Prosecution Witness #69: Rick Armendariz, MPD Investigator
Prosecution Witness #70: Adam McGill, MPD Officer
Prosecution Witness #71: Ray Coyle, MPD Detective
Direct Examination: Rick Distaso
Cross Examination: Mark Geragos
Prosecution Witness #72: Rudy Skultety, MPD investigator
Detective Skultety was the 523 Covena crime scene manager for the search warrant executed on December 26-27, 2002. They arrived at the residence about 7:30 p.m. The focus of the search on the night of the 26th was forensic and struggle evidence. The FBI participated. The focus on the 27th was to find and collect the items specifically noted in the search warrant.
Prosecution Witness #73: Doug Lovell, MPD ID technician Testimony
Prosecution Witness #73: Doug Lovell, MPD ID technician Testimony
Prosecution Witness #74: Kim Castro, MPD Officer Testimony
Prosecution Witness #75: Henry Dodge Hendee, MPD Detective Testimony
Motions Hearing
Prosecution Witness #75: Henry Dodge Hendee, MPD Detective Testimony
The Bay searches involved several agencies besides the MPD and utilized divers, side scan sonars, and a REMUS device. The searches discussed in most detail were after April 14, when Laci was found at Point Isabel. Based on expert opinion, MPD developed a rectangular highest probability section of the Bay and set out to literally map that entire area.
Many say that the sites where the bodies were found is the strongest evidence against Scott, but the testimony over these last three days certainly raises reasonable doubt that Laci could have been in the Bay those 4 months and not been detected. The witnesses this week were very convincing that a very thorough search was completed, and yet no anchors, body parts, or other evidence of Laci's presence was found. The Prosecution tried to steer the Jury away from this obvious conclusion by pointing out the poor visibility. However, as Geragos noted, if the sophisticated equipment could locate items as small as beer bottles, why couldn't it find the evidence necessary to prove Scott dumped Laci in that Bay?
The searches of the house and warehouse produced similar results. Much was made of some spots on the master bed comforter, but neither the comforter nor the test results identifying the spots as blood were entered into evidence. What was entered into evidence were pictures of some ambiguous circular areas supposed to be imprints of the pitcher Scott used to make the cement anchors. Additionally, one of the circular areas looked quite rectangular.
One positive thing that came out of the testimony over these 3 days is that some of the MPD seem to be quite good cops. I was particularly impressed with Dodge Hendee. He was not defensive and answered the questions asked, I thought very honestly and sincerely. So far, we have not heard anything to suggest that he did not carry out his part of the search effort with integrity. I hope this remains true, as the MPD has already received such a black mark from Al Brocchini. Let's hope Brocchini represents the one bad apple, not the whole barrel.
Prosecution Witness #75: Henry Dodge Hendee, MPD Detective Testimony
Detective Henry Dodge Hendee probably has done as much as any other witness to raise reasonable doubt about the prosecution's case, but he enjoys the praise and respect of many of the public attendees. I heard only good comments about him -- such as honest, sincere, dedicated, confident but not cocky, not defensive. Hendee is the kind of cop you want all police officers to be like.
The damage to the Prosecution's case was unmistakable. First, Hendee testified to a meticulously thorough search of the Bay in the high probability area, using special dive teams and sophisticated sonar equipment. He is to be commended for this very thorough search and for the way he sought out the best resources available, all over the nation. But, no anchors were found and no body parts. It is going to be very hard, I believe, to convince a jury that the evidence really is there, but Hendee just missed it.
The Prosecution spent considerable time establishing with Hendee that the anchor Scott had in his boat was made using the plastic pitcher on the trailer, including showing the picture of Brocchini putting the boat anchor into the pitcher in an apparently perfect fit. With that established as "fact," D. Harris had Hendee testify about the 5 circular void spots in the white powder on the trailer -- all intended to convince the Jury that Scott made 4 other anchors, and those 4 anchors were used to weight Laci down. Geragos disabused the Jury of any such idea. He showed how the anchor did not perfectly fit into the pitcher and demonstrated the finger-width gap between the anchor and the pitcher. He noted the dimple on the inside bottom of the pitcher that is noticeably missing from the bottom of the anchor. He asked Hendee to verify that the experts confirmed that the anchor was not made in that pitcher. He suggested Hendee "saw" the circular rings because he believed the boat anchor was made in that pitcher.
Geragos stripped the Prosecution of another piece of "evidence." In his direct examination of Hendee, D. Harris emphasized the two pair of black maternity stretch pants that were found in a bag in the nursery. The search warrant included black stretch maternity pants, authorizing the officers to seize every pair they found. As far as I know, these were the only two pair seized. Margarita Nava said she was wearing black pants on the 23rd and Scott said she was wearing black pants on the 24th. However, Hendee testified today that the two pair of pants appeared to him to be clean and unused. Geragos pressed and he said they appeared new. Geragos drove home the obvious conclusion -- neither of these two pairs of pants were worn by Laci on either the 23rd or the 24th.
TV Interviews Hearings