10-16-2017, 12:10 AM
I've only seen portions of the trial and think Tellis is guilty d505.
But, I believe the Defense was effective in hammering home the fact that several first responders heard her say 'Eric' or 'Derrick' when she was asked who did this to her. Jessica's friend testified that Jessica knew Quinton's last name, but Jessica reportedly indicated to officials that she did not know Eric or Derrick's last name. Those two points were the crux of the defense case. I agree with you, it would have helped a lot if there was audio evidence available.
The Prosecution attempted to poke holes in that defense by saying Jessica was so injured that she couldn't speak clearly and that first responders might have been feeding off each other's impressions.
I think the strongest point in the Prosecution's case was the cell phone evidence. It convinced me that Tellis and Jessica were together that night, which contradicts what he told investigators. I don't think the Prosecution did a great job at explaining the timeline whereby Tellis did 'something he had to cover up' to Jessica in her car (near his house), drove her to the spot she was found, left the scene, got his sister's SUV, got gas, went back and set Jessica and the car on fire, and got away so quickly. It was confusing.
But, Champion's closing statement was a good one, in my opinion. He said that the cell evidence shows the two were together up until 4 minutes before the car fire was reported and asked, "what are the chances Jessica got with someone else in that little time and why would Tellis delete all references to Jessica from his cell phone?" (my paraphrase)
I hope the jury doesn't hang. They deliberated today and will pick up deliberations again tomorrow. It's not clear to me if they can find Tellis guilty even if one or more thinks he had an accomplice named Eric or Derrick. I'm afraid one or more of the jurors won't be able to get past the fact that all the first responders testified to hearing her name her attacker as Eric or Derrick, even if they're confident in the cell evidence and don't trust Tellis.
But, I believe the Defense was effective in hammering home the fact that several first responders heard her say 'Eric' or 'Derrick' when she was asked who did this to her. Jessica's friend testified that Jessica knew Quinton's last name, but Jessica reportedly indicated to officials that she did not know Eric or Derrick's last name. Those two points were the crux of the defense case. I agree with you, it would have helped a lot if there was audio evidence available.
The Prosecution attempted to poke holes in that defense by saying Jessica was so injured that she couldn't speak clearly and that first responders might have been feeding off each other's impressions.
I think the strongest point in the Prosecution's case was the cell phone evidence. It convinced me that Tellis and Jessica were together that night, which contradicts what he told investigators. I don't think the Prosecution did a great job at explaining the timeline whereby Tellis did 'something he had to cover up' to Jessica in her car (near his house), drove her to the spot she was found, left the scene, got his sister's SUV, got gas, went back and set Jessica and the car on fire, and got away so quickly. It was confusing.
But, Champion's closing statement was a good one, in my opinion. He said that the cell evidence shows the two were together up until 4 minutes before the car fire was reported and asked, "what are the chances Jessica got with someone else in that little time and why would Tellis delete all references to Jessica from his cell phone?" (my paraphrase)
I hope the jury doesn't hang. They deliberated today and will pick up deliberations again tomorrow. It's not clear to me if they can find Tellis guilty even if one or more thinks he had an accomplice named Eric or Derrick. I'm afraid one or more of the jurors won't be able to get past the fact that all the first responders testified to hearing her name her attacker as Eric or Derrick, even if they're confident in the cell evidence and don't trust Tellis.