"Wichita Massacre" murder trial "Ping List"
Posted on 10/30/2002 9:38:25 AM PST by KS Flyover
Survivor's police interview rattles Carr trial jurors
Jurors who managed restrained reactions through weeks of emotional evidence in the Carr brothers' murder trial appeared to be on the verge of tears Tuesday morning.
Some in the jury box clenched their teeth, others wiped their eyes, as the defense took the curious step of replaying the story of the state's star witness -- the survivor of the quadruple homicide.
Playing the videotaped interview between the woman and police -- recorded two weeks after the Dec. 15, 2000, killings -- left courtroom onlookers moved and baffled.
Reginald Carr's lawyers offered no explanation for playing it. The purpose may have been to challenge the survivor's identification of Reginald Carr during her trial testimony. She'd given police a vague description of him during the interview, then failed to recognize him at a preliminary hearing nearly four months later.
But the rest of the woman's interview showed startling consistency with details she has repeatedly recalled in one of Wichita's most violent crimes of the past decade.
The defense had to show the tape in its entirety, however, under a legal requirement known as "the rule of completeness."
Under that rule, if one party wants a jury to consider a portion of a document or recording, opposing counsel can ask that the evidence be submitted in its entirety.
The video may have backfired for the defense, however, by increasing compassion for the victims.
Not only did the survivor reiterate on tape some of the most disturbing details of the crimes, the woman's statements provided new information for the jury.
For instance, she told police of Heather Muller's plans to become a nun. Muller and the survivor were repeatedly raped before being shot in a soccer field.
The witness said Muller was close to Aaron Sander, another victim, because both wanted to devote their lives to their faith.
"They connected -- he was going into the priesthood, she was going to be a nun," said the woman (The Eagle does not identify sexual assault victims).
A judicial order prevents any of the parties from commenting outside the trial, but body language spoke volumes about the emotions swirling in Judge Paul Clark's courtroom.
While Reginald Carr's lawyers looked patient through the two-hour tape, Ron Evans, one of Jonathan Carr's lawyers, sat frowning, staring at the video screen, his arms crossed. Evans has insisted throughout the trial that Jonathan Carr can't get a fair hearing beside his older brother.
At one point, the survivor left the courtroom as the taped interview recounted the assaults she and her four friends endured during the three hours before the shootings.
The two gunmen had invaded the home of Sander, Jason Befort and Brad Heyka at 12727 E. Birchwood. Several of the victims were taken to ATMs and forced to withdraw money. All later were taken to a soccer field at K-96 and Greenwich Road -- the men naked, the women wearing only tops -- and shot in the back of the head.
On Dec. 30, the day of the interview, the woman described a black and orange FUBU sweater later linked to Jonathan Carr. She told police she didn't get a good look at the other man.
The jury will return today to hear a DNA expert testify for the defense. If Reginald Carr chooses to take the stand, it will be against the advice of his lawyers.
Jonathan Carr's defense plans to admit a single exhibit: a train ticket to Cleveland. Lawyer Mark Manna said in his opening that Jonathan Carr intended to catch the train from Newton at the time of the killings. Instead, he told his friend Tronda Adams, he got lost leaving Wichita. Police arrested Jonathan Carr at Adams' house the following afternoon.
For detais about the murders see: The Wichita Massacre
Wichita Massacre Trial Threads:
Wichita to revisit brutal slayings as testimony begins - 10/07/2002
Deputy recalls moment of discovering bodies [Wichita Murders] Day 1 - 10/07/2002
WICHITA MASSACRE TRIAL UNDERWAY Day 1 - 10/08/2002
Legal wrangling opens Carr trial [Wichita Murders] Day 1 - 10/08/2002
Carr trial: Survivor describes sexual attacks by armed intruders [Wichita Massacre] Day 2 - 10/09/2002
Witchita Case of Black Racist Crime Survivor's testimony horrifies courtroom Day 2 - 10/10/2002
Woman testifies that Carrs killed her friends in a soccer field [Wichita Massacre Day 3] - 10/10/2002
Prosecutors Downplay Racial Element in Kansas Murder Trial - 10/11/2002
Reginald Carr had $996, victims' credit card, watch [Wichita Massacre Day 4] - 10/11/2002
Wichita Massacre Audio of 911 Call by Female Survivor with Court Room Video Footage From Day 1- 10/11/2002
Victims' belongings linked to defendant [Wichita Massacre Day 5] - 10/12/2002
Trial opens window into night of fear - 10/13/2002
Media Ignore Kansas Interracial Mass Murder - 10/14/2002
AP Finally Reports Wichita Trial... But Mentions "White Supremacist" Support - 10/14/2002
Nosey mom tips off cops (Wichita Massacre) Day 6 - 10/15/2002
'I was afraid,' witness says [Wichita Massacre Day 6] - 10/15/2002
ATM photos shown in Carr trial [Wichita Massacre Day 7] - 10/16/2002
Testimony on cellist slaying fills Carr trial [Wichita Massacre Day 8] - 10/17/2002
Survivor says she caught STD [Wichita Massacre Day 9] - 10/18/2002
Carr trial to focus on guns and DNA [Wichita Massacre Day 10] - 10/19/2002
Luck, vivid memories helped cops [Wichita Massacre] - 10/20/2002
Wichita Massacre -- The Latest in the Black Racist Hate Crime Trial - Carrs linked to crime scene - Day 11 - 10/22/2002
Hate crime reversed - By Armstrong Williams - 10/23/2002
Evidence in Carr trial gruesome, unavoidable [Wichita Massacre Day 12] - 10/23/2002
Jurors view Wichita crime scenes / DNA ties Carrs to victims [Wichita Massacre day 13] - 10/24/2002
State to rest case against the Carrs [Wichita Massacre Day 14] - 10/25/2002
State rests; Carrs begin their side [Wichita Massacre Day 15] - 10/26/2002
DNA lets the dead speak in Carr trial [Wichita Massacre] - 10/27/2002
Carr jurors get break as deliberation rules ironed out [Wichita Massacre] - 10/28/2002
Multiple-killings suspect unlikely to testify [Wichita Massacre] - 10/29/2002
"Wichita Massacre" murder trial "Ping List"
The sooner these sorry excuses for human beings are put to DEATH, the better I'll feel!
The State will offer two exhibits: identical tickets on a Hellbound Train.
Some of us work "all day long". Many more of us refuse to watch CNN. And there are a few of us who don't even have friggin' TVs in our homes, myself included. I for one appreciate the updates. So speak for yourself.
Excellent! Please let me know when you post it so I can ping the list.
Sorry to hear about your computer. :`(
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