

Speaker 16 (01:36:41):
Do you have the opportunity to review any photographs with
relation to this case?

Speaker 9 (01:36:44):
Yes?

Speaker 16 (01:36:46):
And our photographs always taken during a forensic examinations or
with post mortem examinations.

Speaker 9 (01:36:51):
It's a routine part of a forensic post mortem examination.

Speaker 16 (01:36:56):
And what's the reason for that.

Speaker 9 (01:36:58):
It's a document the findings as well as sometimes the
absence of findings, so other people can look at it
and evaluate it as well.

Speaker 16 (01:37:08):
Now, could you personally perform the autopsy on the body
of James Thomas McGrath.

Speaker 9 (01:37:13):
No, I did not.

Speaker 16 (01:37:14):
And to your knowledge who performed the autopsy?

Speaker 9 (01:37:17):
It was doctor Jones.

Speaker 16 (01:37:19):
And to your knowledge, what position did doctor Jones hold
with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner?

Speaker 9 (01:37:24):
She was, I believe in assistant medical examiner. She was
in her training year as a forensic mythology fellow.

Speaker 16 (01:37:32):
And were you president overseeing doctor Jones when she performed
that post mornimal examination.

Speaker 9 (01:37:37):
Yes, I was. And why the oversight because she's still
in training and so we supervised them, kind of work
side by side with them so they can learn forensic mythology.

Speaker 16 (01:37:50):
And to your knowledge, is doctor Jones still employed by
your office?

Speaker 1 (01:37:54):
No, she's not.

Speaker 16 (01:37:56):
And do you recall what date doctor Jones performed that
postform examination.

Speaker 9 (01:38:00):
I'd want to look at the report just to refresh
my memory. But it was May fifteenth, twenty twenty two.

Speaker 1 (01:38:07):
And cheeronologe.

Speaker 16 (01:38:09):
Where was that examination conducted at.

Speaker 9 (01:38:11):
The office in Farmington? And how do you know that
I was there? And there's a record in the autopsy
report describing the location and the time and the place.

Speaker 1 (01:38:28):
Big Porch Partner certainly.

Speaker 3 (01:38:35):
Yes, no objecting you on it all right?

Speaker 19 (01:38:38):
Thank you?

Speaker 1 (01:38:42):
Yes, you may what numbers since upside say ten? Thank you,
Doctor mar say ten A recognized the document, Yes, okay.

Speaker 16 (01:38:55):
And cheer knowledge to prepare this particular document.

Speaker 9 (01:39:02):
Doctor Jones prepared the autopsy report.

Speaker 13 (01:39:07):
Uh.

Speaker 9 (01:39:07):
And there uh the toxicology report was prepared by the laboratory,
and she also prepared the lab request form.

Speaker 16 (01:39:20):
And was this report primarily the report from the Office
of the Chief Medical exam a prepared in the regular
course of business of that office to prepare such report?

Speaker 9 (01:39:29):
Yes?

Speaker 16 (01:39:29):
And is in the regular course of business for your
office prepare such reports on a daily basis?

Speaker 9 (01:39:33):
Yes?

Speaker 16 (01:39:34):
And was that report made at or near the time
that that post modern report was withdrawn? Was that report
made at or near the time the autopsy on James
Thomas McGrath was reformed?

Speaker 1 (01:39:43):
Yes, I would just ask for three minutes as a
full axility, your honor, Attorney Smith.

Speaker 16 (01:39:47):
No juction on doctor Gila, I'm going to be asked
you some questions based on Saints ten approaching the women's major.

Speaker 10 (01:39:53):
From this report now that it is exhibit.

Speaker 16 (01:39:56):
Doctor Gili, who was also present at the post Mordern
examination edition to you and.

Speaker 9 (01:40:00):
Doctor Jones, doctor Vincent one of our medical examiners.

Speaker 16 (01:40:04):
And in addition to members of your office being present,
do you recall anyone else was present during that post
mortem examination?

Speaker 9 (01:40:11):
I don't recall anyone else being present.

Speaker 16 (01:40:13):
Is it typical for members of the police department to
comment and view the autopsy?

Speaker 9 (01:40:21):
Usually yes, It depends upon the type of death and
the case and so forth. But it's not unusual for
police or investigators to attend the autopsy.

Speaker 16 (01:40:31):
If someone from the Shelter Police women were present without
being noted in that report.

Speaker 9 (01:40:36):
It may or may not. Some doctors don't always include
the police who were present or.

Speaker 16 (01:40:42):
Not prior to the post mortem examination done on James
Thomas a grath arriving what was wrong? Prior to the
examination being done on James McGrath, did you or any
of your coworkers have any knowledge of what the extent
of the injuries were?

Speaker 9 (01:40:57):
Yes?

Speaker 16 (01:40:57):
And where did you get that information from?

Speaker 9 (01:41:00):
The death was called into our office from the hospital
and so we get preliminary information from the hospital and.

Speaker 16 (01:41:08):
Looking at cases of at number ten, how old was
James Thomas McGrath at his time of death?

Speaker 9 (01:41:13):
He was seventeen years of.

Speaker 16 (01:41:14):
Age, and at to your knowledge you know where James
Thomas McGrath was pronounced dead.

Speaker 9 (01:41:24):
Have to look at the death certificate or Bridgeport Hospital and.

Speaker 16 (01:41:33):
To your knowledge where any operations or procedures conducted on
James McGrath prior to his arrival at the Medical Examiner's office?

Speaker 9 (01:41:41):
Yes? And how do you know this from the autopsy report?

Speaker 16 (01:41:46):
And how was the body of James Thomas McGrath transported
or brought to the office of the Chief Medical Examiner's office.

Speaker 9 (01:41:52):
We have a transport team that will pick up remains
at the hospital and bring them to our office.

Speaker 16 (01:41:58):
Typically, and in this case as well, call how the
body was brought in in what condition.

Speaker 9 (01:42:08):
The body was brought with resuscitative equipment still with the
body in a body bag?

Speaker 16 (01:42:18):
And was there anmy case number assigned to this examination? Yes,
and referring to the at number ten, can you recall
or can you tell the members of the jury what
that my case number is?

Speaker 9 (01:42:29):
Yes, it's twenty two dash one zero nine two one.

Speaker 16 (01:42:34):
And what is the significance of that MT case number?

Speaker 9 (01:42:37):
So twenty two is the year, and then we give
each death that's reported to our office a unique sequential number.
So it's a unique number for mister McGrath, can.

Speaker 16 (01:42:48):
You please tell it, Ladies and gentlemen of the jury. Generally,
what goes on in a post mort of examination and
can you give details as to what it's conducted.

Speaker 9 (01:42:58):
It depends a little bit on the type of debt,
but generally, in a case like this, we would do
X rays of the body and then we would do
what's called the external examination, where we look at the
outside of the body looking for identifying features, color of
the eyes, length hair, at any evidence of injury or

(01:43:18):
medical treatment, and we would take photographs, and then we
would do the internal examination, where we make a Y
shaped incision and examine the internal organs to determine largely
why the person died. To direct your.

Speaker 16 (01:43:34):
Attention to Stakes ten. Whereas his external examination, what is
the purpose of that section.

Speaker 9 (01:43:41):
So that again is to document the different physical characteristics
of the body, color of the eyes, scars, tattoos, things
like that, and where it.

Speaker 16 (01:43:52):
Says under post mortem changes, what does that paragraph indicate
Missus page two or five.

Speaker 9 (01:43:58):
So that's where we would describe any changes that we
see from occurring after death, like rigor mortis, stiffening of
the body, the body temperature, liviidity, the settling of the blood,
change in color of the body after death.

Speaker 16 (01:44:15):
And as indicated before, you said that there was some
medical intervention that was done. And looking at States ten,
can you please explain what was done or what was
present on the body of James Thomas McGrath.

Speaker 9 (01:44:27):
He was received with a breathing tube in his ZR
way as well as two catheters intravenous type cathters actually
in the bone on both lower legs.

Speaker 16 (01:44:41):
And is that what is referred to as therapeutic interventions
on Stats ten correct? I can refer into States ten
under where it says injuries external and internal. What evidence
of injury was present on the body?

Speaker 9 (01:44:55):
So there was evidence of both sharp injury and blunt injury.
So sharpened juries or injuries that are caused by sharp
objects like a knife, a piece of glass, and you
can either have a stree or a cut injury. The
difference is that stab wounds are deeper into the body
than they are long on the skin than they are

(01:45:15):
long on the skin, while like a cut or an
incized wound is longer on the skin than it is
deep in the body. Blunt injuries are different types of injuries.
Those are injuries caused by blunt force where their person
may fall down and bruise their bruise their knee or
what have you. We call those contusions. So we had

(01:45:36):
some bruises as well on different parts of his body
that were just very superficial.

Speaker 16 (01:45:42):
So in addition to those superficial bruising, you'd indicate it
was there also a stab womb found on the body
of James Thomas McGrath. Yes, and where was that stab
wom located?

Speaker 9 (01:45:50):
The stab wound was on the left chest below the
left nipple.

Speaker 16 (01:45:55):
Can you either read or explain the directions within the exhibit?
It indicates the directions are stated with reference to the
standard anatomical planes, with the body measured in the horizontal position.
What does that refer to?

Speaker 9 (01:46:09):
So we don't know what position the person was in
when they were stab so we always give the directions
in the anatomical position, which means standing straight up with
your arms at your side, so we all have the
same planes of reference. So for example, in this instance,
the stab wound was going from the front of his
body towards the back of his body and it was

(01:46:31):
going sorry, let me just from the left of his
body towards the right of his body, and then slightly
upward in his.

Speaker 16 (01:46:42):
Body, referring again to say it's ten under injuries external internal.
The last sentence of that paragraph indicates the injuries were
labeled A through C for descriptive purposes only. What is
the purpose of that exclaimed to the jury.

Speaker 9 (01:46:56):
So there were bruises and there was a stab wound.
There's no way for us to tell the sequence which
came first, which came second.

Speaker 16 (01:47:05):
Directing your attention to page two into page three of
Seasons of at number ten, under where it says a
stab wound of Torso you please read what that paragraph
says out loud to the jury.

Speaker 9 (01:47:16):
So a stab wound is centered twenty one and seven
eighths of an inch from the top of the head
and five and one quarter inches left of the anterior midline.
It's oriented obliquely, which means kind of at an angle,
with a sharp edge angle to the upper left and
a blunt edge directed down into the right. It is

(01:47:38):
one and one sixteenth of an inch long slit like
perforation on the surface of the skin without natural skin tension.
After penetrating the skin and the muscle, the knife proceeded
through the left six to seven intercostal space. It's between
the ribs and perforated the pair cardial sack in the

(01:48:02):
left ventricle of the heart. There was approximately seven hundred
and fifty milliliters of clotted blood in the para cardial
sack around the heart and approximately one point eight liters
of liquid and clotted blood in the left plural cavity,
which is a left chest cavity. And then the direction

(01:48:23):
of the penetration is front to back, left to right
and slightly upward in the estimated depth, that's how deep
the stab wound was. The estimated depth of this penetration
is approximately two and a half to three and a
half inches depth deep.

Speaker 16 (01:48:41):
Now, in reference to Stay ten, that paragraph you just read,
what does it mean? What is that intercostal space notation?

Speaker 6 (01:48:48):
What is that?

Speaker 9 (01:48:50):
So that's a term for between the ribs. So it
went in the muscle part between the two.

Speaker 16 (01:48:56):
Ribs and what would be there? Is it tissue?

Speaker 18 (01:48:59):
Is it?

Speaker 9 (01:49:00):
It's muscular and soft tissue?

Speaker 16 (01:49:03):
And again you indicated the peracardial sack and left ventricle.

Speaker 2 (01:49:06):
What does that refer to?

Speaker 9 (01:49:07):
So the paracrdial sack is the sack that the heart
is enclosed in, and the ventricle is the left side
of the heart, the pumping chamber of the heart that
pumps the blood to the rest of the body. So
it's going to pump out through the aorta to the
rest of the body. And there was a stab wound.

(01:49:28):
The stab wound went through the wall of that left
ventricle of the heart.

Speaker 16 (01:49:33):
That next paragraph, there's a proply seventy five militers a
clot of blood in the paracardial sack. Is that normal
to have that? What caused that?

Speaker 9 (01:49:41):
You can explain that, Yeah, there shouldn't be any blood
in the para cardial sack. So that was blood from
that stab wound. From the blood first going into the
peracardial sack and then continuing into the.

Speaker 16 (01:49:54):
Left chest cavity or indicates that the direction of the
penetration has pumped back front to left, to right and
slightly upward. How are you able to tell that?

Speaker 9 (01:50:04):
So we do a dissection during the autopsy where we
kind of go in layer by layer and we follow
the track the path of the of the knife, and
we can then see the direction that it followed.

Speaker 16 (01:50:18):
I'm going to direct your attention back to States ten,
where it says again page three of five, underwhere it
says b Blunt impact injuries of torso where indicates that
there was a three fourth greenish brown contusion of the
inframmmory right chest. What does that indicate?

Speaker 9 (01:50:38):
That means that there was a bruise on the right
chest below the right nipple, and it seemed to have
some age to it. It wasn't didn't look that fresh.

Speaker 16 (01:50:49):
And how do you know about the age? How would
we be able to tell the age.

Speaker 9 (01:50:52):
Because of the green brown color change?

Speaker 16 (01:50:55):
Also States ten again page three of five, where it
says see on impact injury of extremities. It references some
injuries there indicating a brown contusion, green brownish contusions, and
red purple contusions. What does that indicate that paragraph?

Speaker 9 (01:51:11):
So there are scattered bruises, some of them there of
different ages. Some of them are more recent and some
appear older.

Speaker 16 (01:51:20):
What is the purpose of documenting such injuries?

Speaker 9 (01:51:22):
It's just part of a routine part of an autopsy
to document all the injuries. You never know when a
particular injury may be important for an investigation.

Speaker 16 (01:51:32):
So you'd indicate it earlier. The addition to an external examination.
There was also an internal examination done on the body
of James Thomas McGrath.

Speaker 2 (01:51:39):
Is that accurate, yes?

Speaker 16 (01:51:40):
And what parts of the body were subject to that
internal examination?

Speaker 9 (01:51:44):
All of the internal organs of the chest and the
abdomen as well as the head, so the brain, the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys,
all of those were examined.

Speaker 16 (01:51:55):
And what is the purpose of doing an internally examination
to all of those various parts of the body. If
it's I don't want to say pretty obvious, but if
it looks to you where that injury might be, why
do everything else?

Speaker 9 (01:52:11):
It's just being thorough and looking for other maybe natural
disease that could have contributed to death. We also want
to collect various tissue samples for further testing, and so
it's again part of a kind of a routine autopsy
to do that examination.

Speaker 16 (01:52:28):
Directing your attention again to say ten, page three or
five versays cardiovascular system. What does that paragraph mean in
Layman's terms?

Speaker 9 (01:52:37):
So that's describing the hearts, the valves, the blood vessels,
and than the stab wound. He had a normal heart,
He was a normal, healthy person.

Speaker 16 (01:52:50):
So what would be safe to say that in that
section there would not be any indication regarding the injuries.

Speaker 9 (01:52:55):
Done to the heart. Correct. We include the injuries in
a separate section, so the the internal exam is really
just the kind of the natural normal.

Speaker 16 (01:53:05):
Uh. Descriptions may approach Counseloranna.

Speaker 11 (01:53:10):
Thank you, Yes, thank you, Thanks marked this photographication.

Speaker 1 (01:53:18):
Johnald Susan. I'll just take a quickly thank you.

Speaker 16 (01:53:22):
That's doctor Bill showing you what's been marked as the dibit.

Speaker 11 (01:53:28):
Eleven through twenty ftil.

Speaker 1 (01:53:31):
This is only this point.

Speaker 11 (01:53:32):
Do you represent? Do you recognize those?

Speaker 9 (01:53:37):
Yes?

Speaker 10 (01:53:37):
And what do you recognize this photography?

Speaker 9 (01:53:39):
These are the autopsy photographs from mister McGrath.

Speaker 16 (01:53:44):
Do the photographs that you see here fairly and accurately
depict uh the body that came into your office on
the day that the post warm examination was done.

Speaker 9 (01:53:52):
Yes?

Speaker 16 (01:53:53):
And in the photographs that were depicted, does anything look
different to you and the body of James mcgrat did
on the day of the topsy No. And again, the
purpose of taking these photographs to document.

Speaker 9 (01:54:06):
The findings who he is in any injuries?

Speaker 16 (01:54:09):
Do you recall who took these photographs?

Speaker 9 (01:54:11):
We have professional photographers who do that under our direction.

Speaker 1 (01:54:15):
I'd like to enter this photospic Tony Smith, no objection.
You are curtal accept into evidence. States Exhibits eleven through
twenty is full, Doctor Bil.

Speaker 16 (01:54:24):
For the next several question, it's going to be showing
you once the market. State Exhibit eleven through twenty is
for exhibits.

Speaker 9 (01:54:30):
Phil, Yes, I'll carve you.

Speaker 11 (01:54:33):
I have toil what does this photograph depict?

Speaker 9 (01:54:36):
This is a full body of photograph of mister McGrath
showing how we received him at the Medical Examiner's office.

Speaker 11 (01:54:43):
And that plactor that's placed above the body.

Speaker 10 (01:54:45):
What does that no will refer to.

Speaker 9 (01:54:47):
That's his unique case number.

Speaker 11 (01:54:50):
And from looking at States, I believe that the state eleven.

Speaker 16 (01:54:53):
Did you see anything in this photograph that would depict
any kind of edunicator earlier in the therapeutic services.

Speaker 12 (01:54:59):
That was that on mister at the hospital?

Speaker 16 (01:55:02):
Yes, he has identify those areas to the members of
the jury.

Speaker 9 (01:55:06):
You can see the breathing tube coming out of his mouth.
In his lower legs. There are these two are called
intra osseous catheters in both legs, and then there's some
gauze pad over the left chest.

Speaker 11 (01:55:19):
I'm referring to Sage eleven. The lower left hand area
of the exhibit.

Speaker 16 (01:55:24):
There is a tag which is on the body of
James McGrath's hoe.

Speaker 9 (01:55:28):
What is that tag? Tohat, that's how we It's an
identification tot tag.

Speaker 16 (01:55:37):
Showing you what's in market State twelve, Docter deel, What
is the photograph of?

Speaker 9 (01:55:44):
This is a face shot of mister McGrath, I.

Speaker 16 (01:55:50):
Say, and that plaque that again is depicted there is
that the same number that we saw in stage eleven.

Speaker 11 (01:55:58):
The number of matches of them?

Speaker 9 (01:56:00):
Number correct?

Speaker 11 (01:56:02):
Showing you State thirteen.

Speaker 1 (01:56:06):
What is this a photograph of?

Speaker 9 (01:56:09):
So this is the face and upper torso of mister McGrath,
and it shows the stab wound under that left nipple.
You can see that red line is the stab wound.

Speaker 16 (01:56:20):
And let the recroop though you are that the witness
is pointing to the right hand side of State thirteen.

Speaker 11 (01:56:27):
Where he's indicating there is a red line.

Speaker 1 (01:56:30):
Below the left nipple of the body noted.

Speaker 11 (01:56:33):
Thank you and doctor gil.

Speaker 16 (01:56:35):
If you can look at States thirteen, there is some
reddish purple purple brusing.

Speaker 11 (01:56:41):
It appears around the neck area of the body of
James Thomas McGrath.

Speaker 9 (01:56:45):
What is that that's called live or mortis that's a
change that occurs after death from blood settling in.

Speaker 11 (01:56:52):
Those areas, showing you what's in market safe fourteen?

Speaker 22 (01:56:59):
What is this photograph of?

Speaker 9 (01:57:01):
This is a close up photograph of the stab wound.

Speaker 27 (01:57:05):
Again, that's a platter that any number yes, showing you
what's the mark as case fifteen.

Speaker 11 (01:57:13):
What is it the photograph of?

Speaker 9 (01:57:16):
So this is also a photograph of the stab wound,
showing the skin which is less relaxed. So the skin
has a natural elasticity to it, and depending upon how
the sharp injury is in the skin, sometimes it can
cause the wound to gape open. In that first picture
we saw that gaping wound. This is kind of pushing

(01:57:38):
the skin back together, that relieving that natural skin tension,
so you can get a better look at the actual.

Speaker 16 (01:57:44):
Stab wound, showing you, say, sixteen, doctor Phil, what is
that a photograph of?

Speaker 9 (01:57:55):
So this is after the skin of the chest has
been reflected to the side and we're looking at the
chest wall and just above the label, there's some bleeding there.
That's where the knife went through that intercostal.

Speaker 27 (01:58:07):
Space, showing you stay seventeen is another Is this a
close up photograph.

Speaker 11 (01:58:16):
Of Saint sixteen?

Speaker 9 (01:58:17):
Correct.

Speaker 11 (01:58:18):
And can you also see in that photograph the punctual moon.

Speaker 9 (01:58:25):
Yeah, there looks like there's some disrupted muscle there. It's
difficult to make out.

Speaker 27 (01:58:29):
Now, this placor that is utilized here looks say, there's
some measuring tool there as well.

Speaker 11 (01:58:33):
Do you utilize that to measure the puncture moon or
the injury?

Speaker 9 (01:58:38):
Yes, that's always kind of on our.

Speaker 11 (01:58:39):
Label showing you state eighteen.

Speaker 9 (01:58:46):
What is that a photograph of this is showing the heart? Well, well,
it's still in the body and that kind of oval
red lesion. That's the stab wound of the heart, of
the left ventricle of the heart.

Speaker 16 (01:59:00):
So is that the heart taken out of that muscle
or tissue that we saw in safe seventeen?

Speaker 9 (01:59:06):
So the paracrdial sack has been opened and we're looking
at the heart inside the sack now.

Speaker 11 (01:59:12):
Showing your safe nineteen. What is that a photograph of?

Speaker 9 (01:59:21):
This is a let's see showing the paracrdial sack before
it's been opened up. So you can see a little
bit of lung, pink lung at the top there, and
then that hole kind of right in the center that's
where the knife went through the paracrdial sack.

Speaker 11 (01:59:38):
And lastly showing you see.

Speaker 16 (01:59:43):
Again what is that a photograph of?

Speaker 9 (01:59:45):
So this is a photograph of just the heart and
you can see kind of below the yellow the fatty tissue,
there's this darker red area that's the actual stab wound
that went into the left centric all the heart.

Speaker 16 (01:59:58):
What is the purpose of taking this photo wrap with
the heart removed from the body.

Speaker 9 (02:00:03):
Just to further document the injury?

Speaker 2 (02:00:06):
I just have one moment.

Speaker 16 (02:00:07):
You're on a doctor Gill based on your training and
experience in the field of forensic pathology with respect to
the stab wound, the torso perforating the heart, what effect
would you expect such an injury to have on a
person's ability to survive.

Speaker 9 (02:00:22):
Well, it would not be immediately incapacitating. The person would
still remain conscious for a period of time until they've
lost enough blood and the heart can no longer mean
that maintain the blood pressure. Then they would lose consciousness.
And again if the heart and the circulation isn't restarted,
they would die.

Speaker 16 (02:00:44):
Where any samples or specimens collected during the post war
examination of and submitted for laboratory analysis, Yes, and do
you recall what specimens were collected.

Speaker 9 (02:00:55):
There were several specimens collected for toxicology, including blood, vitreous
fluid from the eye. We usually collect liver as well
in urine.

Speaker 16 (02:01:13):
And what tests were conducted on the blood of the
body that was flecked. I'm going to direct your attention
back to Staates ten on page five of the toxicology
report withdrawn, page five, What does it read under the
heading toxicology, so it gives.

Speaker 9 (02:01:32):
The positive findings that were detected in the blood, in
the vitreous fluid from the eye.

Speaker 16 (02:01:39):
Okay, directing your attention to page two out of three
of the toxicology report. Do you recall or can you
read what the blood alcohol content or b AC of
the body of said James Thomas McGrath was, Yes, and
what was that?

Speaker 9 (02:01:53):
It was zero point two gram percent or gram one
hundred per one hundred milli years.

Speaker 16 (02:02:00):
Referring again to say it ten to the very first
page of that exhibit where it says final diagnosis. Please
read what it says.

Speaker 9 (02:02:11):
Stab wound of torso with perforation of heart hemothorax approximately
one point eight leaders that's blood in the chest cavity
and then hemo pericardium, that's blood in the parocardial sack
approximately seventy five milli leaders and then superficial blunt impact
injuries of the trunk and the extremities the bruises.

Speaker 16 (02:02:33):
Based upon your review of the postmotor examination of James
Thomas the breath, what was the cause of death in
this case, doctor, the stab wound of the torso, what
was the manner of death?

Speaker 9 (02:02:42):
A homicide?

Speaker 16 (02:02:43):
And if you explain, please explain your reasoning to the
jury as to why with a homicide.

Speaker 9 (02:02:48):
Homicide for a medical examiner is death at the hand
of another person. So this stab wound was caused by
another person, so it's a homicide.

Speaker 16 (02:02:56):
It is a moment. You're on her, Yes, and no
other questions for doctor.

Speaker 1 (02:03:02):
Thank you, Try Smith, thank you, Anna, thank.

Speaker 2 (02:03:05):
You good have you named out together?

Speaker 9 (02:03:08):
Donon.

Speaker 3 (02:03:09):
You told us that you have been at the Office
of the Chief Medical Examiner since July of twenty thirteen. Correct,
did you take over from doctor Carver. Yes, and you've
been there since for the past twelve years. Yes, any
break in that time period you've served continuously, correct, all right,

(02:03:32):
And you've told us that in conducting your autopsy, you've
discovered a one and one sixteenth inch long slit like
perforation in the chest. Correct, yes, And you've described that
both in your testimony and in the report as being

(02:03:52):
the result of a knife. Correct, yes, And was that
based on information that you had from there people involved
with this investigation.

Speaker 9 (02:04:03):
I think it's probably a combination. The features, the anatomical
features are what we see with a knife injury, and
I believe we had history that he had been stabbed.

Speaker 3 (02:04:15):
And so did you come to that conclusion that it
was a knife based on your own observations or based
on something you had been told?

Speaker 9 (02:04:25):
Again, I think it was a combination. The features are
kind of classic findings for a knife. I really couldn't
think of much else that would cause it.

Speaker 3 (02:04:35):
No other sort of sharp object, like a piece of
glass or something of that nature.

Speaker 9 (02:04:39):
A piece of glass wouldn't cause such a straight injury
with a single blunt angle and a sharpened angle, and
to that depth, I think it would be very unlikely
that a piece of glass would do that.

Speaker 3 (02:04:51):
Any other tool, perhaps a screwdriver or something like that.

Speaker 9 (02:04:55):
A screwdriver gives a different type of pattern, a more
circular puncture type.

Speaker 3 (02:05:01):
Fair to say you didn't have anything definitive at that
point that led you to know that this was a knife.
But that's what you concluded based on what you've described
here to us.

Speaker 9 (02:05:11):
Yeah, the anatomic findings are supportive, very supportive of a knife,
you know.

Speaker 3 (02:05:17):
And you also had information I guess from the police
officers that were involved or where did the mention of
a knife come from?

Speaker 9 (02:05:25):
Probably from the hospital that you presented with a stab wound.

Speaker 3 (02:05:31):
And you described that this stab wound went through the
left six to seven intercostal space correct, yes, And you
described that as being the space between the ribs.

Speaker 9 (02:05:42):
Correct.

Speaker 3 (02:05:43):
And as you went through and gave us a list
of your findings, you described also an injury under section B,
which was an old bruise. Is that fair to say?

Speaker 15 (02:05:55):
Yes?

Speaker 3 (02:05:55):
And then under section see a number of other scattered
bruises of indeterminate age. Is that also fair to say?

Speaker 9 (02:06:02):
Correct?

Speaker 3 (02:06:04):
Now, as part of your report, you said that the
wound itself was an estimated two and a half to
three and a half inches deep, correct.

Speaker 9 (02:06:14):
Yes?

Speaker 3 (02:06:14):
Why is that an estimated number?

Speaker 9 (02:06:18):
Because the heart and the body can move, and so
if a person's leaning forward or laying back, there can
be some movement of the heart, and so we can't
give an exact precise depth. Plus, if it goes into
the heart cavity, we don't know how deeply it went
into the cavity. Didn't go through the heart, through the

(02:06:38):
whole heart, but it went through the wall. So we
give an estimate. That's typical.

Speaker 3 (02:06:44):
So based on a position, the person's body position when
the wound is suffered. Fair to say the stab wound
could have been two and a half inches deep, could
have been three and a half inches deep.

Speaker 9 (02:06:57):
It's it within that range. Correct.

Speaker 3 (02:07:00):
You didn't note any other fractures correct, Correct. You didn't
note any other puncture wounds correct.

Speaker 9 (02:07:05):
Correct.

Speaker 3 (02:07:06):
So this single stab wound that you've described to us,
in your opinion, was both the only wound and the
wound that led to his death.

Speaker 9 (02:07:17):
It was the only fatal injury.

Speaker 3 (02:07:18):
Yes, other than what you've described as being old, unrelated
bruises of indeterminate nature.

Speaker 9 (02:07:24):
Is that there to say the bruising, Yeah, that played
no role in his death.

Speaker 3 (02:07:28):
You also told us that you had ordered what was
your standard specimen of testing for toxicology reports correct, Yes,
and that included a toxicology for alcohol correct Correct? And
did you tell us that the blood alcohol of the
deceased was a point two.

Speaker 9 (02:07:50):
Correct?

Speaker 3 (02:07:52):
Did that have any bearing on your findings in this case?

Speaker 9 (02:07:57):
It played no physiologic role in his death. You would
have died from this stab injury whether or not yet
alcohol in his system.

Speaker 3 (02:08:07):
And doctor Gil, you've been called here today to tell
us what you witnessed and observed as it relates to
this autopsy. Correct. Yes, and you've done that to the
best of your ability. Yes, But if this jury is
interested in knowing why mister Valley did what he did
that night, you can't tell us anything that would help them,

(02:08:30):
can you?

Speaker 11 (02:08:31):
No?

Speaker 1 (02:08:32):
Thank you nothing further, thank you, Tourny Messina.

Speaker 11 (02:08:35):
Just have a questioning, doctor Gil.

Speaker 16 (02:08:37):
You had indicated on direct examination that you and your.

Speaker 11 (02:08:41):
Key determined that the fatal injury cause body is James McGrath.

Speaker 16 (02:08:44):
Was a stab wound. Correct, Yes, okay, and I know
you had indicated earlier. But how many approssed me? How
many post warm examinations have you conducted or overseen where
the cause was a stab wound?

Speaker 3 (02:08:57):
Your camerer, I believe this is outside the scope of
micross examination.

Speaker 1 (02:09:01):
Okay, So you did question the witness regarding other causes.

Speaker 10 (02:09:06):
All over.

Speaker 9 (02:09:10):
Many, many dozens, but some of those involved, for example,
in one person, maybe eighty stab wounds. So yeah, I've
seen hundreds and thousands of stab wounds.

Speaker 16 (02:09:22):
In those cases where you've determined it to be a knife,
have those injuries been very similarly situated to what you
saw on the body of Dane McGrath. Yes, And you
had indicated on cross examination regarding the difference between a
knife perforation versus let's say a glass perforation. What would
be the difference there.

Speaker 9 (02:09:41):
A glass because it's more irregular shaped, you get an
irregular pattern and maybe more jagged. Usually it's not going
to have that depth. This was a very smooth edge,
straight edged, straight in wound. So that was caused by
something that's sharp, a long, narrow and that knife.

Speaker 16 (02:10:01):
You had testified on cross examination that you were able
to determine the positioning or how that knife went into
the body of James McGrath. Would you be able to
be with john would you be able to determine the
position of James McGrath at the time the stabbing took
place based on the injuries? No, I have no other question, Johnna,

(02:10:21):
thank you.

Speaker 1 (02:10:22):
Thank you for any additional cross. Thank you. All right,
you may step down.

Speaker 9 (02:10:26):
Thank you.

Speaker 1 (02:10:27):
Please watch your stuff as you if you don't mind
not take that EI. Thank you so much. Returning Exhibit
ten to mount O Clerk counselors. Appears to be a
good time to move into our lunch breaks for sure.
All right, so, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, we're
now going to take the lunch in recess. We will

(02:10:47):
be back in session at two pm, and you should
report back to the jury deliberations room so that we
can start promptly. Please remember the rules of the jury
conduct that I told you about in the beginning of
the case. As a coming back into the building. If
you leave for lunch, if you have to wait in
line for a security check, please be careful not to

(02:11:07):
position yourself near anyone who you've observed to be involved
in this case, including the attorneys and other court staff members.
They are instructed that they should not speak to you
or make any comment to about this case. Additionally, please
avoid speaking to anyone while you're in the building regarding
this case or otherwise. Okay, then you will be escorted
by the marshals. So thank you, have a good lunch

(02:11:29):
and we'll see you back into bring the jury in council.
Are we ready to proceed?

Speaker 9 (02:11:39):
Sure?

Speaker 1 (02:11:42):
Madame Clerk will please retrieve the jury. Thank you, welcome
back ladies and gentlemen. Council please stipulate the return of
all of our journeys. Stipulates you on all right, very good,
Thank you all our ladies and gentlemen of the jury.
We are ready to proceed. I'll ask the state to
call it's next week.

Speaker 2 (02:12:00):
Thank you say we call Sergeant Richard Bango to the stand.

Speaker 1 (02:12:03):
You good afternoon. Please take a step up into the stand.
Remain standing. Madam Clark will put you to thank you.

Speaker 11 (02:12:13):
Whose where's your right hand?

Speaker 7 (02:12:15):
Do you solemnly swear or solemnly and sincerely affirm as
the case may be, that the evidence you shall get
it concerning this case shall be the.

Speaker 10 (02:12:25):
So hope you got your penalty of perjury.

Speaker 6 (02:12:27):
I do.

Speaker 2 (02:12:28):
Thank you.

Speaker 8 (02:12:28):
Please see your full names, owing your last name, as
well as your badge number and business address.

Speaker 15 (02:12:34):
Sergeant Richard Bango b A N G O.

Speaker 28 (02:12:37):
Badge number S ten business addresses eighty five Wheeler Street.

Speaker 1 (02:12:43):
Thank you. You may be seated, certainly, Thank you, thank you.

Speaker 6 (02:12:50):
Uh, good afternoon, sir, good afternoon. Can you please tell
the ladies and gentlemen of the jury who you're currently
employed by the Show and Police Department And how long
have you been employed by the Show and Police.

Speaker 28 (02:12:59):
Department few months shy at twenty five years? And what
are your current what's your current title right now?

Speaker 9 (02:13:06):
I'm a patrol sergeant.

Speaker 2 (02:13:08):
And did you have to go through any training to
be a police officer?

Speaker 9 (02:13:11):
Yes? I was hired in two thousand where I went
to the police Academy.

Speaker 28 (02:13:15):
After graduating, I went to patrol in two thousand and
ten hours promoted to detective where I served in the
detective Barreau for fourteen years until it's promote de sergeant.

Speaker 2 (02:13:27):
And what kind of things did you invest in? What
kind of crimes did you investigate?

Speaker 28 (02:13:30):
That's detective and the Detective Barrow Mostly felonies for the
most part, things a little bit beyond what patrol can handle.

Speaker 6 (02:13:39):
I want to direct your attention to May fifteenth of
twenty twenty two. Were you working for the Shelton Police Department.

Speaker 1 (02:13:43):
On that day?

Speaker 9 (02:13:44):
Yes?

Speaker 2 (02:13:45):
In what capacity?

Speaker 9 (02:13:46):
I was a detective And as a.

Speaker 6 (02:13:48):
Detective in the Shelton Police Department, are you on call
twenty four hours a day?

Speaker 9 (02:13:53):
Yes?

Speaker 6 (02:13:54):
And did you have an occasion to be called to
forty three Laurel Glenn on that day?

Speaker 9 (02:14:00):
Yes?

Speaker 2 (02:14:01):
And can you please describe the circumstances surround and you're
responding to forty three Laurel Glen.

Speaker 28 (02:14:06):
I got to call little after midnight. I believe it
was the fifteenth of May. I got to call a
little after midnight. I was asked to respond to forty
three Laurel Glen. I was told that four persons were stabbed,
one potent, potentially fatal. I did respond off duty. Upon arrival,

(02:14:27):
I was briefed by the ptrol sergeant or what occurred.
It was a very hectic scene. There was dozens of
juveniles party attendees running around. The yard was already cordoned
off a police tape. There was clothing and random items
scattered across the yard. There was also patrol in guarding

(02:14:51):
the yard to make sure that that that area of
state secured.

Speaker 6 (02:14:58):
Now I want to direct your attention to it's one
that's behind you. Is that you see the house with
the red circle on it? Is that the area that
you responded to on May fifteenth and twenty twenty two.

Speaker 4 (02:15:09):
Yes, what time did you arrive at the scene.

Speaker 9 (02:15:12):
I can't give you the exact time.

Speaker 28 (02:15:13):
It was somewhere shortly after midnight, maybe twelve thirty, so
I got to call it rted around midnight and.

Speaker 4 (02:15:19):
Showing you States Exhibit two.

Speaker 2 (02:15:21):
Is that the home that you responded to on May
fifteenth and twenty twenty two?

Speaker 9 (02:15:27):
Yes?

Speaker 2 (02:15:27):
And what were the lighting conditions like that that night?

Speaker 9 (02:15:31):
It was dark? It was dark in the yard. The
most of the light that we had was illuminated through
What we illuminated was pitch.

Speaker 5 (02:15:38):
Black, though not pitch black.

Speaker 2 (02:15:40):
Could you see yes?

Speaker 4 (02:15:42):
Yes, Yes, show you States exhibits.

Speaker 2 (02:15:50):
You had mentioned just now in your testimony that you
when you arrive for some debris in the in the yard.

Speaker 9 (02:15:57):
Yes.

Speaker 4 (02:15:57):
Is this the debris you were referring to?

Speaker 3 (02:16:00):
Yes?

Speaker 2 (02:16:01):
And who taped off the yard that was cordoned off
before I arrived.

Speaker 6 (02:16:08):
Why would the Shelton Police Department tape off a certain
section of an area?

Speaker 9 (02:16:12):
What would be the purpose of that?

Speaker 28 (02:16:14):
Well, those items there is potential evidence, so to cording
it off, we don't want all the witnesses or the
attendees to walk through it and trample the evidence.

Speaker 6 (02:16:22):
And when you got to the scene, what was your
main purpose when you got to the scene initially.

Speaker 28 (02:16:31):
After finding out what occurred or what would you know
what the other Shelm Police Department members found out. I
was trying to locate witnesses of what occurred.

Speaker 6 (02:16:42):
And with regards to the the items of you you
determined those of the evidentiary value potentially, yes, you know
if those items were seized from the lawn.

Speaker 9 (02:16:53):
Yes they were. So the night of photographs were taken
where they lied in the dark.

Speaker 28 (02:16:59):
They stayed that way till morning until Detective Nugene arrived
to assist me. He took daytime photos and after taking
the daytime photos, he seized everything in the art.

Speaker 2 (02:17:08):
May have a moment, please.

Speaker 6 (02:17:12):
If there's no objection off of these full exhibits at
this time, it's no sectionally questioning.

Speaker 1 (02:17:16):
Okay, So let me just take a look at them
and refer to them. Please. I have twenty one. Is
that what it numbers? US twenty two? Okay, So I'll
just note for the record that State Exhibits twenty one
through twenty nine have been shown to Defense Council. Defense

(02:17:36):
Council has no objection at this time to these particular
exhibits being marked as evidence as for ID only a
councilor for full full Well, all right, Cort'll take the
exhibits and as full exhibits at this time though, thank you.
Are they marked? Are they marked appropriately?

Speaker 23 (02:17:56):
All right?

Speaker 1 (02:17:57):
So let's let's get them marked us full and then
we'll move forward.

Speaker 2 (02:17:59):
Thank you, Sergeant Bango.

Speaker 6 (02:18:02):
With regards to the pictures that that were taken in
this case, specifically, what did you take these pictures?

Speaker 4 (02:18:13):
I did, and what would be the purpose in taking
in taking pictures.

Speaker 2 (02:18:16):
Of the scene when you're.

Speaker 9 (02:18:19):
Illustrate where everything was before it was seized.

Speaker 6 (02:18:22):
And you have information as to whether or not the
items that were on the front lawn were in fact
subsequently seized, Uh, subsequently to this picture being taken.

Speaker 9 (02:18:32):
It was seized that morning.

Speaker 6 (02:18:34):
Okay, so the pictures were taken then it was seized, Yes,
pictures were taken first. And when when items of evidentiary
value are seized by the Shelton Police Department, can you
just speak to how what is done to I guess
establish some type of chain of custods and how you
take it into evidence.

Speaker 28 (02:18:50):
So we would first take a photograph of where it
lies undisturbed. Like I said, it was protected all night.
After their photo.

Speaker 9 (02:19:02):
They would be. You know, you'd put.

Speaker 28 (02:19:04):
Gloves on and you would put them in an evidence
bag and seal it. You would date and time exactly
what time you seized it, and then you would ever
enter it into evidence at the police department.

Speaker 2 (02:19:13):
And show you what's been marked the states Exhibit twenty one.
It's the market to fully exhibit. Do you recognize this?

Speaker 9 (02:19:20):
Yes? I do? And what is uh?

Speaker 2 (02:19:22):
What is Stage twenty one.

Speaker 28 (02:19:24):
That's a shirt that was seized in the yard that morning.

Speaker 2 (02:19:27):
And obviously this is a picture of the of what
was seized, not at the yard. This picture wasn't taken
out the yard.

Speaker 9 (02:19:34):
That picture was not.

Speaker 28 (02:19:35):
No, I'm sorry, that was taking after the fact at
the police department.

Speaker 2 (02:19:40):
I'm in my approach on her showing your States twenty two.
You recognize States twenty two?

Speaker 6 (02:19:50):
I do?

Speaker 2 (02:19:51):
What is States twenty two?

Speaker 9 (02:19:52):
That's the shirt that's illustrated in the picture.

Speaker 6 (02:19:55):
And this was the shirt that was seized from the
front yard of forty three blow len on May fifty came.

Speaker 2 (02:20:00):
For twenty twenty two. Yes, it was you are I
would ask if it's.

Speaker 6 (02:20:04):
Appropriate, if you are, allow the witness to open the
bag and reveal its contents.

Speaker 1 (02:20:08):
Part Sir you can open the bag reveal the contents.
I do see that you have gloves available for your use,
So that's fine if you feel comfortable, go right ahead.

Speaker 2 (02:20:16):
Oh with regardless of this particular piece of evidence that
was seas from the front of forty three law Land,
why why was this seas you have? Is there anything
on this piece.

Speaker 6 (02:20:27):
Of evidence that would I would indicate some type of
disruption in the fabric.

Speaker 1 (02:20:33):
Yes, there's a defect in the shirt, Council, are you
able to see yes, sir, you can feel free to
relocate if you want.

Speaker 3 (02:20:40):
Thank you.

Speaker 2 (02:20:41):
And the shirt and the lower west side a great, yeah.
Can you can kind of have to hold up so
right to the left side of the shirt. It's like
mid would be mid towards all potentially.

Speaker 6 (02:20:57):
Yes, I'm to show you what's been marked to states
and Exhibit twenty three.

Speaker 2 (02:21:01):
A full exhibit.

Speaker 6 (02:21:04):
Again this was Is this a T shirt that was
seized from the front yard of forty three Laurel Glene.

Speaker 4 (02:21:09):
Yes, it was, and again was seized during the in the.

Speaker 6 (02:21:14):
Normal course of packaging how you would package items of
evidentiary value.

Speaker 9 (02:21:19):
Yes, it was.

Speaker 28 (02:21:19):
It was seized, photographed before it was seized and putting
that bag and then later at the police department was
photographed again.

Speaker 2 (02:21:26):
And when things go back to the police department, how
are things secured?

Speaker 29 (02:21:29):
Is?

Speaker 2 (02:21:30):
Does anybody have access to your evidence now.

Speaker 17 (02:21:32):
To show you States twenty four it's remarked as a
full exhibit again with these items.

Speaker 6 (02:21:37):
That were seized from the area of the yard of
forty three Laurel Line. Yes, and with these seas again
in the same manner in which the previous two exhibits
that we just spoke about were seized by the show
and police department.

Speaker 2 (02:21:50):
Yes, I show you who States twenty five.

Speaker 6 (02:21:58):
These items in States twenty five items that were also
seized from the front yard of forty three Laurel Blent.

Speaker 9 (02:22:04):
Yes.

Speaker 15 (02:22:07):
And I'm gonna shure your State's twenty six.

Speaker 2 (02:22:11):
Does this appear to be the same.

Speaker 6 (02:22:14):
Sweatshirt and T shirt just maybe flipped over from States
twenty five? Yes, in State's twenty seven again the same
T shirt and sweatshirt.

Speaker 9 (02:22:26):
Yes.

Speaker 2 (02:22:27):
Now I want to direct your attention.

Speaker 30 (02:22:29):
To to this area here where you see this the
individual who took the picture as.

Speaker 2 (02:22:37):
From their hands here. Can you see whether or not
there are defects in the clothing there?

Speaker 9 (02:22:43):
Yes?

Speaker 2 (02:22:45):
And be for the records.

Speaker 24 (02:22:48):
I'm pointing to what appears to be a defect in
a black shirt where the individual who has a black
love vines a middle finger just north of the middle
finger there, and there's also a defect on the green
fabric just north of the index finger of the person's

(02:23:09):
loved hand.

Speaker 1 (02:23:09):
In the picture a quarto like the record reflect same.

Speaker 6 (02:23:15):
Stage twenty eight. That would be a picture of the
same black T shirt that was in States twenty seven.

Speaker 2 (02:23:24):
Yes, and that's just an upplost picture of the defect
in that t shirt. Yes, in State's twenty nine.

Speaker 6 (02:23:33):
Again a close picture of the green sweatshirt that was
in State twenty six.

Speaker 15 (02:23:40):
I believed again the defect in the shirts.

Speaker 6 (02:23:44):
Yes, Now, when you got to the scene, he said
that you were You were there to investigate stabbing that
had occurred.

Speaker 4 (02:23:54):
What things did you do that night when you got there?

Speaker 28 (02:24:00):
So that night myself and other members of the shot
and Police department interviewed witnesses attendees of that party.

Speaker 2 (02:24:07):
Now, when you interviewed these witnesses, let me take you back.

Speaker 4 (02:24:11):
When you got there, what was the scene like?

Speaker 9 (02:24:13):
It was very hectic.

Speaker 28 (02:24:15):
There was dozens of kids running around, their parents showing
up looking for him, hard to keep everybody, kind of
trying to keep them off the yard, trying to ascertain
who saw what, who was at the party, if.

Speaker 9 (02:24:31):
Anyone arrived afterwards.

Speaker 28 (02:24:33):
So we did our best to try to speak with
everybody there.

Speaker 6 (02:24:37):
Did you have it when you and you spoke to
many witnesses there, Yes, And when you spoke to the
witnesses there, did you have any indication that alcohol may.

Speaker 2 (02:24:46):
Have been pressed?

Speaker 28 (02:24:46):
Yes, so that there was a bottle. I believe it
was a bottle of whiskey, if memory serves in the yard. Also,
upon speaking, a.

Speaker 9 (02:24:54):
Lot of the juveniles that appeared they were drinking. I didn't.

Speaker 28 (02:24:58):
I didn't feel sobriety anybody, but I was more concentrated
on the stabbing.

Speaker 9 (02:25:03):
But it appeared they were drinking.

Speaker 6 (02:25:05):
And prior to you interviewing any witnesses at the scene,
did the Shell Police Department have body worn camera.

Speaker 28 (02:25:13):
At that So this was right at the time, just
before the body worn cameras was mandated by the state,
and they were just coming into our department. So even
though we had them, they weren't issued to all the
members of the department. They were equipped in a few
cars and a few of the administration had them where
we can use them if we needed an interview or
something like that.

Speaker 6 (02:25:33):
And did you in fact use any body worn camera
when you interviewed witnesses in connection to this case?

Speaker 28 (02:25:37):
In this case, yes, that night. No, I didn't have
one assigned to me at that point, so I would
have to use only audio.

Speaker 21 (02:25:45):
Okay.

Speaker 6 (02:25:45):
So how many interviews would you say that you conducted
that night when you got to the scene.

Speaker 28 (02:25:50):
Me personally or all of us you personally? First, me
personally that night, two and collectively?

Speaker 9 (02:26:00):
Many of these interviews did you say you dozens? Me personally?

Speaker 6 (02:26:04):
And based on your interviews of those witnesses, what if
anything did you do next?

Speaker 28 (02:26:13):
So I interviewed a witness at the scene. I believe
your name was a Rica Fila. After interviewing him and
his mother, we ascertained that just prior to the incident,
a Honda pilot arrived on scene with a group of
Saint Joe's kids. Also, after the incident, they fled in

(02:26:36):
that car, so we were able to get the occupants
of that car. From that point, we went and interviewed
a Mackenzie Treficante, who was also an occupant in the car.
After members of the police department, spoke with everybody else there,
and I spoke with those two witnesses. We developed Reul

(02:26:57):
Valley as a suspect.

Speaker 4 (02:26:59):
And is mister Valley in court today?

Speaker 9 (02:27:02):
He is?

Speaker 2 (02:27:02):
And what is he wearing?

Speaker 9 (02:27:03):
He's wearing a blue jacket.

Speaker 2 (02:27:05):
And can you put him out for the court?

Speaker 9 (02:27:07):
I can't, He's sitting right there.

Speaker 2 (02:27:09):
Made the record reflect the witnesses identified the defendant in
this case?

Speaker 1 (02:27:12):
Or let the record reflect that the witnesses identified mister.

Speaker 6 (02:27:15):
Rayel Valley as the Thank you now, based on your
interviews and your development of suspect and identified a suspect vehicle.

Speaker 2 (02:27:26):
What efforts did you take at the scene prior to
leaving the scene.

Speaker 28 (02:27:31):
So before we left the scene, we knew that a
knife was used in the stabbing. We did look for
the knife an exterior property of forty three Laurel g
Land and the road and the surrounding roads very difficult
that night.

Speaker 9 (02:27:43):
It was dark, there was a lot.

Speaker 28 (02:27:44):
Of people around, and we didn't have any information exactly
where the knife was at that point, but we did
look with our flashlights, with our car spotlights. That carried
on into the next day. Moving fast forward, we had
two State police cadaver dogs arrive in the daylight, and
they searched the entire area, the surrounding streets, the property

(02:28:07):
with members of a police department looking for the knife.

Speaker 6 (02:28:09):
And if I direct your attention to States one, can
you indicate on States one where the general area you
conducted the initial search for the knife you just described.

Speaker 28 (02:28:18):
So here's the property with the front yard. We started here,
but we actually looked all.

Speaker 15 (02:28:24):
Up and down the roads.

Speaker 2 (02:28:28):
This entire area.

Speaker 28 (02:28:30):
We also did a neighborhood canvas and spoke to all
the neighbors. One did you see a knife? And number two,
if you do find a knife, please not touch it
and call us.

Speaker 6 (02:28:39):
Okay, now, you, if the record can reflect, the witness
has indicated on States one the area including all of
Adam's Drive, all of Laurel Blend to Farmhouse Lane and
up the Farmhouse Lane in that general area.

Speaker 1 (02:28:52):
Any dispute with that summary, Attorney Smith, No, you're on
an object.

Speaker 16 (02:28:57):
Thank you.

Speaker 6 (02:28:58):
Now, after you did the initial search that night and
the next day for a knife, what did you do next?

Speaker 28 (02:29:09):
Well, after we did our interviews that night, the sun
was coming up.

Speaker 22 (02:29:16):
I interviewed, I interviewed.

Speaker 28 (02:29:20):
Tom and Charlie Connery at their residence with their parents present.
After that interview, we were able to develop probable calls
for an arrest warrant for our Valley, and rest warrant
applied for and signed it was it was applied for
that following Monday, and.

Speaker 6 (02:29:39):
Contemporaneous with the signing of the arrest warrant, were able
to locate the Honda pilot that was the subject of
your interviews.

Speaker 9 (02:29:47):
So we were so that night. If I can back
up a few of the steps we took. After we we.

Speaker 28 (02:29:55):
Knew who the occupants of the pilot were. We went
to Milford and we had a tempted to speak with
mister Valley, but nobody was so known answered the door.
So then we went to another occupants residence, Tyler de Silva.
When we arrived there, we were unable to speak with him. Also,
we reached out to the driver of the pilot, Jack Schneider,

(02:30:16):
we were unable to speak with him. So then we
went back to mister Valley's house and still no answer.
I obtained his cell phone number and I called him
numerous times. I wasn't able to get a hold of him.
So we moved down with the investigation. The next day,
we sent Norwalk Police Department out to Jack Schneider's residence

(02:30:39):
and asked if they can locate the car. When they arrived,
it was there, so requested they toe it and they
towed it back to our secured sally port at the
Shelton Police Department.

Speaker 2 (02:30:50):
I have my first States thirty and thirty three. I
don't there was an objection, full exhibit, no objection.

Speaker 1 (02:30:59):
John had the opportunity to take a look at them.
Attorneys mean, I did you a very good so court,
we'll go ahead and allow and as full exhibits with
no objection thirty through thirty three. I'll be happy to
stay probably marked as full. No idea. We'll just hand
it back to Madame Clark.

Speaker 15 (02:31:15):
Thank you.

Speaker 6 (02:31:17):
Now, when you were able to secure the Honda Pilot
that was the subject of the investigation, you said you.

Speaker 2 (02:31:23):
Secured it in the Sally Court.

Speaker 9 (02:31:24):
Yes, and uh do you know what pictures were taking?

Speaker 28 (02:31:27):
Yes, Well, we applied for a search warrant. First one
was granted. Then once we executed that search warrant days later,
we took photographs the interior and exterior of the pilot.

Speaker 6 (02:31:37):
Show you State's Exhibit thirty. That's remarked as a full exhibit.
You recognize States thirty, I.

Speaker 9 (02:31:43):
Do what is States thirty that's the Honda pilot.

Speaker 6 (02:31:48):
And what is the purpose of taking pictures of the
of the exterior and interior of the more vehicle that.

Speaker 28 (02:31:55):
Sees want to show that the condition was in when
we seized.

Speaker 2 (02:31:58):
It and showing your State's thirty one Again, what is
States thirty one?

Speaker 9 (02:32:05):
It's a picture of the windshield of the pilot.

Speaker 2 (02:32:07):
Showing the defect of the windshield. Yes, State's thirty two.

Speaker 9 (02:32:13):
Picture of what is this? It's the interior of the pilot.

Speaker 2 (02:32:17):
What would be the purpose of showing taking pictures of
the interior pilot?

Speaker 28 (02:32:21):
Well, the state of it wasn't we took it, and
if we were going to seize any evidence, the state
of the evidence of would been.

Speaker 17 (02:32:26):
This would have been taken prior to any seizure of
any evidents. Yes, State's thirty three. This is the obviously
the driver's side again picture of.

Speaker 9 (02:32:36):
Yes.

Speaker 6 (02:32:38):
Now, once you were able to seize the pilot and
apply for a search warrant and execute a search warrant,
you unicated prior to your testimony that you were able to.

Speaker 2 (02:32:48):
Secure and arrest warrant for the defendant.

Speaker 6 (02:32:50):
Yes, can you tell a ladies and gentlemen the jury,
what steps that you took after that arrest warrant was signed?

Speaker 2 (02:32:55):
What steps you took to execute that warrant?

Speaker 9 (02:32:59):
After we see here the arrest warrant. I believe it
was the Tuesday of the eighteenth.

Speaker 28 (02:33:04):
We spent the day into the night searching for mister Valley.
We were unable to locate him. We reached out to
both his parents, but they were uncooperative and helping us
locate them. It turned into the following day. We could
not locate him until about three in the morning. He
turned himself into the Shot And Police department.

Speaker 6 (02:33:28):
And when he turned himself into the Shell Police department,
was any what was done as part of the booking
booking process of the defendant.

Speaker 28 (02:33:36):
Well, the standard booking process, and we took you know,
you know, the booking photos. But I believe it was
a Lieutenant mcpatten who was on scene when he turned
himself in. He took photos of mister Valley because he
had some apparent injuries on him.

Speaker 1 (02:33:51):
No chuching you on, Cord'll let the record reflect that
defense counsel was shown own exhibits thirty four, thirty five,
thirty six, thirty seven, thirty eight, forty nine, forty forty one,
forty two, and forty three, all of which are photographs.

(02:34:13):
Indicated no objection, and again that's no objection to those
exhibits coming in as full exhibits.

Speaker 6 (02:34:19):
Council correct, thank you so indicated that pictures of the
defendant were taken some seventy two hours after the incident
when he turned himself in on May eighteenth.

Speaker 4 (02:34:29):
Yes, okay, I'm going to show you what's been.

Speaker 2 (02:34:31):
Market hibit thirty four as a full exhibit. Do you
recognize thirty four? I do? And what is thirty four?

Speaker 28 (02:34:40):
That's a picture of row Valley at the time of booking.

Speaker 2 (02:34:44):
One of twenty twenty two. Yes, state's thirty five Again,
what a States thirty five?

Speaker 9 (02:34:51):
Show a picture of ROWL Valley on that date.

Speaker 20 (02:34:57):
States thirty six.

Speaker 28 (02:34:59):
Same, a little closer. I could see some marks up
there near his forehead light marks.

Speaker 2 (02:35:08):
Stage thirty seven.

Speaker 9 (02:35:10):
That's the back of Raoul Velly's head, Raoul Valley's head.

Speaker 2 (02:35:14):
Did it appear to be any injuries to the back
of his head?

Speaker 9 (02:35:20):
I can't see anything from here.

Speaker 11 (02:35:22):
Stage thirty eight.

Speaker 2 (02:35:26):
Show you that's the back of his.

Speaker 28 (02:35:27):
Head again, I from here at this angle, I maybe
a little bit of redness under the hairline.

Speaker 2 (02:35:36):
Stage thirty nine.

Speaker 28 (02:35:40):
That's mister Valley's right arm. There seems to be some
light scratch marks.

Speaker 2 (02:35:45):
Stage forty needs to be a older wound.

Speaker 9 (02:35:50):
It does appear that that's his right hand. It appears
that it looks like it's scabbed over a little bit.

Speaker 2 (02:35:56):
Stage forty one. Left hand, that's.

Speaker 9 (02:35:59):
His left hand, is grape on his palm.

Speaker 2 (02:36:02):
Stage forty two. Any markings on his hand?

Speaker 28 (02:36:07):
There some light marks on his outer wrist. That's really
all I can see there.

Speaker 2 (02:36:15):
Again, this is his left hand.

Speaker 9 (02:36:18):
Any markings there, I can't see him now.

Speaker 6 (02:36:21):
Once the defendant turned himself in on the eighteenth, so
went to the arrestaurant that you had secured.

Speaker 2 (02:36:27):
Did the investigation stop there? No? No?

Speaker 6 (02:36:30):
Can you please tell the ladies and gentlemen the jury,
what if anything you did after that point in time.

Speaker 28 (02:36:36):
So myself and members of Detective Bar located every attendee
to that party and the party that was connected to
this at Lazybrook, interviewed all of them, some of them
multiple times. At this point I did have a body
worn camera, so most of them were interviewed on video. Yeah,

(02:36:56):
so we interviewed everybody there at that point just to
strength in the.

Speaker 9 (02:37:01):
Case and.

Speaker 6 (02:37:03):
If anything did you glean not what people said, but what,
if anything did you glean from those interviews with regards
to the connection to Lazybrook Road and maybe the entire
street of Laurel Glenn.

Speaker 28 (02:37:17):
Well, we learned that there was a fight that preceded
this incident at Laurel Glenn at five Lazybrook that was
predominantly a Saint Joe's graduation party.

Speaker 9 (02:37:25):
A fight occurred there.

Speaker 28 (02:37:29):
Where members were attendees of that party got into the
Honda Pilot and arrived at Laurel Glenn approximately Well, there
was seven people in the car, including mister Valley. So
during the investigation, we had a concurrent investigation into the
Lazybrook party.

Speaker 2 (02:37:49):
Yeah, so did you interview anybody from Lazybrook party?

Speaker 9 (02:37:52):
Yes, everybody, And subject to.

Speaker 6 (02:37:53):
That interview we're able to secure any type of video
evidence from that party.

Speaker 9 (02:37:57):
Yes.

Speaker 28 (02:37:59):
After interviewing the attendees at that party, we secured a
video of fight that occurred in the garage of that
party in the driveway, I believe from Isabelle Momar that
was seized and taken into evidence. Also during the investigation,
speaking of videos, we secured a video from the fight

(02:38:20):
from the incident that occurred in the lawn at forty
three Laurel Glen that I believe we seized from Tanner
Rakowski that was seeds in evidence.

Speaker 9 (02:38:29):
Also, speaking of videos, we were.

Speaker 28 (02:38:35):
Also able to secure videos on the street from ring
cameras and dashboard cams from the night of the incident
at forty three Laurel Glen. Starting with Laurel Glenn, there
was a ring camera right in the driveway above the
garage that would have.

Speaker 9 (02:38:52):
Caught the entire incident.

Speaker 28 (02:38:54):
Unfortunately, it only captured live video, not recorded with the ring.
You have to pay a ser and if you don't,
you can only watch it live.

Speaker 9 (02:39:01):
You can't retrieve it.

Speaker 28 (02:39:03):
We retrieved other ring videos from the street right across
the street from farmhouse, but they did not yield a
lot of information. They weren't very helpful. We did obtain
a video from thirty six Laurel Glenn.

Speaker 2 (02:39:17):
Directing your attention to State's Exhibit one.

Speaker 6 (02:39:20):
Can you please tell us on State's Exhibit one where
thirty six Laurel Glen would be located.

Speaker 2 (02:39:26):
Thirty six I believe is this one here? I believe
it's that one there? And why was thirty six Laurel
Glenn important?

Speaker 28 (02:39:38):
So during the investigation, we learned after the Lazybrook party
or the Lazybrook incident, the Saint Joe's kids got into
the Honda pilot and they arrived at forty three Laurel
Glen and an incident incurred in the street or an altercation,
So the Honda pilot drove off down the road in

(02:39:58):
the area of thirty six at the first incident or
the first altercation between the Saint Joe's students and the
Shelton High students. Upon securing that video from the homeowner
I believe his name was Ken Tuttle, we were able
to find the hont A pilot pulling up from the
direction of Laurel Glenn and stopping right in front of
his house.

Speaker 31 (02:40:19):
And I may approach the witness your owners, showing you
what's been marked as States exhibited forty four identification purposes.

Speaker 2 (02:40:30):
Do you recognize States forty four?

Speaker 9 (02:40:32):
Yes?

Speaker 2 (02:40:33):
And what is States forty four?

Speaker 9 (02:40:34):
That's a video of the thirty six Laurel Glenn rink camera.

Speaker 6 (02:40:38):
Is this the same videos that you seized from Ken
Tuttle pursuing to this investigation.

Speaker 28 (02:40:45):
I didn't personally, but yes, I've seen it before.

Speaker 2 (02:40:48):
And are the videos on this have you? Have you
viewed this prior to today's testimony?

Speaker 9 (02:40:52):
Yes, I have?

Speaker 6 (02:40:53):
And do These videos contain two videos from different angles
of what occurred.

Speaker 2 (02:40:58):
Just prior to and just after the incident that occurred
at forty three Laurel Glene.

Speaker 9 (02:41:03):
Yes, they do.

Speaker 2 (02:41:04):
State would offer this is a full exhibit.

Speaker 1 (02:41:06):
Tony Smith and rejection. Okay, So with no objection, court
will go ahead and entry into evidence states full. I
believe you said four forty four. Thank you.

Speaker 6 (02:41:21):
You viewed this prior to today's testimony. I have, and
you briefly tell the ladies and gentlemen of.

Speaker 2 (02:41:25):
The jury and I want to publish this with the
permission of the court.

Speaker 28 (02:41:29):
But what we're about to watch, if you can so,
these are two angles of a rim camera, one from
the door and one from another front of the house
that shows directly into the street. When you watch it,
you see from left to right, the Honda pilot will
pull up and stop directly in front of thirty six
Laurel Glenn. A bunch of people get out. This first

(02:41:51):
video is right around eleven forty, so this is before
the incident at forty three occurred. We asked the homeowner,
mister Huddle, of this video is in real time, and
he said it was. The kids get out and while
they're standing out of the car, a bunch of people
come running up from Laurel Glenn. There's an interaction and argument.

(02:42:14):
You can hear people yelling at exactly what they said.
The Honda pilot then drives away and comes back. And
then there's a second video that occurred after the incident,
because the timeline occurs from our nine to one to
one calls and right when this was it was right
before midnight, where the Honda pilot again comes from the
same direction forty three, Laurel Glenn stops, a bunch of

(02:42:38):
people get out. Another car pulls up, and somebody gets
out and jumps in another car and they awfully.

Speaker 1 (02:42:47):
All right, with your permission, I'd like to publish the
jury all right, Why don't you go ahead and publish
states forty four.

Speaker 9 (02:43:00):
Video?

Speaker 2 (02:43:00):
Is this different angle of the same video.

Speaker 9 (02:43:02):
It's the same video, just a different angle.

Speaker 2 (02:43:04):
And there's no sound on this video.

Speaker 9 (02:43:06):
I don't believe so think sound awesome.

Speaker 6 (02:43:14):
And those two videos that we just watched, it was
around eleven forty pm on May fourteenth of.

Speaker 2 (02:43:19):
Twenty twenty two, Yes, so that would be shortly prior
to the incident that occurred down the street of forty
three Lare Old Line.

Speaker 9 (02:43:24):
Yes.

Speaker 2 (02:43:26):
Then the next two videos were about to watch happened
just after.

Speaker 6 (02:43:29):
Directly, and this last video is a different angle of
the same I believe, so the same uh footage.

Speaker 2 (02:43:42):
Again, the time on this is eleven fifty five.

Speaker 28 (02:43:44):
Yes, I believe our nine one wall came nine when
one call came in at about twenty three fifty eight
or something close to there, so that would collaborate the time.

Speaker 9 (02:43:54):
In the video.

Speaker 2 (02:43:56):
Now, were you able to any videos from across the
street from forty three lor Old one.

Speaker 9 (02:44:05):
Yeah, forty four we seized a video. Unfortunately, from the
distance to.

Speaker 28 (02:44:10):
The door to across the street, we can hear a
lot of people yelling, but you really can't see what's
going on. And the homeowner was actually watching what was
going on right in front of the camera, so we
got a better view of her back than anything else.

Speaker 4 (02:44:20):
So the homeowner was blocking.

Speaker 3 (02:44:22):
Yes.

Speaker 6 (02:44:22):
Yes, after you were able to secure video interview your
witnesses did the investigation in there?

Speaker 3 (02:44:33):
No?

Speaker 4 (02:44:33):
No, what if anything did you do?

Speaker 28 (02:44:37):
Over the next several months, we were in contact with
Tyler de Silva and Jack Schneider's attorneys, attempting to interview them.
When we were finally able to interview with them, we did,
this was now November of twenty twenty two. After interviewing them,

(02:44:58):
we received information, so we drove to the dead end
cul de sac portion of Adam's drive.

Speaker 2 (02:45:05):
What was your purpose in driving to the dead end
of Adam's.

Speaker 28 (02:45:09):
Drive to locate the knife that was used in that
incident on the fourteenth.

Speaker 2 (02:45:15):
And this was some six months after the incident.

Speaker 28 (02:45:17):
Approximately six months we actually went there our first time there.
We went there with Jack Schneider and his father.

Speaker 15 (02:45:25):
Let me first, sure, sure?

Speaker 6 (02:45:27):
Showing you it's been marked the state's exhibit forty five
for identification purposes.

Speaker 2 (02:45:32):
Do you recognize forty five?

Speaker 9 (02:45:34):
I do?

Speaker 2 (02:45:34):
What is forty five?

Speaker 9 (02:45:35):
This is the col de sac portion of Adam's drive.

Speaker 6 (02:45:38):
Showing you is this picture actually reflect what the cul
de sac of Adam's drive looked like at or near
the time of the incident?

Speaker 2 (02:45:49):
No, this this was six months later, six months later, Yes,
showing you forty six. Do you know recognize forty six?

Speaker 6 (02:45:56):
I do?

Speaker 4 (02:45:56):
And what is forty six?

Speaker 28 (02:45:57):
That's a picture of the woodline that's set for it's
Valley Road from Adam's Drive.

Speaker 6 (02:46:02):
And does this picture indicate what the cul de Sac
area of Adam Drive looked like on or around the
time you went back to Adams Drive six months later?

Speaker 9 (02:46:11):
No? What is this show?

Speaker 28 (02:46:12):
This shows a lot of the leaves are on the ground,
the ground is covered where you know it's it's November
at this point.

Speaker 2 (02:46:19):
So yeah, so this is six months after the incident.

Speaker 6 (02:46:21):
Yes, yes, And showing you State's exhibit forty seven, you
recognize forty seven?

Speaker 28 (02:46:26):
Yes, So this is the stream that runs in the
wooded area just behind there, in between Valley Drive and.

Speaker 9 (02:46:35):
And the end of Adam's Drive.

Speaker 2 (02:46:38):
I would offer these full exhibits.

Speaker 1 (02:46:40):
Runner, no objection, All right, no objection, cortill go ahead
and taken to Evan in States forty five, maybe six
and forty seven. Thank you, Thank you.

Speaker 2 (02:46:51):
Yah.

Speaker 6 (02:46:52):
Now, Sergeant Bango, directing your attention to States one, can
you just point to the area on States one where
the cult a sack of Adam's Drive would be, which
is the subject of your current testimony.

Speaker 2 (02:47:03):
Okay, this is not just to be flat.

Speaker 1 (02:47:07):
The witness is identifying what appears to be a circular
portion of the Adams Drive towards the top of the
photograph stantic towards the.

Speaker 2 (02:47:16):
Right, showing you forty five is remarked as the full exhibit.

Speaker 30 (02:47:21):
Again, is this the call de Sact that you drove
to after you were able to interview Jack Snyder and Twont.

Speaker 9 (02:47:26):
Silva, Yes it was, And.

Speaker 2 (02:47:32):
Showing you forty.

Speaker 30 (02:47:33):
Six again, is this the the area a little bit
closer view of the wooded area that you were directed
to investigate after those interviews.

Speaker 9 (02:47:44):
Yes, it was in forty seven.

Speaker 2 (02:47:47):
Again, this is the interior portion of that wooded area.

Speaker 9 (02:47:51):
Yes.

Speaker 6 (02:47:52):
Now, can you please tell the ladies and gentlemen of
the jury at that point in time and late November,
what efforts you took to locate the knife in this area.

Speaker 28 (02:48:03):
So that day, after the two interviews, while we were
with Jack Schneider, we searched for the knife that day.
We learned that day it's going to be very difficult
because now most of the leaves have fallen off the trees.
There's a stream running in between there. So after we
realized we weren't going to find it was late in
the day at that point too. We secured some canine

(02:48:25):
sniffing dogs and some metal detectors and we went back
early morning the next day and we searched all day
until we were running.

Speaker 9 (02:48:33):
Out of late.

Speaker 28 (02:48:35):
We unfortunately did not locate the knife. So we went back,
I believe three days later and did it again with
metal detectors, and we did not locate the knife. We
tried to narrow down where it would be in the woods.
We picked up a rock that we thought maybe would
weigh similar to a knife, and we threw it as

(02:48:55):
far as we can from the street at the dead
end portion and it would reached the stream. So that
kind of that wasn't good news. We talked to all
the neighbors on that portion at Adam's Drive. We asked
them if anybody had found a knife from May until
that point. They said they hadn't. You certainly asked him
if you did, please don't touch it and call us.

(02:49:16):
But unfortunately, at this point we have not found the knife.

Speaker 6 (02:49:20):
And after you took the efforts to attempt to locate
the knife used in this case, did the investigation continue
or did it end there?

Speaker 9 (02:49:32):
No, it continued.

Speaker 28 (02:49:34):
It slowed down at that point because we've interviewed everybody
from both parties, like I said, numerous times. But just
a month ago we went back with an aerial drone
with the West Haven Police Department and we took.

Speaker 9 (02:49:47):
Some aerial.

Speaker 28 (02:49:49):
Photographs and videos of the entire area. This is something
that we did during the investigation too, just not with
a drone. We actually went back once and we mapped
the scene the street to scale with a crime mapping
system called the Pharaoh with the approximate locations of where
people were from witness statements.

Speaker 9 (02:50:11):
And I also went back, but I.

Speaker 28 (02:50:14):
Believe it was Charlie Connery and we did a video
re enactment of the whole scene or where he said
people were standing and where everybody went.

Speaker 2 (02:50:21):
And with regards to the Pharaoh scan, he said that
it's a mapping system.

Speaker 28 (02:50:27):
It's a mapping system that can map points to scale
exactly the way you know it.

Speaker 2 (02:50:34):
So it's the general area of where, yes, where.

Speaker 9 (02:50:37):
The incident took place.

Speaker 28 (02:50:40):
And I believe we did the entire street from Adams
all the way to Formhouse.

Speaker 2 (02:50:43):
And with regards to the the drone footage, was that
done at our request. Yes, I don't think there's an
objection to any of this. But wis.

Speaker 3 (02:51:01):
No objections to these jo and I have reviewed them already.

Speaker 1 (02:51:03):
All right, let me just document the exhibit numbers on
the record then, so you have a clear record. So
with respect to State's Exhibit forty eight, there was no
objectional except into evidence full that appears to be a
disc or CD. And then additionally we have States Exhibits
forty nine, fifty and fifty one, which are photographs, and

(02:51:26):
is that fifty two there in your hand? N fifty two,
which appears to be a larger exhibit of depicting scenery.

Speaker 15 (02:51:35):
Thank you, thank you.

Speaker 1 (02:51:38):
I'll just have madam quote mark the mess well before you.
I'm sorry, it's okay, thank you.

Speaker 2 (02:51:43):
I'll show you what's mark is State's Exhibits forty nine.
You recognize forty nine?

Speaker 28 (02:51:52):
I do.

Speaker 9 (02:51:52):
That's an aerial photograph of forty three Laurel Glenn and.

Speaker 20 (02:51:59):
We press when this photograph was stated?

Speaker 9 (02:52:01):
Yes?

Speaker 15 (02:52:03):
About what time of year.

Speaker 5 (02:52:04):
Was this statement?

Speaker 9 (02:52:06):
End of May of this year? It was May nineteenth.

Speaker 28 (02:52:10):
I do remember the day twenty twenty five, Yes, I'm sorry.

Speaker 15 (02:52:13):
Yes, fifteen. A little bit closer view.

Speaker 9 (02:52:18):
Of forty three Laurel Glen yep.

Speaker 2 (02:52:23):
Fifty one A little bit closer view, yes, of the
area where they incident.

Speaker 28 (02:52:29):
So that area there is an arail of view of
where the incident took place and where we seize the items.

Speaker 15 (02:52:35):
And I'm gon show your states exhibited fifty two.

Speaker 2 (02:52:41):
It's just a blown up version of the close up
of the area where the incident took place.

Speaker 9 (02:52:46):
Yes, it is.

Speaker 2 (02:52:48):
Now with regards to the.

Speaker 4 (02:52:49):
Drone video, what was the purpose.

Speaker 2 (02:52:52):
Of taking this drone video?

Speaker 28 (02:52:54):
So the re enactment we conducted with Charlie Connery had
audio in it. We were talking to him and he
was explaining us what to happen. With discussions with the
state's attorney, they decided they wanted a video and photographs
with no audio in it.

Speaker 9 (02:53:10):
So we went and redid it there.

Speaker 4 (02:53:13):
And what we're about to see in this drone video.

Speaker 6 (02:53:16):
Is this Does this span the entire or the portion
of Laurel Glenn that was the subject of thirty six
Laurel Glenn. The video that we saw down low is
this encompass farmhouse road and up and down Laureld Glenn
from Adams to farmhouse.

Speaker 9 (02:53:30):
Yes, so that that house there to the right is
thirty six.

Speaker 1 (02:53:35):
Council. Before you move on, let me just let the
record reflect that we're publishing exhibit forty eight for yeah.

Speaker 9 (02:53:40):
Correct them.

Speaker 6 (02:53:42):
So at twenty four seconds, for the record, this house
right here appointing.

Speaker 2 (02:53:50):
To there, what would that be?

Speaker 9 (02:53:51):
That's thirty six Laurel Glenn.

Speaker 2 (02:53:52):
So that is the that is the house that's the
subject of States Exhibit forty four. Forty four.

Speaker 1 (02:54:01):
Yes, okay, if we could just identify which house it was.
There were two houses in the video, the Gray House,
so let let them play. I'm just trying. I just
want to make a clear rocker a council go back.

Speaker 9 (02:54:16):
Thank you.

Speaker 2 (02:54:18):
So I'm now pointing it's twenty four seconds into the
video you're on it's the Gray House on the right
portion of U of States forty eight. Uh walk the
better walkway that goes out to the world plane. The
driveway would be all outside of the Gray House.

Speaker 1 (02:54:37):
All right, thank you, thank you.

Speaker 12 (02:54:41):
And just for twenty four how was it that love
playing windows?

Speaker 2 (02:54:49):
That road that we're looking at now at fifty two seconds.

Speaker 9 (02:54:52):
Would be Farmhouse Road.

Speaker 2 (02:54:55):
So this this area here is looking back down towards
forty three Laurel Line. Yes, and the house to the
left here that gray house again is thirty six Laurel Lend.

Speaker 9 (02:55:04):
Yes it is.

Speaker 2 (02:55:05):
And the house to the right here.

Speaker 9 (02:55:08):
It's forty three. That would be forty three Laurel Glenn.

Speaker 6 (02:55:17):
Now when you went out there on May nineteenth of
twenty twenty five, were you asked by.

Speaker 2 (02:55:23):
Myself to do any measurements? Yes, to where forty three
Laurel Blend is in connection to thirty six world land
in farmhouse Rod.

Speaker 9 (02:55:32):
Yes, so we took a measurement.

Speaker 28 (02:55:36):
I don't remembers the exact number from the driveway of
forty three to the front doorway of thirty six I
believe was six hundred and forty feet forty seven, maybe
roughly about one and a half to two football fields.

Speaker 2 (02:55:50):
So with regards to the front of.

Speaker 6 (02:55:54):
Front of the driveway of forty three Laurel Glenn, if
you were to walk down to ords thirty six Laurel Blane,
it's about one and a half the two football fields.

Speaker 9 (02:56:04):
Yes, I just may have a moment.

Speaker 2 (02:56:09):
Ear I've never heard questions.

Speaker 1 (02:56:12):
Okay, cross examination?

Speaker 3 (02:56:14):
Yes, thank you, Yeah, I don't. Good afternoon, Detective bank O,
Good afternoon, throwing a beard since the last time we
saw each other. Yeah, I just want to go over
what you've been talking with us about today. You said

(02:56:36):
that you responded that evening after you received a call.
You got there, you think about twelve thirty in the morning,
approximately when you arrived. It was dark and most of
the illumination that you had was coming from your own lights. Correct.

Speaker 28 (02:56:49):
And I believe a light in the driveway at forty three.
I believe that light was working.

Speaker 9 (02:56:53):
Okay.

Speaker 3 (02:56:55):
Was there an ambulance still unseen at that point?

Speaker 9 (02:56:57):
I can't recall.

Speaker 3 (02:56:58):
Were there cars that were still parked in the road, Yes,
parked on both sides of the road. I believe so
the court owned off areas which you showed us before
in those photographs that included some cars that had been
parked in the driveway. Correct.

Speaker 2 (02:57:14):
I believe.

Speaker 3 (02:57:15):
So, However, the cars that were in the road that
area had not been court owned off. Is that fair
to say by the time you got there, you didn't
know if folks that were still unseene had arrived afterwards? Correct?

Speaker 9 (02:57:29):
No, I did not.

Speaker 3 (02:57:30):
You didn't know who might have left.

Speaker 5 (02:57:33):
Before you arrived.

Speaker 9 (02:57:34):
Is that fair to say at that point?

Speaker 3 (02:57:35):
No, So there wasn't anything being done at that point
to prevent people from leaving. Is that fair to say?

Speaker 28 (02:57:45):
No, the Patromo were instructed not to let people leave
until we spoke with them. We did have people show up,
mostly parents when they heard what was happening. But no,
if someone just says I want to leave, we wouldn't
let them leave until we spoke with them or at
least get there inform.

Speaker 3 (02:58:01):
But is it fair to say that you didn't have
any ability to keep track of everybody that was on
that scene and make sure that nobody leaked out.

Speaker 28 (02:58:08):
It's very possible someone could leaked out. It's impossible for
how many officers we had there and how many attendees
were there.

Speaker 3 (02:58:15):
And roughly or if you know specifically, how many attendees
did you ultimately determine were at that party?

Speaker 9 (02:58:22):
I don't have the exact number.

Speaker 3 (02:58:24):
Was it more than thirty?

Speaker 9 (02:58:26):
Yes?

Speaker 3 (02:58:27):
Was it more than forty?

Speaker 9 (02:58:28):
I don't recall. I don't have that number in my head.
We have it, but I don't recall the number.

Speaker 3 (02:58:34):
Could it have been as many as seventy five to
one hundred? I don't believe so something less than that. Yes, yes,
a large group? Fair to say? Yes, fair large group
and other than the parents that started to arrive while
you were on scene. How many adults were there at present,

(02:58:55):
not police.

Speaker 28 (02:58:55):
Officers when the incident occurred, or when I got there,
when you got there. When I got there, there were
a couple parents there, but they arrived after the incident,
namely in Rico Fiola's mom, because I interviewed him in
the presence of her. I was told there was some
other parents there too. I'm not sure exactly which ones.

Speaker 3 (02:59:16):
You learned at the time of the party, however, that
there were almost no adults present.

Speaker 2 (02:59:20):
Is that fair to say?

Speaker 3 (02:59:21):
Yes, no parents that were there at least correct? Yes,
there were some juveniles you've described correct, Yes, However there
were also some attendees who were over the age of eighteen.
Were they're not?

Speaker 9 (02:59:32):
Yes?

Speaker 3 (02:59:35):
And you mentioned to us the conditions that night. You
described that it was dark. Was it also rainy?

Speaker 9 (02:59:42):
I don't recall, misty it could have been missing.

Speaker 3 (02:59:46):
Do you remember whether or not the grass was wet?

Speaker 1 (02:59:48):
I do not.

Speaker 3 (02:59:49):
It's the roadway damp.

Speaker 9 (02:59:50):
Yes.

Speaker 3 (02:59:52):
Did you have your wipers on while you were driving
to the scene.

Speaker 9 (02:59:54):
I don't recall. It was three years ago, I.

Speaker 3 (02:59:58):
Understand and described to us that before you arrived the
scene had already been court uned off in secure it.

Speaker 9 (03:00:05):
Correct.

Speaker 3 (03:00:05):
Yes, But again, the only areas that were corduned off
that you know of are those areas that were secured
by the yellow tape that we've seen in those photos. Yes,
and that did not extend down the length of the
video that you just showed us. Correct. No, really just
encompassed the driveway and the area from the front corner

(03:00:26):
of that parking area that's on the exhibit behind you
down to about where that red bush is. Is that
fair to say?

Speaker 9 (03:00:33):
Yes?

Speaker 3 (03:00:34):
Didn't extend across the street to the other side of
Laurel Glen. No, and didn't extend it down to thirty
six Laurel Glenn either did it? And didn't encompass anything
on Farmhouse Lane or Adams?

Speaker 5 (03:00:46):
Is that fair to say?

Speaker 14 (03:00:46):
No?

Speaker 3 (03:00:48):
So the only area that was secured and court uned
off was the parking area, the forty three Laurel Glenn
and the front grassy area to the right of the
park of the driveway.

Speaker 5 (03:00:59):
Is that fair to say?

Speaker 9 (03:01:00):
Yes, That other info we didn't get till later, And you.

Speaker 3 (03:01:06):
Said that was secured throughout the night.

Speaker 9 (03:01:09):
Yes.

Speaker 3 (03:01:09):
Do you know who secured that area.

Speaker 28 (03:01:11):
Throughout the night, the officer that secured it, don't. I
do know who applied for the search and seizure warrant
and who responded to execute it. The officer that was
stationed there, I do not know offhand.

Speaker 3 (03:01:23):
And then you were shown a series of exhibits that
were admitted as full without objection, and the first of
those was exhibit number twenty one, and that was a
past the Chips shirt photograph.

Speaker 9 (03:01:35):
Do you recall that, yes?

Speaker 3 (03:01:37):
And do you know now who was wearing that pass
the Chips shirt?

Speaker 9 (03:01:42):
Yes?

Speaker 3 (03:01:43):
And who was that?

Speaker 9 (03:01:43):
James McGrath?

Speaker 3 (03:01:48):
Was that the only piece of clothing that you secured
that you believe belonged to mister McGrath.

Speaker 28 (03:01:53):
I personally didn't secure anything. I was interviewing why another
detective did it all? But there was other items secured.

Speaker 3 (03:02:00):
The next photograph I want to ask you about is
exhibit number twenty three. That was the Marvel Ducks shirt
that we saw a photograph of. Do you recall that, yes?
And do you know now who that who was wearing
that shirt at the.

Speaker 28 (03:02:12):
Time on May fourteen, Yes, Faison Teal, I don't believe
he was wearing it. I believe he was had it
on his person. I believe he was shirtless.

Speaker 3 (03:02:23):
He was shirtless, I believe.

Speaker 2 (03:02:24):
So.

Speaker 3 (03:02:27):
There was also a photo number twenty four, Exhibit twenty
four photo of a shirt and a shoe. Do you
recall that?

Speaker 9 (03:02:33):
Yes?

Speaker 3 (03:02:35):
And do you know now who was wearing that shirt
and shoe?

Speaker 9 (03:02:37):
Is that a dark blue shirt? Dark blue shirt, dark
blue shirt, Yes, sir, I believe that was Thomas Connery.

Speaker 2 (03:02:45):
Also his shoe, ye shoe.

Speaker 3 (03:02:48):
And then we saw a photo of a green sweatshirt
and a blue shirt, a couple of different images of
that same pairing there. Do you know who was wearing that?

Speaker 9 (03:02:57):
Yes, that was Ryan Hines.

Speaker 3 (03:03:00):
And then you told us that on this particular evening
it had not yet become the policy of the Sheldon
Police Department to have body worn cameras issued to everybody
that was on duty. Is that correct?

Speaker 28 (03:03:13):
I believe it was the policy at the time. It
just wasn't implemented until June first.

Speaker 3 (03:03:18):
Why would there be such a policy, But it wasn't
implemented inult June.

Speaker 28 (03:03:21):
First, the state came out with a mandate pursuingto the
Police Accountability Act, So that was the date that we
had to have it. We actually came in early with
the body Warren cameras before that, but it was still
in the process with ax On getting everybody equipped.

Speaker 3 (03:03:36):
So you could have worn them that evening.

Speaker 5 (03:03:39):
No, you didn't have to.

Speaker 9 (03:03:40):
I didn't. No, No, No, I didn't have one.

Speaker 28 (03:03:43):
So the following day, when I did have one, I
was able to meet with Lieutenant Kazlowski, who was the
administrator of that program, and he had one, but not
everybody had.

Speaker 9 (03:03:53):
When we only had a couple throughout the department.

Speaker 28 (03:03:55):
He had one and he gave me his when I
went to the Connery's house to use the body Warren
camera was during that interview.

Speaker 3 (03:04:01):
So was it department policy that you should have had one?

Speaker 23 (03:04:05):
Not?

Speaker 9 (03:04:06):
No, not at that date. No, it was not the policy.

Speaker 3 (03:04:09):
I thought you just told us that it was. But
before that, could you have chosen one?

Speaker 28 (03:04:15):
No, because I didn't have one, I wasn't issued one.
Would have issued those Lieutenant Kazlowski.

Speaker 3 (03:04:21):
Could you have gone to Lieutenant Vezlowski and asked for one?

Speaker 9 (03:04:24):
Not that night I was coming from my house at midnight.

Speaker 3 (03:04:28):
You mentioned that you arrived on scene and started interviewing witnesses,
and that there were dozens of kids running around and
parents showing up correct. You were asked about whether or
not there was any sign of any alcohol having been
at this party. Do you recall that, yes, and you
told us that there was maybe one bottle of whiskey
in the art.

Speaker 28 (03:04:48):
I do remember seeing a bottle of whiskey, and that
was the only indication that you had that there was
drinking going on at this party. There wasn't alcohol cans
all over the street or anything like that. There was
in the house, but it's hard to differentiate what the
parents owner, where the kids were drinking it. No one
had alcohol in their hands at that time.

Speaker 3 (03:05:07):
And that was about half an hour to forty minutes
after the initial call.

Speaker 28 (03:05:11):
Came in, maybe a little bit more at that point
after everything settled down.

Speaker 3 (03:05:16):
So there was at least a bottle of whiskey in
the yard. Yes, And then you say there was other
alcohol that was in the house, but that was hard
to determine who that belonged to exactly. Yes, And what
was the other alcohol that you found in the house.

Speaker 9 (03:05:29):
I don't recall.

Speaker 3 (03:05:31):
Was there a lot of evidence of alcohol in the house.

Speaker 9 (03:05:34):
I don't recall.

Speaker 28 (03:05:35):
You got to remember the focus was the stabbing that occurred,
not alcohol by miners.

Speaker 3 (03:05:40):
At that point, because that wouldn't be pertinent to trying
to understand.

Speaker 28 (03:05:44):
It would And I do believe there are photographs in
the interior of the house, I just didn't take them.

Speaker 3 (03:05:49):
Did you see those photographs?

Speaker 9 (03:05:51):
I don't recall.

Speaker 3 (03:05:53):
And do you recall whether or not you ever saw
evidence of large piles of solo cups or any other
indication that there was in fact a large amount of
drinking going on at this unsupervised party.

Speaker 9 (03:06:04):
I do not recall large pile of solo cups.

Speaker 3 (03:06:07):
Do you recall any evidence of a large amount of
drinking going on?

Speaker 28 (03:06:12):
People's actions, the way they were talking to me, That
was probably my biggest indicator.

Speaker 3 (03:06:17):
And when were those actions indicated that you Did you
see any evidence that or any indication that evidence of
drinking had been cleaned up, or that there was some
attempt to shield you from seeing that.

Speaker 9 (03:06:31):
I did not.

Speaker 3 (03:06:32):
You say that night you interviewed two people, correct, Yes,
and one of those was Enrico Fiola, Yes, and the
other one who was.

Speaker 9 (03:06:41):
That again Mackenzie Trafficanti, And that you.

Speaker 3 (03:06:46):
Later interviewed Tom and Charlie Connery, correct, yes, And what
was the date of the interviews with Tom and Charlie Connery,
if you so, it was.

Speaker 9 (03:06:57):
The same day, It was just late morning, early afternoon,
so the.

Speaker 3 (03:07:00):
Fifteenth, Yes, and at that point when you interviewed So,
I just want to make sure I understand this. So
as of the morning of May fifteenth, when you went
to interview Tom and Charlie Connery, you'd only also interviewed
Enrico and McKenzie.

Speaker 28 (03:07:15):
A lot of people were interviewed me personally, WHOAI interviewed, Yes,
those two.

Speaker 3 (03:07:20):
And at that point when you went to interview Tom
and Charlie Connery, had you learned of any cell phone
videos that had been taken of the incident at.

Speaker 9 (03:07:31):
That point, I don't believe, so, I don't recall. I
believe that was later on.

Speaker 3 (03:07:36):
So when you interviewed Enrico Fiola, you didn't learn of
any videos that had been made. When you interviewed Mackenzie
Jack mcanty, you didn't.

Speaker 2 (03:07:44):
Learn of any interviews videos that had been made.

Speaker 3 (03:07:47):
Now, when you interviewed Tom and Charlie Connery, you didn't
learn that any cell phone videos.

Speaker 2 (03:07:53):
Had been taken.

Speaker 28 (03:07:53):
No, Like I said, there were a lot of other
people interviewed by other members at a police department. That
information came into play with me also, And as.

Speaker 3 (03:08:04):
Of the fifteenth, you hadn't been given any information based
on any of the other interviews done by other members
of your department, that there was a cell phone video
of this event.

Speaker 9 (03:08:14):
I don't believe so.

Speaker 3 (03:08:16):
So at the time that you applied for the arrest
warrant for mister Valley, was that on the fifteenth, I
believe it was the sixteenth? On the sixteenth, is that
the Monday?

Speaker 9 (03:08:31):
I'm pretty sure I believe that would be the money.

Speaker 16 (03:08:33):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (03:08:35):
At that point when you applied for the arrest warrant
for mister Valley, you hadn't learned of any cell phone
videos at that point that you were shown some photographs
of the Honda Pilot for the interviews.

Speaker 1 (03:08:53):
Smith, let me know when there was a good time
to take the afternoon group.

Speaker 3 (03:08:57):
Okay, going to show you those exhibits again, Detective Ango.

Speaker 20 (03:09:06):
So this is exhibit number thirty.

Speaker 16 (03:09:13):
Nobody see that.

Speaker 3 (03:09:16):
And Detective Ango, you were describing for us that is
the Honda pilot, correct yes, And that Honda pilot belongs
to a mister Jack Snyder, correct yes. And in that
picture of the Honda pilot and I'm just gonna move
over here so that I.

Speaker 20 (03:09:30):
Can actually see it as well.

Speaker 3 (03:09:34):
I believe that Attorney Durso noted a defect in the windshield.

Speaker 9 (03:09:38):
You recall that, yes, it.

Speaker 20 (03:09:41):
Is your understanding that that defect in the windshield was.

Speaker 3 (03:09:45):
That there prior to the incident on May fourteenth, into
the morning of May fifteen.

Speaker 2 (03:09:52):
Saw how you have that knowledge?

Speaker 28 (03:09:54):
If he knows, if he knows, well, I don't know
through interviews what people told me.

Speaker 20 (03:10:04):
I'm going to show you what.

Speaker 3 (03:10:06):
Has been marked as Exhibit thirty one for you'd agree.
That's a close up of the same windshield you're just
looking at, yes, same defect.

Speaker 9 (03:10:15):
Yes.

Speaker 20 (03:10:16):
Then I'm going to show you what is Exhibit thirty two, and.

Speaker 3 (03:10:21):
That is the interior of the vehicle, looking at it
from the passenger's side.

Speaker 2 (03:10:27):
It's my passenger's side, correct.

Speaker 9 (03:10:28):
Yes, you oner.

Speaker 3 (03:10:30):
If the court was inclined to take the afternoon break
now on New Vegas, thank.

Speaker 1 (03:10:33):
You very good. Court is going to move into our
afternoon break. We will be in recess for approximately fifteen minutes.
I will remind the jurors again during the recess please
do not discuss this case no independent research, and I
remind you on your obligations when you're owth please leave
your notebooks behind. Thank you. Court's in recess for fifteen.

Speaker 15 (03:10:53):
Thank you, of course, back in session, all.

Speaker 1 (03:11:07):
Right, thank you. We'll bring the witness back in. Thank you.
You may be seated. I'm sorry, right, Coortal note for
the record that the witness has been recalled to the stand.
You may take a seat. I just want to remind
you you do remain under the obligations of your own
Thank you. We'll bring the joy back on. Thank you.

(03:11:30):
Welcome back. Ladies and gentlemen of the Jury Council. Please
stipulate the return of all of our jours. Thank you.
Very good. Attorney Smith, you made proceed with your cross examination.

Speaker 2 (03:11:41):
Thank you, Thank you.

Speaker 3 (03:11:45):
Hello again, detective, thank you.

Speaker 9 (03:11:46):
Hello.

Speaker 3 (03:11:47):
So we were just talking about the photographs that have
been taken up the pilot. Correct, you just have been
taken down now. So thereafter you described having secured an
arrest warrant, and you said that when you had done that,
you didn't have any cell phone videos available to be

(03:12:08):
at that point correct. Yes, you also didn't have at
that point the thirty six Laurel Glenn video.

Speaker 5 (03:12:14):
Is that correct?

Speaker 9 (03:12:14):
Yes?

Speaker 3 (03:12:15):
And just if we may you know, I may i
approach these exhibits here on those stands.

Speaker 2 (03:12:21):
I'm just going to take.

Speaker 15 (03:12:23):
That's not distracting.

Speaker 3 (03:12:26):
This exhibit.

Speaker 2 (03:12:27):
One earlier, I believe you had described this.

Speaker 3 (03:12:31):
House as being thirty six Laurel Glenn, but I think
they're viewing the video.

Speaker 2 (03:12:36):
It could be that one.

Speaker 1 (03:12:37):
Yes, you think it was this w right, So just
let the record reflect that the earlier house appears to
be two houses from the left of the exhibit on
Laurel Glens Drive, and the house to which Attorney Smith
was indicating, is it the actual house appears to be
three houses from the left of the exhibit on Laurel

(03:13:00):
Driven Drive. That craft, that's right, I'm very good, thank you.

Speaker 3 (03:13:04):
So when you applied for the arrest warrant for mister Valley,
is it fair to say at that point that you
were going off of what you had been told by
the witnesses that you had spoken to. Yes, that at
that point did not include mister d Silva or mister Snyder. Correct.

Speaker 9 (03:13:24):
Correct.

Speaker 3 (03:13:25):
And on at three in the morning on the eighteenth,
I believe you described that mister Valley turned himself in
for booking correct correct, Yeah, I see thy four.

Speaker 22 (03:13:38):
And you described that when mister Valley earned himself in
that morning.

Speaker 20 (03:13:43):
It was with the detective mcpatten correct.

Speaker 29 (03:13:45):
Lieutenant mcpatthen mccauth my polities and Lieutenant mcpatten took the
following photographs Exhibit thirty four correct correct. Exhibit thirty five correct,
Exhibit thirty six correct.

Speaker 3 (03:14:06):
And can you see in Exhibit thirty six here on
mister Valley's left eye what appears to be an injuries, bruising,
and perhaps an abrasion.

Speaker 9 (03:14:18):
I could see a small abrasion.

Speaker 20 (03:14:24):
You don't see the bruising there?

Speaker 9 (03:14:26):
Point out what you're looking at?

Speaker 22 (03:14:29):
Discoloration around the eye.

Speaker 28 (03:14:34):
Yeah, maybe on the inner portion towards the nose.

Speaker 3 (03:14:38):
Exhibit thirty seven was also taken by Lieutenant mcpatten correct.

Speaker 9 (03:14:42):
Correct thirty eight.

Speaker 22 (03:14:48):
It was also taken by Lieutenant mcpatten correct.

Speaker 5 (03:14:50):
I believe you.

Speaker 22 (03:14:51):
Described seeing some redness possible abrasion under the hairline there.

Speaker 9 (03:14:58):
Possible.

Speaker 3 (03:15:01):
Exhibit thirty nine also taken by Lieutenant mcpatten correct. Correct,
And there you describe for us seeing the red scratch
marks as well as what appears.

Speaker 20 (03:15:10):
To be bruising.

Speaker 9 (03:15:14):
Why not the bruising?

Speaker 22 (03:15:16):
Do you see some discoloration here just past the elbow.

Speaker 3 (03:15:19):
On the bottom of the bicele.

Speaker 29 (03:15:24):
Possibly Exhibit forty taken by Lieutenant mcpatten correct, correct, And
that shows a wound on the heel of his right palm.

Speaker 9 (03:15:38):
Correct.

Speaker 3 (03:15:41):
Exhibit forty one, also taken by Lieutenant mcpatten, shows some
abrasion injury on the left palm as well as still
that same injury on the right correct.

Speaker 9 (03:15:56):
Correct.

Speaker 3 (03:15:57):
And then we saw Exhibited forty two taken.

Speaker 22 (03:16:01):
By Lieutenant mcpatthen correct and Exhibited forty three.

Speaker 5 (03:16:05):
Also taken by.

Speaker 9 (03:16:06):
The Lieutenant mcpethth direct correct.

Speaker 3 (03:16:08):
And those were taken, to the best of your knowledge,
at around three am when he turned himself in that morning. Yes,
and that was done again to document apparent injuries that
mister Vallely had on him correct. Yes, that's more than
the standard booking photo that's taken of a person. Correct.

Speaker 9 (03:16:28):
Not everyone's book for murder.

Speaker 3 (03:16:29):
I beg your pardon.

Speaker 9 (03:16:30):
It was a murder case.

Speaker 28 (03:16:31):
So if we saw someone, let's say, in an assault
and they had apparent injuries, we would take photographs of
them more so than just the booking photo.

Speaker 3 (03:16:40):
Standard to take a booking photo.

Speaker 5 (03:16:42):
Correct.

Speaker 3 (03:16:42):
Yes, when you notice injuries that you want to document,
then you take more photos of those injuries. Correct, And
that's what was done in this case. Correct. Did mister
vallely ask you to take those photos?

Speaker 9 (03:16:51):
I do not know.

Speaker 3 (03:16:52):
I wasn't there, And then you said that the investigation
continued thereafter correct.

Speaker 9 (03:17:00):
Correct.

Speaker 3 (03:17:01):
In fact, the investigation went on all summer long, did
it not?

Speaker 9 (03:17:04):
Yes?

Speaker 3 (03:17:05):
And it continued. I think you told us into the fall, correct, Yes,
and in fact really continued on into this year when
we went and got some of these drone videos that
you showed us earlier.

Speaker 9 (03:17:18):
Right.

Speaker 3 (03:17:18):
Yes, Now, you told us that you located every attendee
at that party. Is that correct?

Speaker 9 (03:17:27):
Everyone that we know of.

Speaker 3 (03:17:29):
So there are possibly people that you don't know of
that were there.

Speaker 2 (03:17:31):
It's possible because possibly a culture speculation.

Speaker 1 (03:17:38):
I'll sustain. So it was sort of a late objection,
but you tried to make it. I'll sustain the objection.
I will direct the jury to not I'm going to
strike the answer to the question asking if it was
possible if there were attendees who were not there, and
the response that's shippen and you're not to consider that

(03:17:59):
as evidence. And you will get further detailed instructions about
that during the court's final jury charge. Attorney Smith, you
may proceed.

Speaker 3 (03:18:06):
Thank you. Throughout the course of your investigation, did you
learn of individuals that were seen in cell phones that
you weren't able to actually identify or talk to?

Speaker 2 (03:18:23):
I do not believe so.

Speaker 3 (03:18:25):
So you think that you've spoken to every person.

Speaker 28 (03:18:28):
That was at that party, I can't definitely answer that.

Speaker 3 (03:18:36):
And you were describing for us a fight that occurred
earlier that evening at five Lazy Brook. Do you recall
that I do, where you learned that some attendees had
gotten into a Honda Pilot correct.

Speaker 9 (03:18:51):
Correct?

Speaker 3 (03:18:53):
And then you said that you interviewed everybody that was
at that party. Correct. Again, you can't really tell us
that you interviewed everybody that was there. Is that fair
to say?

Speaker 9 (03:19:05):
Yes?

Speaker 3 (03:19:06):
But you did secure some video of a fight that
took place in or near the garage of five Lazy
Books correct.

Speaker 9 (03:19:13):
Yes.

Speaker 3 (03:19:14):
When did you secure that video?

Speaker 9 (03:19:16):
I do not have the date. I don't have the date.

Speaker 3 (03:19:19):
Was it before or after you got the arrestaurant?

Speaker 9 (03:19:21):
After?

Speaker 3 (03:19:25):
And therefore it was after you spoke with the people
that had been interviewed prior to securing that arrestaurant. Yes,
And then you also secured video from forty three Laurel
Glenn Drive correct. Yes, that was also subsequent to actually
securing the arrest warrant. Yes, and that video did that

(03:19:45):
come from a Tanner Chernowski?

Speaker 9 (03:19:48):
Yes?

Speaker 3 (03:19:49):
Do you know when you secured that video?

Speaker 28 (03:19:52):
I don't have the exact day, but it was after
the arrestaurant.

Speaker 3 (03:19:57):
In fact, after securing those videos, you then went back
and did a number of interviews with some of the
people that you had already interviewed.

Speaker 2 (03:20:08):
Is that fair to say?

Speaker 9 (03:20:09):
Yes?

Speaker 3 (03:20:13):
Now, we saw here before some dash cam or some
ring videos that you had secured, one of those being
from thirty six Laurel Glenn drive correct.

Speaker 9 (03:20:24):
Correct? Do you have forty four?

Speaker 12 (03:20:28):
Does she have forty four?

Speaker 5 (03:20:31):
The Laurel four?

Speaker 6 (03:20:33):
Got it?

Speaker 3 (03:20:35):
You described exhibit forty four, which we're going to play
for you in just a second. Here as showing different angles,
there's one angle that is from the door, correct, Yes,
And there's one angle and what is that different angle.

Speaker 9 (03:20:48):
That we've seen what's from the front of the house for.

Speaker 3 (03:20:51):
The exterior camera somewhere different. But those are both stationary
cameras correct, yes, unlike the drone camera, which will be
assume a bit. And do you know whether or not
those cameras are motion activated.

Speaker 28 (03:21:09):
I'm familiar with ring and I do know that they
are motion activated, this in particular one here, I don't
have specific knowledge.

Speaker 3 (03:21:15):
But do you know how it came to be that
this is the only portion of video that we have
with regard to that particular area? Rephrase that sure did
as far as you know. Was there other footage from
this same camera from thirty six?

Speaker 5 (03:21:33):
Yes?

Speaker 3 (03:21:33):
No, And you're not sure whether or not this is
a motion activated camera? Is that fair to say?

Speaker 9 (03:21:38):
I can't say definitively.

Speaker 3 (03:21:42):
Can we play the first the first video, the one
that runs from about eleven forty prior to the event
thirty seven? Is there a particular file number that is seven?

Speaker 2 (03:22:00):
You want the one from the front door, from the side.

Speaker 3 (03:22:03):
Let's let's play them both so we get both of
those inlets.

Speaker 12 (03:22:06):
So play the two three first. I played this one first, Okay, thirty.

Speaker 3 (03:22:13):
Seven Detective Bango. In that video, when we see folks
coming from the left of the screen, that's forty three

(03:22:36):
Laurel Glenn. The direction that they're coming from, yes, and
they are heading in the direction of farmhouse Lane. Is
that correct?

Speaker 9 (03:22:44):
Yes?

Speaker 3 (03:22:44):
So, if you were going to describe for the jurors
the path of that video that we just watched. Would
you just physically show us where that video shows.

Speaker 9 (03:22:57):
Close here?

Speaker 15 (03:22:59):
Okay, to come to hear.

Speaker 1 (03:23:04):
If you could just identify it. Could you just somehow
use your words to identify what you're.

Speaker 3 (03:23:09):
Showing with you so you know, I made the record
reflect that the witness has indicated using Exhibit one, that
the vehicle on the video moves from the front of
forty three Laurel of Glenn, which is marked with the
red marker, and it goes to the left down towards
Farmhouse Lane in front of what the witness is already

(03:23:33):
indicated is thirty six Laurel Glenn Drive. Thank you, okay,
and the there's another video there that shows the same thing,
but from a slightly different angle from the porch.

Speaker 2 (03:23:47):
Correct.

Speaker 3 (03:23:48):
Yes, Were you able to identify any of the people
seen in that video coming from forty three Laurel Glen
and following the vehicle.

Speaker 28 (03:23:58):
From the video alone? No, it's not that good of
a video. We'd coroborate through witness statements.

Speaker 3 (03:24:07):
And may we see now the video from after the
incident of believe it begins at eleven fifty five.

Speaker 12 (03:24:16):
Or so, so I think I think it's thirty six,
is it?

Speaker 2 (03:24:21):
Yeah, you're right, Tatiana is right.

Speaker 3 (03:24:23):
And Detective Bengo that second video it comes from after
you believe the fight occurred in the front yard of
forty three Laurel B Line. Correct. Yes, so it's two
vehicles going down stopping in front of thirty six Laurel
B Line. Yes, And did you identify either of those vehicles? Yes,
it was one of them, the pilot, yes. And what

(03:24:46):
was the other vehicle?

Speaker 9 (03:24:49):
That was Meghan traffic County's.

Speaker 3 (03:24:51):
Sister, Megan Traffic Anti's sister.

Speaker 9 (03:24:55):
Yes, it was.

Speaker 28 (03:25:00):
I could be mistaken about if that was definitively her
was someone that came and picked them up they called
for a ride.

Speaker 3 (03:25:08):
Was there a third car that we don't see here
that was driven and picked up another passenger from the
pilot at some point.

Speaker 9 (03:25:17):
Through witness statements?

Speaker 3 (03:25:18):
Yes, there was, but we don't see that vehicle here.
Is that correct.

Speaker 9 (03:25:23):
In that video?

Speaker 6 (03:25:24):
Now?

Speaker 3 (03:25:26):
And you said that there were videos from forty four
Laurel Glenn Drive, but you couldn't see what was going
on in those because the homeowner was blocking.

Speaker 9 (03:25:33):
Correct in the distance from the camera to the yard.

Speaker 3 (03:25:36):
And in fact that there were videos from forty three
Laurel Glenn drive itself correct only live only live. You
learned that from the homeowner who claimed that there was
no video recording. It had only been live correct and ring.

Speaker 9 (03:25:57):
We didn't take his word for it. We contacted.

Speaker 3 (03:26:02):
Now you said that over the next several months you
tried to interview mister d Silva and mister Snyder. Correct. Yes,
and in fact you couldn't do that until November right.

Speaker 9 (03:26:15):
Correct.

Speaker 3 (03:26:15):
In fact, you weren't able to do that until November
second with mister Snyder. Correct. I believe that's a date,
and you believe that the date for mister d Silva
was December sixth, right, sounds about right. And in fact,
after your interview with mister Snyder, which one of them

(03:26:37):
occurred on November second, one of them occurred on November
twenty eighth, correct.

Speaker 28 (03:26:41):
I do believe we interviewed mister Schneider twice.

Speaker 3 (03:26:43):
And you indicated that after that day of the Snyder
interview you went to try and find the knife. Which
day was that was a second?

Speaker 9 (03:26:52):
It was the second.

Speaker 3 (03:26:54):
Did anybody in the neighborhood in the area which you
went on Adam's drive that you talked about and exhibits
forty five through forty seven. Did anybody in that area
indicate that they had seen anybody throw a knife in
that area the night of no or at any time thereafter.

Speaker 6 (03:27:15):
No.

Speaker 9 (03:27:16):
We did do a neighborhood canvas in that area.

Speaker 3 (03:27:18):
The only place that you came to believe that perhaps
the knife had been thrown in that area was from
Jack Snyder.

Speaker 9 (03:27:26):
And Tyler to Silva.

Speaker 3 (03:27:28):
You described having taken some measurements, and one of those
measurements was from the driveway of forty three Laurel Glenn
Drive to the pathway or walkway of thirty six Laurel
Glyn Drive. Correct, Correct, And that was about six hundred
and forty seven feet.

Speaker 28 (03:27:42):
You thought that number sounds about right.

Speaker 3 (03:27:44):
Pretty accurate. You told us about two football fields, right?
And were any other measurements taken as far as of
the yard itself on that day?

Speaker 9 (03:27:55):
No? But like I said, with the crime mapping system.

Speaker 3 (03:27:58):
Yes, do you recall any of the those measurements?

Speaker 9 (03:28:01):
I don't recall them.

Speaker 2 (03:28:02):
No.

Speaker 9 (03:28:02):
I didn't memorize it.

Speaker 16 (03:28:04):
I do not.

Speaker 3 (03:28:08):
Were you familiar with this neighborhood prior to having gone
there to do your investigation?

Speaker 9 (03:28:12):
Somewhat from working there twenty five years.

Speaker 3 (03:28:14):
But would you agree that this neighborhood is comprised of
a series of through roads and then a number of
cul de sacs that lead off of those roads that
go the whole way through.

Speaker 10 (03:28:27):
Yes.

Speaker 3 (03:28:29):
And you described it as being dark on this evening, correct.
Is it also fairly wooded in that area?

Speaker 28 (03:28:40):
Well, not there what we're looking at. But if you
go to the cul de sac there there's some woods,
I do believe. Way on the other end there's some woods.

Speaker 3 (03:28:46):
Too, And there's a river that runs along the backside
there just beyond these houses on Laurel Glenn.

Speaker 9 (03:28:53):
There's a river that runs behind the end of Adam's Drive?

Speaker 5 (03:28:59):
Is that all so?

Speaker 3 (03:29:00):
Behind some of these houses on Laurel Glenn Drive, like,
for instance thirty six?

Speaker 9 (03:29:06):
I don't know how far that river goes.

Speaker 3 (03:29:08):
In any event, you searched for a knife fairly extensively
and never found it.

Speaker 2 (03:29:13):
Correct.

Speaker 3 (03:29:13):
Correct Now you described for us having done four interviews
on the night of into the early morning of the
next day. Correct.

Speaker 9 (03:29:23):
Yes.

Speaker 3 (03:29:25):
In fact, there after and after you made the arrest
of mister Valley, you went and conducted a number of interviews,
did you not?

Speaker 9 (03:29:33):
Correct?

Speaker 3 (03:29:36):
And in some instances, you went and interviewed the same
people a number of times.

Speaker 2 (03:29:40):
Correct.

Speaker 3 (03:29:41):
Correct, And again you did not interview mister Snyder until
November two correct. Correct, And you didn't interview mister d
Silva until December sixth, correct. Thank you. It's nothing further.

Speaker 1 (03:30:03):
Can you read around? Okay?

Speaker 6 (03:30:05):
The Council just asked you about your continuing investigation that
occurred after the signing of the arrest warrant for the defendant.
You spoke to Ricky Fiola, McKenzie, Trafficante Charlie and Tommy
Connery prior.

Speaker 2 (03:30:23):
To the submission of the rest warrant.

Speaker 9 (03:30:25):
Yes, and yes I did.

Speaker 2 (03:30:28):
Now, when you spoke to withdrawn, the investigation didn't end there, correct.

Speaker 4 (03:30:35):
No, So when you spoke to.

Speaker 6 (03:30:39):
Individuals connected to the party all right, connected to the
forty three Laurel Glen excuse me, and other individuals connected
to the Honda Pilot during those interviews, did you learn
anything other than did you learn anything from those interviews
that would lead you to believe that you didn't have

(03:31:00):
enough for the arrest warrant that was signed prior on
May sixteenth or twenty twenty two. No, just the opposite,
and Council asked you about not talking to Tyler de
Silva and Jack Snyder until almost six months later?

Speaker 9 (03:31:17):
Correct?

Speaker 4 (03:31:17):
What was the reason why you didn't talk to them sooner?

Speaker 9 (03:31:21):
Their lawyers would't allow us.

Speaker 6 (03:31:23):
And did you in fact try to talk to Tyler
de Silva on May fifteenth and twenty twenty two?

Speaker 9 (03:31:30):
Yes?

Speaker 6 (03:31:30):
At about what efforts did you take to talk to
to Tyler de Silva on May fifteenth or twenty twenty?

Speaker 9 (03:31:34):
We went to his house, knocked on his door.

Speaker 6 (03:31:36):
And when you knocked on his door, where you informed
that you were not allowed to speak to him?

Speaker 9 (03:31:41):
Yes?

Speaker 28 (03:31:41):
Why his father said that he won't speak with us
at a lawyer and his lawyer wasn't there.

Speaker 2 (03:31:49):
And how about Jack Snyder?

Speaker 4 (03:31:51):
Same thing?

Speaker 28 (03:31:53):
I didn't but somebody called and it was the same thing.

Speaker 1 (03:31:55):
I have nothing earlier on it, Tournie Smith, anything further.
I know you are very good, right you.

Speaker 11 (03:32:02):
May it'sit the witness stand.

Speaker 1 (03:32:03):
Thank you, Please watch your stuff as you excent.

Speaker 6 (03:32:05):
Thank you, Thank you well you approach from certainly the
state has further witnesses.

Speaker 2 (03:32:13):
We just don't have anybody left for today.

Speaker 1 (03:32:15):
Well, we are in line with the schedule that you provided,
so I appreciate that, so at this point in time,
we will be adjourning for the day. Before we do that,
I am going to read an instruction, a standard instruction
to the jury, as that you please listen carefully. We're
going to adjourn the trial for the day. Remember you
must obey the rules of conduct. You will be going

(03:32:37):
home to people who would be curious about the case
and about the trial. Remember that you have taken an
oath that obligates you not to talk to anyone about
the trial or its issues until you have rendered a verdict.
This means that you cannot talk to members of your
family or friends about it. There are no exceptions. Though
your oath should be reason enough to obey this instruction.

(03:33:00):
Let me suggest to you a further practical reason. If
you were to violate your oath and discuss this case
at home or with others, they might give you ideas
or details about similar circumstances, and then you would have
the problem when you start your deliberations of trying to
sort out which information you heard in the courtroom and
what you heard somewhere else. Jurors often find designing issues

(03:33:23):
to be difficult enough without having the added problem of
trying to filter out information that they obtained improperly or
that was not part of this trial. So do not
talk to anyone about this case, nor let anyone talk
to you about it. Honor the oath oath that you
have taken. Likewise, you should not seek any information outside

(03:33:44):
of the evidence being presented at trial. Do not visit
any location that has been mentioned, do not look anything up,
do any research, or perform any investigation of any kind.
Remember that your obligation will be to decide this case
based solely on the evidence presented in this courtroom, and
only on that evidence. Now it is likely, obviously that

(03:34:06):
there will be media coverage of this case. Likewise, you
are not to read it, or watch it or listen
to it. If you happen to come across something in
the media regarding this case, which I am going to
ask you to avoid, but I can't control your actions.
You're not sequestered jurors at this point, but I would
ask for you to please do your best efforts to

(03:34:30):
avoid any media attention. If you do, however, happen to
come across something, you must turn your attention away from
it immediately. And if you do happen to overhear something
please send a note through the clerk to my attention,
without disclosing the nature or substance of that note to
any of your fellow jurors. So with that, I am
going to once again ask you to please put your

(03:34:52):
notebooks on the chair. Madam Clerk will collect them, keep
them in a safe place. They are held confidential, and
at this point time you will be placed in a
room and then you will be escorted from the building
by the marshalls. Also, please note that our court staff,
the attorneys, and anyone else involved in this case, they

(03:35:14):
are not allowed to speak with you or have any
communication with you. So please if you attempt to communicate
with them, which I would hope you wouldn't do, but
if you do and they don't respond, please understand no
one's trying to be rude or avoid you, but they
have been ordered by the court to not have any
communication with you as jurors on this particular matter. So

(03:35:36):
I thank you, have a good evening. We'll see you
back tomorrow morning for additional evidence. Have a good night,
same time tomorrow. Thank you. Court stands ajourned