FULL TESTIMONY — John Beall of the Sheriff's Office testifies in the Lacy Jo Lee Boles murder trial

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: could you state your name please sir my name is John Curtis Bell and how do you spell your last [00:00:12] John Curtis Bell: name B E A L L and how are you employed currently yes sir currently I work for Kraft power I work in power generation you work for whom Kraft power k-r-a-f-t and what do you do for Kraft power I work [00:00:34] Speaker 1: on industrial generators for emergency power systems try to use a microphone sorry you can you pull that you should be able to pull it towards you so make it more comfortable for you to speak into it okay [00:00:51] Speaker 3: so what do you do for Kraft power I work on industrial generators for emergency power systems and how long have you been doing that currently a little over five years and do you live in this area still or do you [00:01:12] Speaker 1: live elsewhere I live in a surrounding county all right and before you work for Kraft power for whom [00:01:23] Speaker 3: did you work I work a short period of time for Yates which I rebuilt industrial hydraulic cylinders and before that I worked slightly over five years at Pauline County Sheriff's Office [00:01:45] Speaker 1: now what is your education level to be able to do all this hydraulic and power stuff I went to school for and when you were working for the Pauline County Sheriff's Office did you have this education already completed [00:02:06] Speaker 3: or not I went to school at Nashville Auto Diesel College in Nashville Tennessee and so you work for the Pauline County Sheriff's Office from when to when I can't quote exact dates I want to say that I left the sheriff's office in early 2021 so somewhere 2016 2017 I started my employment in Pauline County [00:02:41] Speaker 1: and what drew you to Pauline County Sheriff's Office that's the neighboring county from which I grew up in [00:02:52] Speaker 3: I originally was attempting to to go into the Coast Guard and at that time I did not weigh enough for my current height so I looked elsewhere to serve my community and attempted employment at Pauline County and was [00:03:10] Speaker 1: hired on okay so when you came to Pauline County what was your job assignment when you [00:03:20] Speaker 3: first got employed here when I first started at Pauline County yeah I was a jailer I worked over in the jail when it was located at its old location okay so [00:03:32] Speaker 1: when you came to Pauline County were you a post certified law enforcement officer at that [00:03:36] Speaker 3: point not at the time of fire [00:03:38] Speaker 1: and so what made you decide to become a post certified law enforcement officer yeah [00:03:46] Speaker 3: I wanted to help people [00:03:47] Speaker 1: and how long did it take you to become a post certified law enforcement officer [00:03:54] Speaker 3: I worked in the jail for two years before I was eligible to be sent to post upon completing post I did well before post Pauline County put me through a pre I don't remember the exact title but they they sent me through a series of training to make sure that I would be able to qualify being sent to post after post I completed FTO that entire training process to be on patrol was approximately a year [00:04:24] Speaker 1: now you said something before the training for post did you say FTO is the process that you [00:04:36] Speaker 3: go through as soon as you complete post FTO is you're being served you have a supervisor or a direct training officer that you're assigned as upon completion of post typically you have two to three FTO officers that that put you through your training before you're allowed to be on patrol on your own [00:04:59] Speaker 1: okay and in December of 2019 who was your FTO my FTO was deputy Witsup and how long was he your FTO [00:05:20] Speaker 3: off the top of my head I can't give you an exact amount of weeks I want to say an estimated six to eight weeks [00:05:32] Speaker 1: and now what does uh were you a trainee is that before you were classified as at that time yes sir and what does the FTO do with regard to you as a trainee so post mandate you learn the laws and and the [00:05:56] Speaker 3: knowledge that you should have when it comes to what gives you the right to make arrest and how to further have officer safety in a classroom setting and the FTO process is a first-hand experience as to what it takes to be a successful police officer or sheriff's deputy and how to conduct yourself in a professional manner be safe make sure that you're aware of your surrounding at all times learn the county learn the roads of the county that you're working in and supervise or observe other deputies at normal day-to-day actions and take from their operating procedures and apply them to your own once you're on your own [00:06:48] Speaker 1: now on December 22nd of 2019 did you get called to a scene at 83 Braindale court yes sir I did and do you know what county that's in that is in Fallon County [00:07:04] Speaker 3: and what if anything did you do after receiving this call at the time that was my very first night in a patrol car after my post mandate that was my very first night on patrol in the FTO program under deputy what's it so deputy what's it so deputy what's it was the driving officer that night and I was in the passenger seat uh... uh... uh... uh... uh... uh... being driven to this uh... incident site [00:07:35] Speaker 1: uh... uh... uh... uh... uh... uh... uh... uh... uh... uh... uh... uh... at the time of leaving [00:07:47] Speaker 3: uh... uh... we met with at the time of leaving or at that time it was uh... Captain Pace who was uh... at the residence he informed us of where the incident took place inside the residence and uh... I proceeded to uh... enter the residence through the front door uh... upon going through the front door uh... uh... do you want me to continue? Yes sir. upon going through the front door uh... me and Deb uh... me and deputy what's it observed uh... blood on the inside of the front door knob and as we were told by Captain Pace at the time that the incident and what that took place that night happened down stairs in the lower level room so as I proceeded down the stairs I witness some blood spatter or blood smearing um... there was blood on the railing of the stairs going down uh... and as soon as I took a left hand turn to the lower room uh... the uh... the individual was laying right there uh... and what if anything did you notice about the person laying right there uh... I observed the individual having a gunshot wound to the head uh... he was lying um... feet at the doorway on his back uh... he had a mcdonald's cup on his left side of his body that had ice still in it and there was ice scattered across the carpet outside of the cup uh... beside that there was a mcdonald's bag that had a bloody hand print on it and there was a uh... blood covered gun that was uh... in the individual's hands [00:09:38] Speaker 1: and what if anything did you do when you observed all of this occurring [00:09:50] Speaker 3: uh... I turned my attention to Deputy Whitsitt because this is the first crime scene that I had ever stepped foot on uh... he told me just to observe and make sure not to make contact with any... any items that were in the rim uh... after observing what I did um... I did notice a trash can that was uh... off the side of the victim that had blood splatter on it and there was also some blood splatter that was on the drywall uh... once I observed what I did uh... Deputy Whitsitt told me to go relieve Deputy Hanna at the front door and have the crime scene log handed over to me so that I could check in any other individuals that entered and exited the residence uh... so... when you're on the scene did you touch anything or move anything... no sir... [00:10:48] Speaker 1: and... when you got on the scene... what if anything did you observe in the way of people on the scene... and... when you got on the scene... what if anything did you observe in the way of people on the scene... [00:11:13] Speaker 3: uh... it would be hard to state any further uh... just due to the amount of time that has passed between the incident and now uh... once... once I removed... relieved Deputy Hanna at the front door uh... and was checking people in and out of the scene... uh... I did not go further down the stairs... I... I stayed at the... the doorway... any other individuals that were inside the residence at the time of me being downstairs... uh... I... I do not recall... [00:11:44] Speaker 1: Okay... when you got downstairs and you're... you're in this room... was there any particular odor that you became aware of? [00:11:53] Speaker 3: Yes sir... it... it... it smelled like McDonald's uh... as soon as I started going down the stairs... [00:12:00] Speaker 1: and... and was it... strong or faint odor? [00:12:03] Speaker 3: It was very strong... as if uh... you were pulling through a drive-thru and... you just rolled the window down... and they're handing you your food... you can smell it predominantly... [00:12:20] Speaker 1: and were you able to notice if the bag you saw there had any food in it or...? [00:12:26] Speaker 3: To my recollection... the bag had been... as if it was in a position that somebody used it... to... balance themself as they were standing... possibly... the bag was squished... um... so the hand print... I... I cannot further explain... but I... I... I did not want to... get any closer to interfere with any possible... evidence being contaminated... [00:12:49] Speaker 1: Alright... did you touch that McDonald's bag at all? [00:12:53] Speaker 3: No sir... I did not... [00:12:57] Speaker 1: So... You... you... you observed the... blood... You see it on the... near this trash can... and going down the stairwell... is that right? [00:13:12] John Curtis Bell: Yes sir... [00:13:14] Speaker 1: And... did you also notice it on the... front door did you say? [00:13:17] Speaker 3: Yes sir... there was blood on the front door... and... I recall that... as if it were yesterday... because... as I was... checking people in and out... that were coming through the front door... I was asking individuals to stay clear of the front door knob... due to the blood that was on it... [00:13:33] Speaker ?: Thank you. [00:14:03] Speaker 1: Thank you. Mr. Bill, these exhibits I'm handing you have already been admitted into evidence. I just want you to look at them and make sure you can recognize them before I have you explain to the jury what they are. I just want you to look at them. [00:14:49] Speaker ?: I just want you to look at them. I just want you to look at them. I just want you to look at them. I just want you to look at them. I just want you to look at them. I just want you to look at them. I just want you to look at them. I just want you to look at them. I just want you to look at them. I just want you to look at them. I just want you to look at them. I just want you to look at them. I just want you to look at them. I just want you to look at them. I just want you to look at them. I just want you to look at them. [00:15:13] Speaker 1: I just want you to look at them. I just want you to look at them. [00:15:39] John Curtis Bell: I just want you to look at them. [00:15:41] Speaker 1: I just want you to look at them. [00:15:42] Speaker ?: I just want you to look at them. I just want you to look at them. [00:15:45] Speaker 1: I just want you to look at them. I just want you to look at them. I just want you to look at them. Okay. I just want you to look at them. I just want you to look at them. [00:15:53] Speaker ?: I just want you to look at them. I just want you to look at them. I just want you to look at them. I want you to look at them. I want you to look at them. I want you to look at them. [00:15:59] Speaker 3: I want you to look at them. I want you to look at them. [00:16:01] Speaker ?: I want you to look at them. [00:16:02] Speaker 1: I want you to look at them. I want you to look at them. I want you to look at them. I want you to look at them. I want you to look at them. Is that the trash can you were talking about? Right there. And there's the cup. And there's the feet of Mr. Akers. [00:16:12] John Curtis Bell: Yes, sir. [00:16:13] Speaker 1: I want you to look at them. Okay. And then it's exhibit number 72. If you look at that, that's a little closer version of the trash can. Is that correct? Yes, sir, it is. And then these items on the wall that I'm circling right here. Can you tell what those are? Do you remember what those were when you saw them in person there? [00:16:40] Speaker 3: They appear to be blood splatters. [00:16:42] Speaker 1: Okay. And state exhibit number 74 is another close-up picture of that. Can you see that? Yes, sir. Let me zoom in on that a little bit more, Mr. Burke. And state exhibit number 75, is that again the same sort of picture? [00:17:11] John Curtis Bell: Yes, sir, it is. Yes, sir, it is. [00:17:13] Speaker 1: Right. Okay. And state exhibit number 73. This is even the closer version of that photograph. Is that correct? [00:17:28] John Curtis Bell: Yes, sir. [00:17:29] Speaker 1: Now, I'm going to switch to another section. And this is state exhibit number 15. Can you tell me what this is a photograph of? [00:17:41] Speaker 3: That is the photo of the inside of the front door. [00:17:44] Speaker 1: Okay. And how is it that you happened to notice that there was blood on the front door handle? [00:17:51] Speaker 3: To be honest with you, sir, that was my first step onto a crime scene. So I was very aware of where I was placing my body. Okay. [00:18:00] Speaker 1: And so did you say you directed other people with regard to that door handle? Yes, sir. [00:18:06] Speaker 3: As I had the crime scene log, I stood when that door was open as people were coming in and out. And as people were passing that door, I informed them not to touch it. All right, sir. [00:18:18] Speaker 1: And state exhibit number 16. Now, that's the door handle again. Is that correct? [00:18:29] John Curtis Bell: That is, sir. [00:18:30] Speaker 1: And that's a little bit closer. And then state exhibit number 17, is that the picture of the door handle as well? [00:18:41] John Curtis Bell: Yes, sir, it is. [00:18:42] Speaker 1: And is that even closer than state exhibit number 16? [00:18:46] Speaker 3: Yes, sir. It is a closer image, sir. Okay. [00:18:49] Speaker 1: And then state exhibit number 18, is that even closer to the door handle? Yes, sir. Yes, sir, it is. And what is this area right here on that door handle? Can you see what that is? And if not, I can hand you the picture back. [00:19:14] Speaker 3: When you're referring to what area, could you point? [00:19:17] Speaker 1: Let me look at the picture and see if that makes it a little clearer for you. [00:19:20] Speaker 3: Are you referring to right here? Yes, sir. Yes, sir. That is the top of the door handle on the inside. [00:19:25] Speaker 1: And that area there? Yes, sir. What did that appear to be to you? [00:19:29] Speaker 3: It appeared to be a smudge substance, which appeared to be blood to me. [00:19:34] Speaker 1: All right. And state exhibit number 19? [00:19:48] Speaker 3: That is the same, sir. Okay. [00:19:50] Speaker 1: And state exhibit number 20, what is that, sir? [00:19:59] Speaker 3: To me, that is the better of the pictures to assist in the identification of the substance that was on that door, which I believe to be possibly blood. All right. [00:20:12] Speaker ?: Thank you. [00:20:12] Speaker 1: Okay. Now, state exhibit number 21, you can recognize that. [00:20:30] Speaker 3: That is a view of the upper part of the stairs at this center partition. When you walk into the front door, the stairs go vertically to the top floor on the left and on the right side, coming in from the house of the front door, are the stairs leading down to where the incident scene is directly to the left at the bottom of those stairs. [00:21:06] Speaker 1: And state exhibit number 22, is this that same stairwell but from a little bit different angle? [00:21:17] Speaker 3: Yes, sir, it is. [00:21:19] Speaker 1: And state exhibit number 23, is that the same stairwell? [00:21:30] John Curtis Bell: It is, sir. [00:21:31] Speaker 1: And you said that something at the stairwell caught your eye. And I'm going to show you state exhibit number 25 and see if you can recognize anything in that photograph that may have caught your eye that morning. [00:21:50] Speaker 3: Yes, sir. It was another substance that appeared to be blood to me at the bottom portion of the railing. [00:21:59] Speaker 1: And are you talking about this area right here? Can you see that or not? I cannot see. This area right here, is that what you're talking about? Yes, sir. This area right here? [00:22:16] John Curtis Bell: Yes, sir. [00:22:17] Speaker 1: And then I'll show you state exhibit number 24. Can I just make it a little clearer for you right here and right here? [00:22:30] John Curtis Bell: Yes, sir. [00:22:31] Speaker 1: And then state exhibit number 20A, right here, does that even make it clearer for you? [00:22:42] John Curtis Bell: Yes, sir. [00:22:43] Speaker ?: Yes, sir. [00:22:43] Speaker 1: And then state exhibit number, I believe it's number 20, either 20 or 20 state. [00:23:01] John Curtis Bell: Yes, sir. [00:23:02] Speaker 1: And I want to ask that this witness be like to step off the witness stand and approach the jury box with these photos. I see the overhead display is very accommodating sometimes, but the... [00:23:24] Speaker 4: Okay. All right, well, he can step down and council can move however he can do for this purpose. [00:23:29] Speaker 1: And if you would step down a little bit. And unfortunately, the exactness and intensity of the display on the screen is not as good as what is in the photograph. So I want you to start with state exhibit number 17 and show it to the jury. And just hold it up here and just walk down in front of this jury box and show each of them this voter brand. And is that the door knob you saw that you thought had one on it, sir? Yes, sir. That is the inside of the front. And then state exhibit number 20, if you could show that as well and walk down in front of the jury box with regard to that. [00:24:30] Speaker 5: And then state exhibit number 19, if you could do the same thing as that. [00:24:47] Speaker ?: Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. [00:24:51] Speaker 5: Now, Mr. P. I'll ask you to retake the witness thing, if you would. [00:25:07] Speaker ?: And when did you leave that crime scene area? When did I leave? Yes, sir. How long were you there approximately? I do not recall the exact time. [00:25:31] Speaker 1: I know I was there for a few hours, but it was late in the night, maybe possibly shortly after 2:00. Okay. Are you familiar with the crime scene log? Yes, sir. And did you sign in on the crime scene log? I did sign in on the crime scene log. I did sign in on the crime scene log. I did sign in on the crime scene log. [00:25:41] Speaker ?: I did sign in on the crime scene log. Yes, sir. [00:25:43] Speaker 3: And did you sign in on the crime scene log? Yes, sir. And did you sign in on the crime scene log? I did sign in on the crime scene log. Yes, sir. And did you sign in on the crime scene log? Yes, sir. And did you sign in on the crime scene log? Yes, sir. And did you sign in on the crime scene log? [00:25:54] Speaker 1: Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. And did you sign in on the crime scene log? I did, sir. And did you sign out on the crime scene log? [00:26:03] Speaker 3: Yes, sir, I did. [00:26:24] Speaker ?: I did sign in on the crime scene log. Yes, sir. And did you sign in on the crime scene log? Yes, sir. And did you sign in on the crime scene log? Yes, sir. And did you sign in on the crime scene log? Yes, sir. And did you sign in on the crime scene log? Yes, sir. And did you sign in on the crime scene log? Yes, sir. [00:26:36] Speaker 1: And did you sign in on the crime scene log? Yes, sir. And did you sign in on the crime scene log? Yes, sir. And did you sign in on the crime scene log? Yes, sir. And did you sign in on the crime scene log? Yes, sir. And did you sign in on the crime scene log? Yes, sir. And is this what you're talking about when you said crime scene log? Yes, sir. And did you see your signature on that page? [00:26:55] Speaker 3: I do, sir. I am the fourth from the bottom. [00:26:58] Speaker 1: Okay, you say it's the fourth from the bottom? Yes, sir. [00:27:02] Speaker 3: Deputy Jay Bell. [00:27:03] Speaker 1: Right here? And it shows you had signed in at one, is that 118? [00:27:15] Speaker ?: Yes, sir. [00:27:16] Speaker 3: Yes, sir. Yes, sir. [00:27:18] Speaker 1: And then it looks like you may have signed out. [00:27:22] Speaker 3: That is 0150,000, sir. [00:27:25] Speaker 1: Okay. So almost 2 o'clock? [00:27:27] Speaker 3: Yes, sir. [00:27:28] Speaker 1: In the morning? [00:27:29] Speaker 3: Yes, sir. [00:27:30] Speaker 1: All right. Your Honor, that's all the questions I have with Mr. Bill. He's with you, counsel. [00:27:39] Speaker 4: Good afternoon, Mr. Bill. My name is Raymond Lael, and I, along with Mr. Steele, represent Ms. Bowles in this case. Yes, sir. It's okay to call you Mr. Bill at this point? Yes, sir. Okay. Very good. Thank you. So it's already been mentioned, this was your, you're just out of training. Yes, sir. You're with your officer, and he's like, okay, man, we're going to a very serious scene. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. You would agree with me they don't get much more serious than this? I would agree. And from your testimony, I believe you said a couple of times, you recall this as if it was yesterday? Parts of the scene, yes, sir. Okay. Because you want to be a law enforcement officer, and here's your first call, and it's the most important crime scene, arguably, correct? Yes, sir. Okay. And I believe you also said you were very aware of where you were in that house, because of the nature of the alleged incident. [00:28:58] Speaker 3: Yes, sir. Okay. It's, to be sent to mandate, you have to earn that as you get through employment. That was the very nature of me being there on a crime scene for my first time. I was very aware of where I was to make sure that I did not make any mistakes. [00:29:16] Speaker 4: Very good. And you sit here today, I know it's been seven years ago, but you do have a, you've indicated you have a distinct recollection of what happened? Yes, sir. Okay. And along those same lines, some of your training is with regard to police reports. Yes, sir. Because those are very important pieces of documentation in a case, because you may be called on years, or weeks, or days later to recall, or maybe like this, years later. Yes, sir. So it's very important to get, to get the police report correct. I would agree, sir. It's also important to do it very close in time to the incident so you don't forget anything. Yes, sir. Right? And if you do remember something later on, then you certainly can file a supplemental to that report. If you remember something else and you would label that a supplemental and you would put it with the original report, correct? Yes, sir. Okay. I can approach. Approach those things. You recall that document? Yes. [00:30:29] Speaker ?: Yes. Yes. Okay. [00:30:33] Speaker 4: And how do you recall that document? [00:30:42] John Curtis Bell: That was the report that I typed up after the fact. Very good. Yes, sir. Okay. [00:30:50] Speaker 4: Have you had a chance to review this report before coming here today regarding your testimony? Yes, sir. [00:30:57] John Curtis Bell: I read it a few times. Before stepping in here. Okay. [00:31:05] Speaker 3: When was the last time you read it? Maybe an hour, hour and a half ago. Okay. [00:31:10] Speaker 4: So you're familiar with it. You've refreshed your recollection. Yes, sir. Okay. And if you need to refresh it again, I certainly have a copy and I can provide that to you. Yes. Thank you. And your report indicates that the date on it was 12/22/19, correct? Correct. Okay. And the report also has a place at the bottom for a supervisor to sign off on your report. Correct? It does. Certainly as a trainee, as a new officer, that's important to get with a supervisor to have his approval or her approval of your report. Yes, sir. And you do that like you're supposed to, correct? [00:31:46] Speaker 3: All reports get signed off by the supervisors at the end of the shifts. Perfect. [00:31:50] Speaker 4: Now, in your report, as you displayed some photos to the jury earlier, some exhibits. Yes, sir. And you noticed, as you indicated, there was some blood on the inside door handle of the home. [00:32:13] Speaker 3: Yes, sir. [00:32:14] Speaker 4: Okay. Did you realize that Ms. Bowles, when she was on the phone with 911, 911 asked her to go make sure the front door was unlocked. Were you aware of that? Yes, sir. Okay. And she also indicated she had a blood on her hands. Did you know that? No, sir. [00:32:35] Speaker 3: I just documented what I saw. Okay. [00:32:38] Speaker 4: So if she had a blood on her hands and if she opened the front door, that's probably how I got there, right? [00:32:44] Speaker 3: Yes, sir. I had no contact with Ms. Bowles except as she went out the front door to be in the front yard where EMS was after she left the residence. [00:32:55] Speaker 4: Okay. So when you arrived, did you ever go upstairs or no? No, sir. Okay. So you were always downstairs and at some point you were downstairs where Mr. Akers was, correct? [00:33:09] John Curtis Bell: For a short time, yes, sir. [00:33:10] Speaker 4: Okay. Very good. But in your report, you put some information in your report regarding your impressions from when you were down there, correct? Yes, sir. Okay. And one of the things you indicate is you noticed the McDonald's cup line knocked over by Mr. Akers' left leg and it's in your report. Yes, sir. Do you have any clue how that got knocked over? [00:33:40] Speaker 3: Yes, sir. [00:33:41] Speaker 4: Okay. You didn't talk to any other officers on the scene about it? No, sir. [00:33:45] Speaker 3: I just, everything in my documentation was just what I witnessed. Gotcha. Yes, sir. [00:33:52] Speaker 4: All right. And with regard to the McDonald's bag, you didn't just indicate that it had blood on it. You indicated that it looked like a bloody handprint. Yes, sir. You remember that? [00:34:06] John Curtis Bell: Yes, sir. [00:34:07] Speaker 4: Yes, sir. [00:34:08] Speaker ?: You didn't just say a minuscule amount of blood. You said a lot of blood. You said a lot of blood. [00:34:11] Speaker 4: Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. And you remember that? Yes, sir. You didn't just say a minuscule amount of blood. You said a lot of blood. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. [00:34:20] Speaker ?: And you remember that? [00:34:21] Speaker 4: Yes, sir. You didn't just say a minuscule amount of blood. You said a lot of blood. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. [00:34:26] Speaker ?: Yes, sir. [00:34:27] Speaker 4: And you remember that? Yes, sir. You didn't just say a minuscule amount of blood. You said a lot of blood. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Perfect. You said a lot of blood. [00:34:37] Speaker 3: A lot to me would be a majority of the visual of the gun would have blood on it. Yes, sir. There was a decent amount of blood. Okay. Enough to where to state it was a lot of blood. Okay. [00:34:52] Speaker 4: There's not some smear smudge. Yes, sir. Correct. [00:34:56] Speaker ?: Okay. [00:34:57] Speaker 4: So, at some point you took over the scene log. No, the crime scene log. Yes, sir. Okay. All right. And did you stay with that until you left, until somebody relieved you from doing that? Yes, sir. [00:35:22] Speaker 3: After my brief time downstairs, I can't tell you exactly how long I was at the bottom of the stairs. Deputy Whitsitt told me to go relieve Deputy Hannah at the front door with the crime scene log. And that is where I stayed until Deputy Hannah came back to relieve me. At that point, I left the scene. Okay. And did you leave by yourself or did you go back into service? I went back into service with Deputy Whitsitt, but I did not go back down the stairs. Once I was relieved by Deputy Hannah, I immediately took a sidestep outside of the residence at the threshold of the door and was no longer in the house. [00:35:59] Speaker ?: Okay. [00:36:04] John Curtis Bell: Let me just have one more. [00:36:13] Speaker ?: Let me just have one more. Thank you. [00:36:41] Speaker 4: Okay. So I think you testified Ms. Bowles was hysterical. Would that be a correct way to say that? [00:36:50] Speaker 3: Well, while standing at the threshold of the door, I could hear Ms. Bowles in the living room. What sounded like very loud, upset, crying. Yes, sir. [00:37:05] Speaker 4: Crying and screaming and just... Yes. Yes, sir. Okay. Did you have any interaction with her at all? No, sir. Okay. I believe you indicated in your report she was taken by the EMTs to leave. [00:37:20] Speaker 3: When she exited the residence, it was while EMS was parked out in front of the residence. Whether she left in the ambulance or EMS, that I do not know. I was more concerned as to making sure anybody coming in and out of that threshold was signing that document. Okay, man. [00:37:39] John Curtis Bell: Got you. [00:37:40] Speaker ?: Okay. All right. Thanks. Thank you. Thank you. [00:37:52] Speaker 4: Thank you. [00:37:53] Speaker ?: Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Bill, I'll show you what has previously been marked for a demo case in the States Exhibit Number 61. And I want you to pay close attention to this weapon here. Do you see that weapon there? Yes, sir. [00:38:15] Speaker 1: And is this the blood smear you're talking about right here that I'm circling right about in the middle of the bottom of the handle of the weapon? Is that the blood smear you're talking about? [00:38:32] John Curtis Bell: Yes, sir. [00:38:33] Speaker 1: Yes, sir. And is this the blood smear you're talking about right here that I'm circling right about in the middle of the bottom of the handle of the weapon? Is that the blood smear you're talking about there? Yes, sir. [00:38:46] Speaker 3: There is. Okay. [00:38:48] Speaker 1: And did you have occasion to sort of right there looking at this weapon and the blood smears on the grip of this weapon? Did you happen to notice the victim's left hand and the amount of blood or amount of non-blood or no blood on his left hand? Did you happen to? [00:39:10] John Curtis Bell: Yes, sir. I did. [00:39:12] Speaker 1: Did that impress you that there was no blood on his left hand but there was blood on the gun? [00:39:17] Speaker ?: Yes, sir. [00:39:18] Speaker 3: I do recall that but at the same time I did not get close enough to get to the point to possibly put anything inaccurate in my report. I did not want to contaminate anything. [00:39:37] Speaker 1: So what you actually detailed in your report is specifically what you saw when you arrived on the scene. You were not doing an investigation. You were just reporting what you could visibly observe. Yes, sir. [00:39:52] Speaker 3: Is that correct? Yes, sir. It was my first crime scene and I was there to document what I saw but anything further was out of my position. [00:40:06] Speaker 1: Did this make you decide maybe you didn't want to do police work? [00:40:11] Speaker 3: No, sir. I continued to be on patrol for another two years. [00:40:15] Speaker 1: So why did you leave police work? [00:40:18] Speaker 3: The entire time at Pawland County I was on night shift. I just attempted to get onto a day shift position and at that time due to the economy it was just hard to have other trained deputies come in and be on night shift. [00:40:35] Speaker 1: The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. [00:40:41] Speaker ?: The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. [00:40:49] Speaker 4: The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. [00:41:01] Speaker 3: The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. [00:41:23] Speaker 4: The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. [00:41:48] Speaker 3: The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The entire time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. [00:41:56] Speaker ?: The whole time was on night shift. [00:41:57] Speaker 3: The whole time was on night shift. [00:41:58] Speaker 4: The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. [00:42:00] Speaker ?: The whole time was on night shift. [00:42:01] Speaker 3: The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. [00:42:07] Speaker 4: The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. [00:42:18] Speaker 3: The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. [00:42:24] Speaker 4: The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. [00:42:48] Speaker 3: The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. [00:43:06] Speaker ?: The whole time was on night shift. [00:43:07] Speaker 3: The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. The whole time was on night shift. [00:43:18] Speaker ?: Thank you.