10-02-2015, 12:43 PM
Judge Smith announced that he might deliver his verdict in the case as early as Monday.
The defense called a pathologist as an expert witness. The pathologist testified that the official autopsy was not well done because each of the individual stab wounds was not photographed separately. He told the court that the murder weapon couldn't be positively determined as a result.
It's important to the defense to create doubt that the steak knife found in the house was the murder weapon. A stranger wouldn't likely clean the knife and put it back and wouldn't have had an opportunity to do that if he'd been caught in the act and chased by Isiah Fowler, as the boy claims. It's much more likely that a family member would clean the weapon and put it back.
The defense also claims that Leila could have been stabbed around noon, at which time her brother called his parents.
The victim and the defendant's father, Barney Fowler, testified today that he believed Leila was alive when he arrived at the house and found her bleeding in a heap.
The prosecution contends that Leila was stabbed earlier and that Isiah Fowler had time to clean up and take a shower before calling his parents and lying about an intruder.
The defense also presented testimony from witnesses who reported seeing strangers/squatters in the area around the time of the murder to bolster the intruder story.
Ref: http://www.calaverasenterprise.com/news/...0dc3a.html
The defense called a pathologist as an expert witness. The pathologist testified that the official autopsy was not well done because each of the individual stab wounds was not photographed separately. He told the court that the murder weapon couldn't be positively determined as a result.
It's important to the defense to create doubt that the steak knife found in the house was the murder weapon. A stranger wouldn't likely clean the knife and put it back and wouldn't have had an opportunity to do that if he'd been caught in the act and chased by Isiah Fowler, as the boy claims. It's much more likely that a family member would clean the weapon and put it back.
The defense also claims that Leila could have been stabbed around noon, at which time her brother called his parents.
The victim and the defendant's father, Barney Fowler, testified today that he believed Leila was alive when he arrived at the house and found her bleeding in a heap.
The prosecution contends that Leila was stabbed earlier and that Isiah Fowler had time to clean up and take a shower before calling his parents and lying about an intruder.
The defense also presented testimony from witnesses who reported seeing strangers/squatters in the area around the time of the murder to bolster the intruder story.
Ref: http://www.calaverasenterprise.com/news/...0dc3a.html