Shocking Key Moments in The Poison Playbook Murder Trial

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: And what did you do when you got there? [00:00:02] Speaker 2: When we got there, we said hi, and Jade started, like, packing up the food, and she, like, put the foil on it, put it in a bag, and kind of set it off to the side. And I, we were just, like, chit-chatting about what they were going to paint, and we talked about, like, going to a concert, and we were laughing at the fact that I didn't know how to play spades. So that was pretty much, like, the basis of the conversation. [00:00:35] Speaker 1: And can you describe Jade's kind of kitchen area when you got there? Was there food out that they were eating, or kind of what was the setup at the point you got there? [00:00:47] Speaker 2: When I got there, the food was on the stove. It was kind of packaged. The canvases were kind of off to the side. The island was pretty clear. I didn't, you know, and Jade had a glass of, like, a pink drink, and Blaze wasn't drinking anything. There was no cup in front of Blaze. [00:01:11] Speaker 1: And did you drink anything while you were there? [00:01:14] Speaker 2: I didn't drill. [00:01:15] Speaker 1: Was that something you brought with you? [00:01:17] Speaker 2: I did not. [00:01:17] Speaker 1: What was Mr. Taylor doing, and where was he at in the room? [00:01:26] Speaker 2: He was sitting beside Jade at the island, and he was engaging with some of the conversations, and he was just shuffling Uno cards the whole time. [00:01:38] Speaker 1: Was anybody playing Uno? [00:01:40] Speaker 2: No. [00:01:41] Speaker 1: But he was shuffling cards. [00:01:43] Speaker 2: Mm-hmm. [00:01:45] Speaker 1: And did Mr. Jones, did he interact with Mr. Taylor? [00:01:50] Speaker 2: Yeah, like, ever so slightly. It was kind of like a conversation just in the kitchen. [00:01:58] Speaker 1: And do you know approximately how long you'll stay? [00:02:03] Speaker 2: Probably, like, a little over 15 minutes, like, 15 to 30 minutes. [00:02:08] Speaker 1: And during that time, did you, did anything seem amiss to you? [00:02:16] Speaker 2: Nothing too alarming except the comment he made about his artwork that he was going to make because the whole basis of this project was to make something for the baby's room. [00:02:28] Speaker 3: Your Honor, hearsay. It's a statement by the defendant, Your Honor. Okay, I don't think she's gotten there yet, but do you want to ask about what? [00:02:39] Speaker 1: Yes. He said that he made a comment about the painting he was going to do. What was his comment? [00:02:45] Speaker 2: Um, I had asked, like, what they were going to paint, and Jake was like, I'm going to make something. [00:02:49] Speaker 1: Possession, you're sick. [00:02:52] Speaker 3: You carry her, um... [00:02:55] Speaker ?: I think it's unnecessary, so no. [00:03:01] Speaker 1: I do think it goes to Jade's state of mind, Your Honor. But... [00:03:04] Speaker 3: All right, you. I'll remember the objection that it goes into. Was that comment from Mr. Taylor right after the discussion with the artwork with Ms. Benning? [00:03:19] Speaker 2: Uh, yes. [00:03:20] Speaker 3: Okay. All right, go ahead. [00:03:21] Speaker 1: What did Ms. Benning say she was planning on painting? [00:03:24] Speaker 2: She said that she was going to paint something for the baby's room. Um, she didn't know what yet, but she knew that's what... She was going to paint something to hang in Ivy's room. And when I asked Glaze what he was going to paint, he told me he was going to paint a black hole. And I was like, a black hole? And he was like, yeah, I'm going to call it midnight. The further you look, the deeper you'll go. And I was like, okay. You know, but I was like, well, why don't we just add, like, a little bit of white to the, you know, canvas to make it look a little lively, and that was kind of that. But it was a very dark demeanor about this painting after Jade said that she was going to make something for the baby's room. [00:04:09] Speaker 1: And were they actually painting while you were there? [00:04:12] Speaker 2: No. [00:04:13] Speaker 1: So this was discussions about what we're about to do? Yes. Um, and was anything else in this other than the comment that he made about the painting? [00:04:27] Speaker 2: Um, not that I can think of or remember. [00:04:33] Speaker 1: And did you get food? [00:04:35] Speaker 2: I did. [00:04:36] Speaker 1: And did y'all leave? [00:04:37] Speaker 2: We did. [00:04:38] Speaker 1: And after you left, did you communicate with Jade after you left? [00:04:44] Speaker 2: Yes. [00:04:45] Speaker 1: Um, and you don't have to tell me what you said, but how did you communicate with her? [00:04:51] Speaker 2: I text her. [00:04:52] Speaker 1: And did she respond? [00:04:53] Speaker 2: Yes. [00:04:54] Speaker 1: And did you have a couple of texts back and forth? [00:04:56] Speaker 2: Yes. [00:04:58] Speaker 1: Um, and can you describe Jade's demeanor when you left? [00:05:02] Speaker 2: She seemed really happy. Um, very excited to spend the rest of the night with Blaze and probably excited that I was leaving now. [00:05:12] Speaker 1: Um, when you left, where did you go? [00:05:16] Speaker 2: To Keontae's house. [00:05:18] Speaker 1: And what did you do when you got there? [00:05:20] Speaker 2: I ate my chicken Alfredo. [00:05:22] Speaker 1: And were you planning on hanging out with Mr. Jones all night, or what was your kind of plan for that night? [00:05:29] Speaker 2: No, I just stopped by. We were just studying, got food. We were just, like, hanging out, and I was about to go home. [00:05:37] Speaker 1: And did you actually leave Mr. Jones' house? [00:05:40] Speaker 2: I did. [00:05:41] Speaker 1: Um, did you stop anywhere before you got home? [00:05:44] Speaker 2: Yes. [00:05:44] Speaker 1: And where did you stop? [00:05:46] Speaker 2: A gas station. [00:05:48] Speaker 1: And what, if anything, happened while you were there? [00:05:52] Speaker 2: Um, I was pumping gas. And as I was walking back to my car, I get a phone call from Jade. And I answered it, and I was like, hello? Just normal? And she immediately starts saying, what did you do? What did you put in my dream? Then I heard her say, Blaze, you're scaring me. And he was like, you're scaring me. And she was like, I know you put something in my dream. She was like, I know my dream tasted funny. And she was asking him to empty his pockets. And she was like, let me see what's in your pocket. Let me see. And he was like, I don't have anything. So this whole time, I'm like, Jade, Jade, like, trying to get a response from her. [00:07:11] Speaker 4: So because I didn't get a response from her, I texted her. [00:07:15] Speaker 2: And I was like, are you talking to me? What's going on? And then she was like, I know you put something in my drink because I can't even walk to drink. [00:07:33] Speaker 4: She was saying that she couldn't feel her legs. [00:07:38] Speaker 2: And then she said it again. And she was like, can you put something in my drink? [00:07:43] Speaker 4: You did this so something could happen to me. [00:07:48] Speaker 3: Give her just give her just a moment. Do you need Kleenex? I won't let everybody be able to hear the number one, but then I'll let you call them. [00:08:15] Speaker ?: Okay. [00:08:17] Speaker 4: Can you repeat the last thing that you heard Jade say? She said that you did this so something could happen to the baby. Did she say anything else? She was saying like, I feel like I'm about to pass out. And then towards the end of the conversation, she was like, is key. And then nothing else. She was like saying it was very wavy. And she was like, is I heard is and I heard with and I heard key. And so I then merged Keontae on the phone because I'm like, I don't know what's wrong with Jade. [00:09:10] Speaker 2: Like something sounds wrong. Like listen to her. And he's like, Jade, like I'm here. [00:09:15] Speaker 4: And at that point, you just really couldn't understand what she was saying anymore. [00:09:24] Speaker 1: Ms. Jackson, I want to kind of go back at the beginning of the call when you could understand Jade. Can you describe, based off of your experience, how did she sound? [00:09:40] Speaker 4: She sounded like very scared. She did not sound like herself. [00:09:48] Speaker 2: She sounded like she needed help. [00:09:55] Speaker 1: Did you say she sounded like she needed help? Yes. Yes. When she was saying the things that you just described to, did she say some of those phrases more than once? [00:10:13] Speaker 4: Yes. [00:10:15] Speaker 1: And you said at the beginning, she said, place you're scaring me. Yes. The only thing he responded to was when she said that he was scaring her. [00:10:38] Speaker 4: He then said, like, you're scaring me. [00:10:40] Speaker 2: And then when he was asking her if she had any, I mean, when she was asking if he had anything in his pockets and for him to show her, he was like, I don't have anything. And that was kind of all he said. [00:10:53] Speaker 1: So you could hear him on that call. [00:10:56] Speaker 2: Yes. [00:10:57] Speaker 1: And that's all he said during that whole time that Jane made all of those statements. Yes. So that she couldn't feel her legs. And she's asking him, what's in your hand? Show me your pockets. What did you put in my drink? I knew my drink tasted funny. You did not provide a response to any of that. No. And can you describe that call as a six-minute and nine-second call? Kind of at what point, is it just at the end, those last few words, that you really couldn't understand her? Yes. And you said you heard her say kind of three words. What were those again? [00:11:52] Speaker 2: I heard is, I heard with, and I heard key. [00:11:56] Speaker 1: And did you try to connect that to what that could possibly mean? [00:12:02] Speaker 2: Yes. I didn't understand what she was saying, but because she sounded so scared and Keontae was just there, we all call him key. So I was like, okay, like, she's obviously scared, like, she needs him to help her because she's with another man, and Keontae is a man. So when I added him on the phone, he's talking to her. [00:12:26] Speaker 1: Is she responding at all? No. At any time, did you think that Jade Benning was saying those phrases to you? [00:12:43] Speaker 4: No. [00:12:45] Speaker 1: And you only, you heard Mr. Taylor respond, and you heard her say, too, Blaise, you're scaring me. Yes. How did that call end? [00:13:00] Speaker 4: The phone hung up. [00:13:02] Speaker 1: Did you hang up? No. At any point, did Mr. Taylor say anything to you? [00:13:10] Speaker 4: No. [00:13:12] Speaker 1: And what did you do after that line got cut? [00:13:16] Speaker 4: I called back. [00:13:19] Speaker 1: Did you call back more than once? Yes. At some point, and you're calling back Ms. Benning's phone, is that correct? Correct. Did you have Blaise Taylor's phone to call him? [00:13:31] Speaker 2: No. [00:13:32] Speaker 1: At some point, was her phone answered? [00:13:36] Speaker 2: Yes. [00:13:37] Speaker 1: And who answered it when you called back? [00:13:39] Speaker 2: Blaise. [00:13:40] Speaker 1: And can you describe what was said in that phone call? [00:13:45] Speaker 2: I answered the phone, well, he answered the phone, and I was like, Blaise, what's going on? What's going on? Like, FaceTime me. Like, let me see her. And he doesn't FaceTime me, but he tells me that he's about to call 911. [00:14:06] Speaker 1: Did you ask him several times to FaceTime you? Yes. And you said that you asked him what was going on. Did he answer you? [00:14:16] Speaker 2: He just kept saying, I don't know. I don't know. [00:14:23] Speaker 1: Do you remember him saying anything else on that call? [00:14:28] Speaker 2: There was a point where he asked me if she had an EpiPen. [00:14:34] Speaker 1: Did that make any sense to you? [00:14:36] Speaker 2: Not at all. [00:14:40] Speaker 1: Did Jade have any allergies? Not to my knowledge. And at that moment, can you describe, do you know what's actually going on with Jade? [00:14:53] Speaker 2: No. [00:14:54] Speaker 1: So what do you do? [00:14:56] Speaker 2: After Blaise tells me that he's calling 911, he's like, I gotta go. Like, I'm calling 911. The phone disconnects again. That was not on me. And then I called Jade's mother. [00:15:09] Speaker 1: And, Ms. Jackson, do you remember, was Keontae Jones on that second call? Do you remember that specifically? And when I say second call, the call where you called her and Blaise Taylor answered? [00:15:22] Speaker 4: Yes. [00:15:25] Speaker 1: And do you remember if Keontae said anything to him or if he said anything back? [00:15:30] Speaker 2: He was asking him, what did he do? [00:15:35] Speaker 1: And you said that call got disconnected but not by you? [00:15:39] Speaker 2: Yes. [00:15:39] Speaker 1: And then you immediately called Jake Bending's mother? Yes. And were you still at the gas station or what were you doing? [00:15:48] Speaker 2: I was on the interstate trying to get to Jade's apartment. [00:15:51] Speaker 1: And did you make it to Jade's apartment? [00:15:56] Speaker 2: Yes. [00:15:57] Speaker 1: And can you describe when you got there what was going on? [00:16:07] Speaker 2: When I pulled up, the ambulance was already outside. Jade was already in the truck. [00:16:24] Speaker 4: Her head was to the side. And they were doing CPR. [00:16:37] Speaker 2: So, I'm still on the phone with Bridget at this point. [00:16:41] Speaker 4: And I'm trying to give her something. But I can't see her face. [00:16:47] Speaker 2: She's just really pale. [00:16:49] Speaker 4: She still has on the pajamas that she was wearing when I left. And Blaze is going back and forth, back and forth. And I'm just like, what happened? [00:17:00] Speaker 2: What happened? And then the EMT comes around and tells me that we all need to go to Vanderbilt. [00:17:12] Speaker 1: Could you tell if Jane Bending was conscious? No. Did she look conscious? No. And you said that you saw Mr. Taylor going back and forth, back and forth. Can you describe, what was his demeanor like when you saw him by the ambulance outside? [00:17:36] Speaker 2: It was just like very anxious, kind of panicky. But he couldn't answer. He couldn't tell me what was going on, what was said. Like, I had no idea what he even called 911 and said at this point in time. And when they tell us to leave, then we both leave and meet them at the ER. [00:17:58] Speaker 1: So he didn't tell you anything that happened? [00:18:01] Speaker 4: No. [00:18:01] Speaker 1: After you left? [00:18:02] Speaker 4: No. [00:18:05] Speaker 1: And do you drive to the ER? [00:18:07] Speaker 4: Yes. [00:18:08] Speaker 1: Do you see him again? [00:18:11] Speaker 4: Yes. [00:18:11] Speaker 2: I see him again in the parking lot when we get to the ER and when we walk into checking in at the hospital. Again, I'm still on the phone with Jay's mom. And we go to the check-in and they're asking, who are we here to see? I say Jay Benning. And they ask, what's her date of birth? But they were asking our relation to the patient. And I said, that's my best friend. And he told them that this was his girlfriend. And I had never heard that before. And so at this point, I'm very, very confused. I'm still trying to process and understand what I just heard on the phone. So then they asked for the patient's birthday. And since this is your girlfriend, tell her Jay's birthday. And he couldn't tell them her birthday. So I then provided that information for them. [00:19:16] Speaker 1: Did he tell them anything about what happened? [00:19:22] Speaker 2: The check-in? [00:19:23] Speaker ?: Yes. [00:19:23] Speaker 1: No. But you said he referred to her as his girlfriend. Yes. Did you believe them to be in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship? [00:19:33] Speaker 2: No. [00:19:35] Speaker 1: And do you ever heard anything about that? [00:19:37] Speaker 2: No. [00:19:39] Speaker 1: What was his kind of demeanor like to you? Was he kind of leaning on you for comfort? Was he asking you things about Jay? Or what was going on? What was he saying? We'd like to be your job, Jackson. [00:19:54] Speaker 3: Okay. You kind of had a common-found question there. You're asking this young lady what was Mr. Taylor's demeanor? Yes. What was his demeanor? She didn't answer that. [00:20:06] Speaker 1: Thank you, Your Honor. [00:20:08] Speaker 2: What was his demeanor? Um, it was not looking for comfort. Um, it was almost like he was just trying to figure out what was going on, but not necessarily. [00:20:23] Speaker 3: Okay. My demeanor, she's talking about emotions or quiet, not what your interpretation of it was. Okay. [00:20:32] Speaker 2: Um, was not crying. Um, his demeanor was very calm, per se, but more in terms of, like, trying, just trying to figure out what was going on, but not about the status of James. [00:20:47] Speaker 3: Objection, Your Honor. Okay. I'll sustain it, Jackson. What's your next question? [00:20:55] Speaker 1: Was he asking questions of the people at the hospital? [00:21:01] Speaker 2: I don't know. [00:21:03] Speaker 1: You don't remember him asking them anything? [00:21:06] Speaker 2: No. [00:21:06] Speaker 1: What were you doing? [00:21:09] Speaker 2: Trying to get some answers as to what just happened, what was Jade's state. I had nothing. Um, so I was in the room. We were in a room in the hospital, and I was just trying to figure out what was going on. [00:21:28] Speaker 1: Did you provide the hospital staff with identifying information about Jade? [00:21:33] Speaker 2: Yes. [00:21:34] Speaker 1: Did they ask you questions about her? Yes. And did you provide them with information about, kind of, her pregnancy and things like that? Yes. Um, and you said that you were in a room with Mr. Taylor. [00:21:52] Speaker 2: Mm-hmm. [00:21:52] Speaker 1: Was there anybody else in that room? [00:21:55] Speaker 2: Not at that time. [00:21:57] Speaker 1: And did you speak to him again? [00:22:02] Speaker 2: Uh, yes. [00:22:03] Speaker 1: And kind of, what were you saying, and what was his response? [00:22:06] Speaker 2: I was asking him what was going on, like, what happened. He kind of wasn't really giving me anything. Um, he kind of explained a little bit, like, that she just didn't feel good. And at this point, Keontae then calls again, and he's asking what's going on. And I'm obviously very flustered and upset, and Keontae then asks to speak to Blaze. [00:22:33] Speaker 1: And did you give the phone to Keontae? [00:22:36] Speaker 2: Yes. Multiple ways. [00:22:39] Speaker 1: Can you describe, you said that Mr. Taylor said that Ms. Benning wasn't feeling well. Mm-hmm. Do you remember anything specific he said about that? [00:22:48] Speaker 2: He said that, um, she felt woozy. He said that she felt woozy and needed to lie down. [00:22:56] Speaker 1: And that term woozy, was that something that was familiar to you? [00:23:01] Speaker 2: No. [00:23:02] Speaker 1: Is that something that Jake had ever, had she ever used that word? [00:23:06] Speaker 2: No. [00:23:08] Speaker 1: Um, did he say anything else about what happened? [00:23:12] Speaker 2: He said that they danced, that they ate, um, they played games, and then they painted, and then she felt woozy and she needed to lie down, and that she threw up. [00:23:26] Speaker 1: At what point, kind of, in the progression of events that night, did he say that she threw up? [00:23:34] Speaker 2: When, um, other hospital staff came in, and they were basically asking both of us, kind of, what happened from each of our perspectives, and when he's explaining it to someone, he then adds that in there, but I had known that she had thrown up prior to that statement. [00:23:53] Speaker 1: Was that the first time you ever heard him say that? [00:23:56] Speaker 2: Yes. [00:23:57] Speaker 1: And is it fair to say you had asked him a multitude of times what happened? [00:24:02] Speaker 2: Yes. [00:24:04] Speaker 1: And, so you're present when he's telling the hospital staff about what happened? Yes. Does he ever tell them what you heard Jake say to him on that phone call? [00:24:20] Speaker 2: No. [00:24:23] Speaker 1: At some point, did you tell him that? [00:24:27] Speaker 2: I did. [00:24:28] Speaker 1: And was he there when you told him? [00:24:30] Speaker 2: Yes. [00:24:33] Speaker 1: What, if anything, did he say when you told them what Jake said to you? [00:24:38] Speaker 2: He started talking over me, and then says, you act like you care about her more than I do, and that's the mother of my child. [00:24:50] Speaker 1: Can you explain, what did that statement mean to you based off of what you knew? [00:24:58] Speaker 2: Can you ask that one more time? [00:24:59] Speaker 1: That statement, was that a normal statement or an unusual statement? [00:25:04] Speaker 2: Unusual. I'm going to object. [00:25:05] Speaker 3: She's already stated she doesn't know, Mr. Taylor. This was the first time she met a mother. Okay, do you want to rephrase your question? Is that something that I don't know if you do the best? [00:25:27] Speaker ?: Okay. [00:25:28] Speaker 5: Good morning, Ms. Dowell. Can you please state and spell your name for the record? [00:25:31] Speaker 6: Good morning. Yes. My name is Nicole Dowell. I'm N-I-C-O-L-E-D-O-W-E-L-L. [00:25:38] Speaker 5: Ms. Dowell, where are you employed? [00:25:40] Speaker 6: I'm currently employed with the Metro Nashville Police Department Crime Laboratory. [00:25:44] Speaker 5: Okay, how long have you been with the Crime Lab? [00:25:46] Speaker 6: For 12 years. [00:25:49] Speaker 5: What is your current assignment at the Crime Lab? [00:25:52] Speaker 6: I'm a forensic scientist in the Drug Identification Unit. [00:25:55] Speaker 5: Okay, can you walk the jury through your history at the Crime Lab, and what kind of positions you've held? [00:26:00] Speaker 6: Sure. I was hired in 2014 as a forensic technician, and then in 2015 I was promoted to a forensic scientist. [00:26:08] Speaker ?: Okay. [00:26:09] Speaker 5: Can you describe your job at the Crime Lab? [00:26:12] Speaker 6: Yes. My job is to analyze submitted evidence for the absence or presence of controlled substances. [00:26:19] Speaker 5: And what kind of training have you had for your job? [00:26:22] Speaker 6: I had to complete an internal training program that consisted of assigned readings, lectures, observation of senior scientists, practical exams, and a competency exam. Okay. What's your education background? I earned a Bachelor's of Science in Forensic Science from Eastern Kentucky University. [00:26:40] Speaker 5: And are you required to have ongoing training? [00:26:43] Speaker 6: We're not required, but we do. I participate in continuing education by attending seminars and workshops in my specific discipline. [00:26:52] Speaker 5: Do you know what I would like to pass? Okay. Thank you. [00:26:56] Speaker ?: Thank you. Thank you. What could I just hand you? My CV. Okay. Have you ever testified in court as an expert in drug ID? Yes. About how many times? Personally, eight times. [00:27:04] Speaker 5: Your Honor, at this time I would like to tender Ms. Dow as an expert in drug ID. No, any question. Okay. Okay. [00:27:21] Speaker 3: Or again, ladies and gentlemen, Ms. Dow be allowed to give an expert opinion in her field and a lay witness or untrained witness would not be allowed to give. You can place such weight upon her testimony as you choose to. Okay. [00:27:40] Speaker 5: Yes, sir. And at this time it could be marked her CVS. [00:27:42] Speaker 3: Okay. [00:27:43] Speaker 5: The state's next at Civic 26. [00:27:44] Speaker 3: All right. [00:27:45] Speaker 5: Ms. Dow were you asked to review evidence relating to a Metro National Police Department complaint number ending in 0532? Yes. [00:27:59] Speaker 6: Okay. [00:28:00] Speaker 5: Does the crime lab assign unique lab case numbers to all the evidence it receives? Yes, it does. Okay. And what was that crime lab number associated with that complaint number I just gave you? [00:28:13] Speaker 6: Do you have the report? [00:28:14] Speaker 5: Did you create a report in this case? Yes, I did. [00:28:25] Speaker 6: Thank you. The crime lab number is CL-23-001060. [00:28:33] Speaker 5: And what type of evidence did you receive from the police department for this case? [00:28:41] Speaker 6: I received drinking glasses, empty bottles, and liquid residues, and liquid. [00:28:50] Speaker 5: And what do you do when you receive evidence from the police department? [00:28:55] Speaker 6: When I receive the evidence from my evidence receiving unit, I take it back to the unit. I photograph the evidence, then I open, inventory the contents, collect weights, sample, and then start performing my testing. [00:29:09] Speaker 5: Ms. Dowell, where is the crime lab located? [00:29:11] Speaker 6: It's located in Madison Precinct on the second floor. [00:29:14] Speaker 5: At this time, I would like to show her state's exhibits 17 through 24. [00:29:24] Speaker 3: Okay. All right. We've got Dahlah. Yes, sir. Ms. Dowell, if you could just look at all of the pieces of evidence, Mr. Evans is going to hand you and say whether or not you reviewed this evidence. [00:29:37] Speaker ?: Ms. Okay. [00:29:38] Speaker 6: Ms. This is submission 008, and yes, I did test this evidence. Okay. [00:29:50] Speaker ?: What is that? [00:29:51] Speaker 6: Ms. This is a clear drinking glass, and I can tell that I tested the evidence because of the evidence tape and my initials and the date. Ms. This is submission 007, also a clear drinking glass. Ms. And again, I see the crime lab tape with my initials and the date on it, so I did test this evidence. Ms. This is submission 006. Ms. Inside the paper bag were two empty bottles. Ms. I also can see the yellow crime lab tape and my initials and date indicating I tested this evidence. [00:30:58] Speaker ?: Ms. These are submissions 003, 004, and 005. [00:31:15] Speaker 6: Ms. They are amounts of liquid said to be removed from drinking containers. Ms. I can tell that I tested them because, again, the yellow crime lab tape and they have my initials and date on it. [00:31:37] Speaker 5: Ms. Dowell, 009 and 010, the computer and the washcloth, did you test those pieces of evidence in the crime lab? Ms. No. Ms. And why is that? [00:31:47] Speaker 6: Ms. Because it was suspected to contain biological material and we do not test biological material in the drug identification unit. [00:31:53] Speaker 5: Ms. Okay, what do you do with that type of evidence? [00:31:55] Speaker 6: Ms. It is outsourced to a third-party laboratory. [00:31:59] Speaker 5: Ms. And is NMS lab something the crime lab routinely sends evidence to? Ms. Yes. Ms. And was that done in this case? [00:32:08] Speaker 6: Ms. Yes, it was. [00:32:09] Speaker 5: Ms. For that blue comforter and the yellow washcloth? Ms. Yes. Ms. And Ms. Dowell, were these pieces of evidence given to you in a sealed condition? [00:32:20] Speaker 6: Ms. Yes, they were. [00:32:21] Speaker 5: Ms. Okay, would you accept them if they were not sealed? [00:32:23] Speaker 6: Ms. I would make it -- if they were not sealed, a note would be made in my case file and it would be included on the report. [00:32:29] Speaker 5: Ms. How is property stored at the crime lab? [00:32:32] Speaker 6: Ms. When it's received into the crime lab, it's stored in the evidence receiving unit in one of their vaults until an analyst has been assigned. Ms. And then once the scientist or analyst is assigned the case, they notify evidence receiving unit that they'd like to pick up the evidence. Ms. Then custody is transferred to the scientist and they will take the evidence back to their specific unit, so drug identification unit in my case. Ms. And then it will be stored in the drug ID vault -- drug identification vault, excuse me -- inside of my personal storage locker until I'm ready to perform the analysis. [00:33:07] Speaker 5: Ms. And Ms. Dowell, you are not an expert in toxicology, is that correct? Ms. That's correct. Ms. As part of generating your report in this case, does the report contain weight in the results of your testing? [00:33:24] Speaker ?: Ms. Yes, it does. [00:33:26] Speaker 5: Ms. Can you walk the jury through what type of testing you did for the pieces of evidence you tested? Ms. Yes. [00:33:31] Speaker 6: Ms. So two tests are required in the drug identification unit. Both of the tests that I performed on each piece of evidence involved a technique called chromatography. Chromatography allows you to separate components of the mixture. To do that, you employ a stationary phase and a mobile phase. The stationary phase remains still throughout the whole testing process, while the mobile phase, which is typically a gas or a liquid, flows over the stationary phase. Thin layer chromatography is a preliminary test that was used in this case. A glass plate coated with silica is the stationary phase. The sample is then spotted onto the plate along with a solution containing known drug standards. That plate is then placed in a solvent system. As the solvent rises vertically up the plate, separation occurs. This happens because some of the components of the mixture react differently or more strongly to the silica. So if they react more strongly to the silica, they will not travel as far up the plate. If they don't react as strongly, they will travel further. Once the solvent reaches the top of the plate, it is removed and placed in a visualization tank containing iodine. Iodine vapor allows us to visualize those spots. And then we can compare the unknown sample spots to the known sample spots, standard spots, excuse me. The confirmatory test used in this case is called gas chromatography mass spectrometry, or GCMS. It is two separate instruments that are combined together. The gas chromatograph, again, allows for separation of components in a mixture. So in this case, the sample is injected into the instrument where it is vaporized. So it's now in a gaseous phase. It flows through a column, and that column has an internal coating, which is the stationary phase in this case. So a column, you can think of it like a long, thin straw. So if the inside of the straw is where the coating is. The mobile phase, in this case, is helium. It flows through the column and helps the components of the mixture travel through the column. Again, it depends on how strongly each component reacts to that column coating, how long it will take to travel through the column. Once it travels through the column, it enters into the mass spectrometer, where it is then bombarded with electrons, and it fragments. That fragmentation pattern is unique, and we can compare that to known drug standards. [00:36:14] Speaker 5: And can you tell the jury what the screening method is? [00:36:17] Speaker 6: Yes, so the screening method is what we use on the gas chromatograph mass spectrometer. It allows for us to screen for a wide variety of controlled substances. [00:36:29] Speaker 5: And is cocaine one of those substances that it would screen for? [00:36:33] Speaker 6: Yes. [00:36:34] Speaker 5: Okay. And that was done in all the pieces of evidence other than the comforter and the washcloth? Yes. [00:36:40] Speaker 6: Okay. [00:36:41] Speaker 5: And Ms. Dowell, were you able to detect any sort of substance in all of the pieces of evidence you examined? [00:36:50] Speaker 6: I didn't detect any controlled substances in any of the items I tested. [00:36:54] Speaker ?: I was able to detect any sort of substance in all of the pieces of evidence. I was able to detect any sort of substance in all of the pieces of evidence. I was able to detect any sort of substance in all of the pieces of evidence. I was able to detect any sort of substance in all of the pieces of evidence. [00:36:58] Speaker 7: I was able to detect any sort of substance in all of the pieces of evidence. I was able to detect any sort of substance in all of the pieces of evidence. [00:37:00] Speaker ?: I was able to detect any sort of substance in all of the pieces of evidence. [00:37:00] Speaker 7: I was able to detect any sort of substance in all of the pieces of evidence. [00:37:01] Speaker ?: I was able to detect any sort of substance in all of the pieces of evidence. [00:37:02] Speaker 5: And Ms. Dowell, can you walk the jury through if any type of evidence would have been rinsed out or anything like that, if substances would have been picked up? Ms. Yes. [00:37:28] Speaker 6: So there was a clear drinking glass that didn't appear to have any residue. There was no visible residue or contents. Those glasses were rinsed with methanol. So if there was some type of residue that I couldn't see visibly, I would extract it with the methanol. [00:37:49] Speaker 5: Okay. And if these pieces of evidence had been rinsed out prior to the crime lab, would substances, is it likely substances would have popped up? [00:37:58] Speaker 6: Ms. If they had been rinsed prior to coming into my possession? Ms. Yes, ma'am. Ms. I can't really speak to what happens to it before it comes into my possession. Thank you. [00:38:07] Speaker ?: Ms. Dowell, my question might have been confusing. Thank you. Thank you. Ms. Dowell, my question might have been confusing. not something that you did or rinsed out, but if someone prior to you, not with methanol, PD would have rinsed it out with warm water, so anything like that, are these results consistent with that? Yes, ma'am. Ms. Dowell, my question might have been confusing. [00:38:28] Speaker 5: Not something that you did or rinsed out, but if someone prior to you, not with methanol, PD would have rinsed it out with warm water, so anything like that, are these results consistent with that? Ms. Potentially. [00:38:48] Speaker 6: If the glass contains some kind of controlled substance and it was washed with water, that could remove some of that controlled substance, yes. [00:39:01] Speaker 5: And what else could remove controlled substances from any sort of drinking glass? [00:39:09] Speaker 6: Ms. I mean, if it's a physical amount of solid material, you could just pull it out and pour that amount out, it just depends on what it is and how much of it is there. [00:39:22] Speaker 5: And you testified previously that the drinking glass did not look like it had anything in it, is that correct? [00:39:28] Speaker 6: Ms. Yes, that's correct. [00:39:29] Speaker ?: Okay. [00:39:30] Speaker 5: And out of the liquids, you have a red liquid, a light pink liquid, and a clear liquid. There was no substances found in that either, is that correct? [00:39:41] Speaker 8: Ms. That's correct. [00:39:46] Speaker 5: And you, those were from the actual bottles, correct? You tested the bottles? [00:39:55] Speaker 6: Ms. Yes, I tested both, the bottles and the liquid. [00:39:59] Speaker 5: And nothing was in either bottle, the drinking glasses or the liquid? Ms. Correct. [00:40:04] Speaker 6: Ms. Correct. [00:40:05] Speaker 5: Ms. Donna, if I could admit Ms. Dowell's report at the State of Mexico to the 27th. [00:40:14] Speaker ?: Okay. [00:40:15] Speaker 7: Oh, sorry. [00:40:16] Speaker 5: Ms. Yes, thank you. [00:40:17] Speaker ?: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. [00:41:17] Speaker 5: And Ms. Dowell, if you had been, were not provided with the item that, or the drinking glass that was used, your testing would not be helpful. Is that correct? With this controlled substance in it? It would not have been detected. [00:41:39] Speaker 6: Ms. If I was not provided with the drinking glass? Yes, ma'am. My, can you, I'm sorry, I don't think I understand the question. [00:41:46] Speaker 5: If a drinking glass had contained a controlled substance, but you were not provided with that drinking glass, your testing on the other two would not have been helpful. Is that correct? [00:41:55] Speaker 9: Ms. Correct. [00:41:56] Speaker 5: Okay. And if the controlled substance had been in the clear drinking glasses, the two you were provided with, but had been rinsed out with water, warm water, cold water, soapy water, it would have removed, it is possible and highly likely that it would have removed that controlled substance. Ms. Yes. [00:42:14] Speaker 3: I'll over the objection. She's answered that. Any other questions? [00:42:20] Speaker ?: Ms. No, sir. [00:42:22] Speaker 1: That's the state's. [00:42:23] Speaker 3: All right. Question on behalf of Mr. Taylor. Good morning, Ms. Dallin. [00:42:27] Speaker ?: Good morning. So, you're only testing the stuff that you're given, right? [00:42:27] Speaker 3: Correct. You don't really make any sort of investigative decisions about what's tested and what you're [00:42:33] Speaker ?: isn't tested, right? I don't make any investigative decisions as far as what is submitted to the laboratory. Sure. So, things are submitted to you and you test what's tested and what's tested, right? I don't make any investigative decisions as far as what is submitted to the laboratory. Sure. So, things are submitted to you and you test what's tested and what's tested, right? [00:42:42] Speaker 10: Correct. [00:42:43] Speaker 6: Correct. [00:42:44] Speaker ?: May I publish Exhibit 27? Sure. [00:42:46] Speaker 10: To Ms. Dallin. Ms. Dallin. So, you're only testing the stuff that you're given, right? Correct. You don't really make any sort of investigative decisions about what's tested and what isn't tested, right? [00:42:55] Speaker 6: I don't make any investigative decisions as far as what is submitted to the laboratory. [00:43:02] Speaker 10: Sure. So, things are submitted to you and you test what's submitted, right? [00:43:06] Speaker 6: Correct. [00:43:07] Speaker 10: May I publish Exhibit 27? Sure. To Ms. Dallin. This is your report that has been admitted as Exhibit 27. Can you identify it? Yes. [00:43:25] Speaker 6: Can you scroll to the last page where my signature is, please? [00:43:28] Speaker 10: Okay. Sure. That's your signature there? Yes. At the front of this report, it says that the submitting officer is Adam Reese. Is that right? Yes. So, he's the one who submitted the items to you? [00:43:44] Speaker 6: No. He's the one that submitted the Form 282 or the Forensic Services request to our Evidence Receiving Unit. [00:43:51] Speaker 10: Oh. So, he makes the request as to what gets tested? [00:43:54] Speaker 6: In this instance, yes. [00:43:56] Speaker 10: Okay. I noticed on here, items 7 and 8, there's a clear drinking glass, item 7, right? Yes. Yes. And then item 8 is identified as a clear drinking glass with light pink residue. Is that kind of your description of it there? [00:44:16] Speaker 6: Yes, that's my description. [00:44:17] Speaker 10: Is that something where you describe a process where you kind of do a rinse? [00:44:22] Speaker 6: Correct. [00:44:23] Speaker 10: Is that a process where you would do the rinse in that glass? [00:44:26] Speaker 6: Yes. [00:44:27] Speaker 10: And then you would test whatever comes out of the rinse to determine if there's controlled substances? Yes. And in this situation, there were no controlled substances found in any of this, right? [00:44:37] Speaker 6: That's correct. [00:44:38] Speaker 10: And there were some questions asked by the state. Isn't it possible that some of these glasses were washed and maybe that's why you didn't find anything? That's kind of what was asked, right? Yes. Is it also possible that there were never any drugs in these glasses? [00:44:53] Speaker 6: Yes, that's a possibility. Thank you. Thank you. [00:44:57] Speaker ?: Any other questions? [00:44:58] Speaker 3: No, sir. Thank you. [00:45:00] Speaker ?: Thank you. The next witness is Detective Tom Miller. Okay. [00:45:03] Speaker 1: He is going to be a bit lengthy and there are some things that I need to show to defense counsel prior to testifying. Okay. Is there someone else to call? [00:45:24] Speaker 3: The next person is Dr. Carney. He's the expert and he has to testify before her. So no. [00:45:27] Speaker 1: What do they not have? Well, from yesterday's testimony, there were some additional exhibits that were added to [00:45:41] Speaker ?: his testimony. So I need to show you to them before we put them on. That's true. Okay. I need to proceed on. [00:45:47] Speaker 3: So if you have a witness, we can call. Good afternoon, Ms. Denny. [00:45:53] Speaker ?: Could you please state your full name for the record? Apple Denny. And can you spell your last name for the court reporter? D-E-N-N-I-E. And Ms. Denny, how do you know Blaise Taylor? We dated when I was an undergrad at Arkansas State. And how old were you when you started dating him? 18. And how old were you when you started dating him? 18. [00:46:05] Speaker 1: And how old were you when you started dating him? [00:46:06] Speaker ?: 18. [00:46:06] Speaker 1: And how old were you when you started dating him? 18. And how old were you when you started dating him? 18. [00:46:10] Speaker ?: And how old were you when you started dating him? [00:46:10] Speaker 1: 18. And how old were you when you started dating him? 18. And how old were you when you started dating him? 18. And how old were you when you started dating him? 18. [00:46:19] Speaker 9: And how old were you when you started dating him? 18. And how old were you when you started dating him? 18. And how old were you when you started dating him? 18. [00:46:27] Speaker 1: And how old were you when you started dating him? 18. [00:46:31] Speaker ?: 18. [00:46:32] Speaker 1: And can you describe how long did you date him? [00:46:37] Speaker ?: 18. [00:46:38] Speaker 9: A couple years through 2018. It was breakups get back together, breakups get back together. So the timeline gets a little foggy. 18. [00:46:53] Speaker 1: Which for reference you said that y'all began dating when you were 18. How old were you now? 28. 28. And what year were you in school? [00:47:04] Speaker 9: I started fall of 2016 and wait yes fall of 2016 and I met him in November of that year. [00:47:14] Speaker 1: And what year was he in school? 29. I believe he was a junior? 29. Do you remember how old he was? 29. No. But he was a couple years older than you sat there? [00:47:25] Speaker ?: Yes. [00:47:26] Speaker 1: 29. Yes. And did you continue to date into the beginning of that next year, early 2017? Yes. And at some point in your relationship did you ever become pregnant? Yes. And about when did that happen? Um, January of 2017. And when that happened did you talk to Mr. Taylor about it? Yes. And can you describe kind of what were your feelings when you learned that you were pregnant? I was really scared. [00:47:41] Speaker ?: Um, and confused. [00:47:41] Speaker 1: Um, I was really scared. Um, and confused. Um, and confused. Um, when did you ever become pregnant? Yes. And about when did that happen? Um, January of 2017. And when that happened did you talk to Mr. Taylor about it? Yes. And can you describe kind of what were your feelings when you learned that you were pregnant? Um, I was really scared. [00:48:02] Speaker 9: Um, and confused. Um, I knew I wasn't ready to have a kid. So. Um, was that your reaction kind of from the beginning and was, did it stay that way? [00:48:22] Speaker 1: Yes. [00:48:23] Speaker 9: I, like immediately, like that wasn't something that I thought I wanted for myself. [00:48:30] Speaker 1: Um, was that something that you felt like you could talk to your parents about at the time? No. Um, and so from the time that you found out, what did you ultimately end up doing? I had an abortion. And was there any point in which you changed your mind about that? No. Um, and Mr. Taylor, did he accompany you to the appointments for that? Yes. And was there one appointment or was there more than one? There was two. And did he go to both of those appointments with you? Yes. And can you describe at that first appointment what information was provided to you about the options? [00:49:18] Speaker 9: There were two different types of abortions that I could have. One was the procedure and- Your Honor has already moved. [00:49:27] Speaker ?: Go ahead. Thank you, Your Honor. [00:49:27] Speaker 9: And the other was taking a pill at the center and then taking one when you got home and that would like induce the abortion. [00:49:45] Speaker 1: And did you discuss those two options with Mr. Taylor during that time that you were going through this? Yes. Um, and did you, which option did you ultimately choose? I had the procedure at the facility. And did he accompany you to that visit? [00:50:03] Speaker ?: Yes. Um, and at any point did you meet his parents? [00:50:03] Speaker 1: Yes. Um, did y'all continue to date after that? Mm-hmm. Um, and you said that you broke up but then you would get back together. Yes. Um, and when you broke up was there anyone in particular that he might have dated while you were broken up? Yes. And who was that? Her name was Xavier. And what was her last name? [00:50:25] Speaker ?: Uh, Winford. [00:50:25] Speaker 1: Uh, Winford. Did you know Ms. Winford? Yes. And not like personally, um, but I knew her through him and we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. We had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. [00:50:42] Speaker ?: Um, we had a few people. [00:50:43] Speaker 1: Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. [00:50:45] Speaker ?: Um, we had a few people. [00:50:46] Speaker 9: Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Uh, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. [00:51:19] Speaker ?: Um, we had a few people. [00:51:20] Speaker 1: Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Uh, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. Um, we had a few people. And what was his demeanor like when he came to you to tell you about this? [00:51:51] Speaker 9: Very erratic. He, like, was upset. Um, didn't want to have a baby with her. That's what he was telling me. Um, that this was something that he couldn't do. [00:52:03] Speaker 1: Was that a different reaction than he had when you told him you were pregnant, but you did not want to keep the baby? [00:52:11] Speaker 9: Yes, it was like, what? Um, like how I was like panicked the first time around. And he was freaking out when it was her. [00:52:18] Speaker 1: And when you say he was freaking out, how did he act when he was panicked? [00:52:23] Speaker 9: Um, really erratic and like he, but then he would say like he could control the situation. Um, it went on for like a few days of us like talking about it. But like that night, he was like trying to figure out if there was something that he could do. Um, he was Googling things. Um, so he was looking stuff up to figure out how she, like if there was something he could do to make her have an abortion. Um, and asked me if I could get the abortion pills and he could make her take them or put it in her drink. [00:53:07] Speaker 1: And so you talked to him over a period of a couple of days. Is that correct? Yes. Yes. And what was he telling you? I mean, he's telling you that he's trying to figure out something that he can give her. Yeah. Was she wanting to have an abortion based on what he said? [00:53:28] Speaker 9: No, he said she would go back and forth. Um, and he would like tell her, well I'm not gonna, like I'm not gonna be a part of the child's life. Thinking that that would convince her to not have it. Because that's ultimately what he said, like she wanted. And then they would just go back and forth about it. And then someday he would say, I think it's, I think she's gonna do it. And I think she's not gonna do it. But she didn't want to. [00:53:54] Speaker 1: And you said that he was telling her he wouldn't be a part of the child's life. Was he also saying like not part of her life? [00:54:03] Speaker 9: Yeah, like he wouldn't have anything to do with her if she went forward with it. Kind of like an ultimatum. [00:54:07] Speaker 1: Yeah. Um, and he asked you if you could get the abortion pill for him so that he could make her take it and put it in her drink. Is that right? Yes. [00:54:21] Speaker 3: Did you do that? [00:54:28] Speaker 9: Did I get the pill? [00:54:31] Speaker 1: No. Was that even, not saying that you would agree to do that, but is that even possible? No. And did you explain that to him? Yes. And you said that it went over a couple of days. Did he talk about anything else that he might be able to get to put in her drink? [00:54:52] Speaker 3: Yes. Yes. [00:54:54] Speaker 1: And the things that he was mentioning, how did he get that information? [00:55:07] Speaker 9: Um, he said he was looking stuff up on his phone. I couldn't like see what he was looking up. Um, but he had his phone in his hand. Okay. [00:55:17] Speaker 1: And I guess what if anything else did you discuss with him about Ms. Winford and Ms. Winford getting an abortion? [00:55:27] Speaker 9: Um, he had asked me to make the appointment and said that he thinks that he could convince her by the time the appointment came to get the abortion. Um, what would be the reason that he would need you to call to make the appointment? Because she wouldn't call herself, um, but he wanted to go out and get an appointment, so. Is there a waiting time? [00:55:53] Speaker 1: For, sorry? Was there going to be a delay from the time you called to when the appointment would actually be scheduled? Um, can you rephrase that? Sorry. You said that he wanted you to schedule the appointment. Yeah. Because he thought he could convince her to do it and didn't want her to change her mind. Yeah. I'm asking if there was going to be like a time period. [00:56:16] Speaker 9: Yes. Um, and he didn't want, like they were booked, so he didn't want her to finally decide to and then not be able to get it. [00:56:26] Speaker 1: And did you agree and call and schedule that appointment? Yes. And did you pretend to be her? Yes. Um, and do you know if she went to the appointment that you scheduled? I, yes, I, I assume it was that appointment. And you said you assume, I guess, do you know what ultimately happened with that pregnancy? Yes, that she had an abortion. That's what I was told. [00:56:51] Speaker ?: Okay. [00:56:52] Speaker 1: And do you know, did Mr. Taylor continue to see Ms. Winford after that timeframe? That would have been the summer of 2017? Yes. [00:57:02] Speaker 9: Yes. [00:57:03] Speaker 1: And do you have any knowledge if he's continued to see her since then? [00:57:09] Speaker 9: Yes, I, I assume so. Objective. [00:57:12] Speaker 3: Objective. No basis. No basis. No basis. No basis. No basis. No basis. No basis. No basis. [00:57:21] Speaker 1: No basis. Do you have any knowledge about that? Okay. [00:57:25] Speaker 9: I saw a post of her at a game. Objective. Okay. [00:57:30] Speaker ?: And I was... [00:57:31] Speaker 9: Okay. [00:57:32] Speaker 3: Hang on just a second. Can you carry me first? [00:57:34] Speaker 1: Judge, I'm just asking if she has personal knowledge of the two of them being together? [00:57:41] Speaker 3: When it was something was taken or when it was posted, she doesn't know that. Okay. All right. Go ahead. Okay. [00:57:49] Speaker ?: Okay. [00:57:50] Speaker 1: Did you know Jade Benning prior to February 25th of 2023? [00:57:57] Speaker 9: I knew of her. We had had some message exchanges on social media. She told me happy birthday, vice versa. [00:58:04] Speaker 1: And what was the connection between you and Jade Benning? [00:58:08] Speaker 9: She was in a similar area. The Little Rock area is pretty small. So a lot of my friends grew up with her. So we kind of just would see each other on social media and connected that way. But I never met her in person. [00:58:22] Speaker 1: So she was kind of the social media connected friend of other friends? Yes. Did you both participate in the same athletic sport? [00:58:32] Speaker 9: I don't. I think I was told she cheered, but I never met her through that. But I think we might have both been cheerleaders at some point. [00:58:39] Speaker 1: Okay. So you knew of her but didn't actually know her and you had never met her? [00:58:44] Speaker 9: Yeah. [00:58:45] Speaker 1: How did you hear about what ultimately happened to Jade Benning? [00:58:50] Speaker 9: One of my, two of my friends had said that they needed to talk to me and called me and told me about what happened. [00:59:00] Speaker 1: And when you say they told you about what happened, about what, like what was the timing of this? From when the incident happened and Ms. Benning passed away, was it before she passed away? [00:59:11] Speaker 9: Yes, she was still in the hospital at this point. [00:59:14] Speaker 1: And so that would have been kind of right after this incident. Yes. When you say they told you what happened, what kind of information did you get? [00:59:27] Speaker 9: I don't remember like verbatim, but they told me that she, they thought that or were told that he might have poisoned her or something of the sort. And, but they like didn't have details in that she was in the hospital and they were like keeping her on life support, I think until her birthday. Um, yeah. [00:59:55] Speaker 1: And when you heard that, what did you do? [01:00:01] Speaker 9: Like immediately after the phone call or? [01:00:04] Speaker 1: Right. Kind of connected to Ms. Benning in this case and how you ended up here today. [01:00:10] Speaker 9: Um, well like I talked to them, they knew about the situation, um, with Xavier in the past. And I want to say if maybe a few days later, um, my friend Ariane had reached back out to me and asked if like I wanted to connect with Ms. Bridget. And I said, yes, that's fine. I'm, I'm open to helping in any way that I can. And then Ms. Bridget reached out to me. And then from there it was Detective Reese and so on and so forth. [01:00:42] Speaker 1: And did you talk to Detective Reese and provide him with the information that you've just testified about? Yes. Yes. And then did you also meet with Detective Reese and myself and Deputy Moore and Ms. Houston? Yes. In Arkansas? Mm-hmm. And did you provide us with that information as well? Yes. [01:01:06] Speaker 9: Yes. [01:01:07] Speaker 1: I can have just one moment. And I'm sorry Ms. Denny, I feel like you said that they told you about Jade. Mm-hmm. When they told you about Jade, what was your understanding of whether, like what her condition was? [01:01:38] Speaker 9: That she was pregnant, um, and you mean like her physical state that, or just the fact that she was pregnant. [01:01:47] Speaker 1: The information that you got from the friends was that she was pregnant. Yes. And there was suspicion. [01:01:53] Speaker 9: And something happened to her and they were thinking that it was blaze and that she was in the hospital after that. [01:02:00] Speaker 1: And do you see Mr. Taylor in the courtroom? Yes. Yes. And could you point him out and identify him with that? Thank you Ms. Denny. [01:02:15] Speaker 7: All right, question. Any time we have to do this? This is water. This is water. [01:02:29] Speaker ?: This is water. [01:02:30] Speaker 3: Yeah, you can turn it up top. [01:02:33] Speaker ?: There you go. [01:02:35] Speaker 10: Mr. Denny, I want to make sure that our understanding got this right. Sir? You never put anything in anyone's drink, right? No. You never went and got an abortion pill on behalf of Mr. Taylor? No. You never got any kind of other substance for Mr. Taylor? [01:03:06] Speaker 9: No. [01:03:07] Speaker 10: You never got any cocaine? No. You never got any fentanyl? No. You guys never slipped anything in anybody's drink? [01:03:12] Speaker ?: No. [01:03:12] Speaker 10: You never saw Mr. Taylor do that either, right? No. So what we kind of described is like just a conversation, right? [01:03:24] Speaker 9: Yes. [01:03:25] Speaker 10: The conversation while Mr. Taylor was, as you described him, like erratic? Yes. He was panicked, I think was the word he used. Maybe that was my word. I'm sorry. But was panic a right word? Yeah. And while he's erratic, panicked, you guys were having this conversation? Mm-hmm. And he's talking about this kind of stuff? Yeah. But it wasn't something that you ever actually acted on? No. It wasn't something that he ever actually acted on? No. [01:03:55] Speaker 4: Okay. [01:03:56] Speaker 10: And just so I got the time right, so we're talking, you started school in 2016? The fall of 2016, yes. The fall of 2016, and you met Blaise to start, sorry, Mr. Taylor and start dating maybe the middle of that first year of your school? [01:04:13] Speaker 9: We met in November, yeah. Things evolved from there. Okay. [01:04:18] Speaker 10: So you met at the beginning of the year, is that right? [01:04:21] Speaker 9: We met in November of the fall of 2016. Okay. And then continued on from there. [01:04:27] Speaker 10: And your kind of pregnancy situation, which I know is difficult to talk about, that happened more like the middle of the year, is that right? That was in January of 2017. Which would still be your freshman year in college. Yes. And you're still just 18, 19 years old? Yes. Just very young, right? Yes. And that's a very difficult thing for someone who's that young to deal with, isn't it? Yes. And during that situation, at least initially, Mr. Taylor was maybe on board with keeping the baby, wasn't he? Yes. And in fact, ultimately it was your choice, right? Yes. And you made the choice and Mr. Taylor was supportive of that choice, wasn't he? Yes. He went with you to the appointments, right? Mm-hmm. He did whatever needed to be done, right? Yes. Okay. And then whatever happens with your relationship, this thing with Ms. Winfrey comes up. Is that right? [01:05:22] Speaker 9: Yes. [01:05:23] Speaker 10: And he has a reaction to it. Is that fair? Yes. And it was a pretty extreme reaction, right? Yes. I mean, and at that age, are you still 18 or are you 19 by that time? [01:05:37] Speaker 9: I'm 19. 19. [01:05:39] Speaker 10: And he's maybe 20? [01:05:41] Speaker 9: No, he might have been 21. I think he's a couple years old maybe, but I don't remember how old he is. [01:05:49] Speaker 10: Okay, so maybe he's 21, right? Mm-hmm. You're both still in college, right? Is he playing sports in college at that time? Yes. And you're a cheerleader? Yes. You guys are both busy with your lives in college, right? Yes. And this pregnancy is a scary thing for him, right? Mine? Or Xavier's? Yes. And he confided in you in a way that he was really terrified, right? Yes. So that conversation, the words that I wrote down is the conversation you had where he's asking you about getting an abortion pill word. That night, was there something we could do? So that was the first night that he finds out about it, right? It might have been the first night. [01:06:36] Speaker 9: It might have been the first night. I'm not 100% sure if it was that very first night or the second night. But I know it was shortly after, like this was unfolding and he found out. [01:06:49] Speaker 10: Sure. Really a quick, immediate reaction right after he finds out, right? Yes. And so he's talking about these kind of crazy things, like can we, can you go get an abortion pill, right? Yes. And this says something else crazy, like there's something we can put in a drink, right? Yes. And then that was kind of the end of it, like you have a couple of crazy conversations and there's no more, right? That I remember, yeah. Okay. And certainly this, I mean you're here 10 years later talking about it. You might have, if you had done something, if someone had acted on it, it had been a big deal, this would have been kind of seared into your brain, right? Yeah. [01:07:31] Speaker 9: That's about so. [01:07:32] Speaker 10: Okay. You're doing your best here to give us your recollection, right? Yes. And you guys were so young at that time, right? [01:07:38] Speaker 9: Yes. [01:07:39] Speaker 10: And that was at least six, seven years before 2023? Mm-hmm. Long before. Okay. Thank you, Ms. Denny. [01:07:50] Speaker 3: Great. You're right. [01:07:57] Speaker 1: Ms. Denny, you described kind of the conversations with Mr. Taylor that this happened over at least a two, maybe three-day period. Is that right? I think so. Mm-hmm. And he was saying like, oh, this is a crazy thought. I mean, this conversation continued over those couple of days. Isn't that right? Yes. And is it correct to say that you were trying to talk him out of it? Yes. He was very adamant of trying to find something to do it. Yes. Projecture leading. [01:08:31] Speaker 3: Oh, excuse me. [01:08:32] Speaker ?: Any other questions? [01:08:33] Speaker 3: No. Okay. Thank you. You can step down and be excused. [01:08:38] Speaker ?: Who is the next witness? The next witness is Bridget Burks. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Okay. Thank you. You can step down and be excused. Who is the next witness? The next witness is Bridget Burks. Who is the next witness? Who is the next witness? Who is the next witness? Who is the next witness? The next witness is Bridget Burks. Good afternoon, Ms. Burks. Good afternoon. Can you please state your full name for the record? Bridget. Bridget Burks. Good afternoon, Ms. Burks. Good afternoon. Good afternoon, Ms. Burks. Good afternoon. Can you please state your full name for the record? Bridget. Good afternoon, Ms. Burks. Good afternoon, Ms. Burks. Good afternoon. Can you please state your full name for the record? Bridget. Good afternoon, Ms. Burks. Good afternoon, Ms. Burks. Good afternoon, Ms. Burks. Good afternoon, Ms. Burks. Good afternoon, Ms. Burks. Good afternoon, Ms. Burks. Good afternoon, Ms. Burks. Good afternoon, Ms. Burks. Good afternoon, Ms. Burks. Good afternoon, Ms. Burks. Good afternoon, Ms. Burks. Good afternoon, Ms. Burks. Good afternoon, Ms. Burks. Good afternoon, Ms. Burks. [01:09:19] Speaker 1: Good afternoon, Ms. Burks. Good afternoon, Ms. Burks. Good afternoon, Ms. Burks. Can you please state your full name for the record? Bridget. [01:09:24] Speaker 11: Good afternoon, Ms. Burks. Good afternoon, Ms. Burks. [01:09:26] Speaker 1: And Ms. Burks. And Ms. Burks, are you the mother of Jade Tristan Benning? Yes. And can you describe when was Jade Benning born? [01:09:37] Speaker 11: Jade was born on March 6, 1998. [01:09:41] Speaker 3: Do you think they would just pull that base of that mic over there and we would sit here? Okay. [01:09:47] Speaker 1: Ms. Burks, did Ms. Benning have any siblings? She had one. [01:09:54] Speaker 11: And who is that? Well, actually, let me correct that. She had two stepbrothers and then she had one half-sister. Was she your only daughter? [01:10:05] Speaker 1: She was my only child. And when you had Jade, where were you living? Little Rock, Arkansas. And is that where you lived when she grew up? Yes. And can you describe your relationship with your daughter, especially as she's growing up in high school and college and kind of that time before she moved to Nashville? [01:10:34] Speaker ?: She was my wife. [01:10:35] Speaker 11: She was my wife. Everything I did was for her. from chair competitions, high school chair, supporting her through her cold memory and even supporting her move to Nashville. [01:11:02] Speaker 1: Do you want her to move to Nashville? No. And can you describe how often would you communicate? We text a whole lot. [01:11:11] Speaker 11: This generation likes to text versus talk, but pretty much every day. [01:11:23] Speaker 1: And can you describe your relationship with Jade? Obviously, every mother-daughter relationship is very different. Did she tell you things and confide in you about what was going on in her life? Most things. There's always things that a child's not going to... Was she fairly forthcoming? Yes. And kind of included you in details about friends and if she was dating someone and things like that? Yes. Yes. Um, and can you describe when she moved to Nashville? Um, where did she start living initially? Like what time frame was that when she moved here? [01:12:05] Speaker 11: She actually left Arkansas about the last week of 2021. Okay, she was starting January 1st, 2022 at her new job. [01:12:20] Speaker 1: Um, and can you describe, was she excited to start as a chef? Very excited. Did you come and visit her here in Nashville? Yes. And what, if anything, do you know about Miss Nigeria Jackson? She's my second child. She's my adopted daughter. Um, is it fair to say that her and Jade have been friends almost their entire lives? Yes. Um, and were you aware of how close they were when they were both living here in Nashville? Yes. Um, and kind of preface the question, did your daughter have any allergies? [01:13:08] Speaker 11: No. [01:13:09] Speaker ?: No? [01:13:10] Speaker 1: No? Any allergies of any kind? No. Um, that time frame, which you know now when she met Blaze Taylor, did she tell you about him in that time frame of August 2022? Yes. And can you describe how much information did she give you? Not a lot. Not a lot. Um, and can you describe when did you find out that your daughter Jade was expecting the baby? Yeah. [01:13:47] Speaker 11: I believe it was November 3rd or 4th when she, I'm not exactly sure of exact date, but it was right after she found out. [01:14:01] Speaker 1: So, within 24 hours of that first ultrasound that Ms. Jackson and her went to, and can you describe how did she tell you? [01:14:14] Speaker 11: She called me when I was at work and said, "I need you to call me on your lunch." I said, "Okay." Then, I took my lunch, went outside. I called her. She said, "Hold on. I've got to send you a picture I need you to look at." So, while I'm on the phone with her, she sends the picture of the pregnancy test. And what was your reaction? Shocked. I said, "Wow. Is this yours?" And she said, "Yep." I said, "I guess we're having a baby." [01:14:53] Speaker 1: And can you describe what was your daughter's reaction? [01:15:02] Speaker 11: She was the lead. I asked her, "We are having a baby." And she confirmed yes. [01:15:09] Speaker 1: Was she, I guess, kind of have that attitude of yes, she was going to fairly quickly after finding out? Yes. Immediately, abortion was not an option for her. And did you and her discuss that? Yes. Yes. What, if anything, did she tell you about the father of the baby when she told you she was pregnant? When she told me, she had not told him yet. And did you guys discuss, kind of, that process of her telling him? [01:15:46] Speaker 11: Very vaguely, because she was working and, I mean, she just said she was going to tell him. [01:15:56] Speaker 1: And are you, did she contact you and let you know what happened? What happened? [01:16:02] Speaker 11: I text her, because I worked day, she worked nights, and asked how did it go, and she said, "Not good." [01:16:14] Speaker 1: And did you continue to communicate with her about, kind of, what was going on with her pregnancy, as well as if she was having any contact with him? Yes. [01:16:24] Speaker 11: Yes. When she told me that he did not want the baby, then that's when they quit communicating. [01:16:36] Speaker 1: And when you say she told you he did not want the baby, what did she say? That he wanted her to have an abortion. Did he kind of give her, I guess, did she feel like she had some choice, or was that a definitive? [01:16:55] Speaker 11: If she had the baby, he wanted nothing to do with the baby. He didn't want it to have his name. He didn't want the child to ever know who he was, is what she told me. [01:17:07] Speaker 1: And after that was, I guess, his decision, what did Jake do? Did that change her mind at all about having her baby? [01:17:21] Speaker 11: No. Because myself, my husband, her father, her stepmother, her family and friends all made it very clear that that baby and her would be very loved and taken care of regardless. [01:17:35] Speaker 1: And did you and her dog both support her in having the baby regardless if Mr. Taylor was going to claim the baby or be involved? 900%. And did your daughter, Jade, did she send you pregnancy updates along the way? And specifically, kind of in that January, February time when she started showing more, was she sending you pictures and updates about what was going on? Yes. Videos. And I have a video on a thumb drive as well as a set of photographs. I can, defense counsel is familiar with these. What is it you need? [01:18:32] Speaker 3: Oh, I'm sorry. [01:18:33] Speaker 1: If I can have to, if the witness can be handed a set of nine photographs and I have a video that I'll put it on a thumb drive and I have it all ready to submit. [01:18:43] Speaker ?: Okay. [01:19:13] Speaker 3: Do you need these back or do you have them on? No, I have them on. Okay. Switch it to there. [01:19:22] Speaker ?: I have it. [01:19:23] Speaker 3: Okay. [01:19:24] Speaker 1: Ms. Burks, there's a video that's one of the videos that Jade sent you. Did she send it to you by text message? Yes. [01:19:40] Speaker 11: In the video, she's saying 19 weeks. [01:20:02] Speaker 1: Did Jade send you videos and pictures like that often? [01:20:07] Speaker ?: Yes. [01:20:08] Speaker 1: When I say often, I mean almost at least every week if not multiple times a week. Yes. And can you describe what all was she doing to prepare to have the baby in that kind of January, February, those last few weeks? [01:20:26] Speaker 11: Yes. We spent a lot of time texting, looking at Facebook Marketplace, making purchases. She would make purchases here in Nashville and I was doing the same in Little Rock. [01:20:39] Speaker 1: Okay. And were you and her together both preparing for her nursery for her baby girl? Yes. And I just handed you some photographs. I'm going to ask if the video and the thumb drive be made for the exhibit. All right. [01:20:57] Speaker ?: Just 51. [01:20:58] Speaker 1: And then the photographs can be 54. And Ms. Burks, you were here when Detective Miller showed that she sent you a series of nine photographs. Are these the photographs that she sent you on February 6th of 2023? Yes, they are. And this is the first image. This second image. Did you recognize where she was in this picture? In her kitchen. And specifically there is a camera to the left of the stove. Were you familiar with that camera? Yes. I purchased it for her. And were you aware is that where she typically kept that camera? Yes. And this next image is three. Is that another picture that she took that day? Correct. And the next image is number four. And then this photograph is number five. Can you describe what's in it? Her with the ultrasound. And had she just found out that she was having a baby girl? Yes. And this next picture, do you recognize that picture specifically? Yes. And was that a picture that she kind of kept? Yes. And this next photograph, can you describe what's in that one? [01:22:42] Speaker 11: She was holding ultrasound and some Ben and Jerry's half-baked ice cream. [01:22:52] Speaker 1: And she was about halfway through her pregnancy? Correct. And then this last photograph? Yes. [01:22:59] Speaker ?: Just holding the Ben and Jerry's half-baked ice cream. [01:22:59] Speaker 1: And then this last one is kind of a collage pic that she sent you of multiple things. Correct. That time frame right then when she was sending you those photographs, she had just had the appointment about the gender. And was there something going on with her pregnancy where she was going to have some more appointments that week? Yes. [01:23:31] Speaker 11: When they did the ultrasound, they spotted something on the heart and so they wanted to do some testing to make sure the baby did not have any kind of down syndrome or anything else wrong with it. [01:23:50] Speaker 1: When you talked to your daughter about that, was she upset about it or was that a huge concern for her? [01:24:02] Speaker 11: Of course she was nervous. But stayed very positive. We both were positive. And did she find out soon after that that everything was fine? [01:24:14] Speaker 1: Yes. Those pictures that she took, which she took a lot of pictures that day in the kitchen, were you aware of her social media? Yes. Did you guys communicate on social media sometimes? Yes. With Instagram and other platforms? Yes. Did she post any of those pregnancy photos to her social media? No. And do you know why? [01:24:42] Speaker 11: Because she told me that Blaise did not want anyone to know. So she kept everything private. [01:24:59] Speaker 1: And can you describe your, you still go to the end of Arkansas, is that right? Yes. Were you allowed to tell all of your friends about Jane's pregnancy? No. And I guess you've described that she's very happy about the pregnancy, is that right? Yes. Is there anything about you not being allowed to tell people that maybe she was not happy about it? I'm sorry, repeat that. Is it, can you explain, like, why would she not, like, tell people? [01:25:38] Speaker 11: Because, as we all know, Blaise went to A-State. Literally, I'm the size it is. A lot of people went to A-State and there was a lot of mutual people. Yeah. [01:25:51] Speaker 3: Maybe just... Do you have objections? Yes. I'm an objection to your perspective. I think it's the why she thinks. Okay. She's answered in terms of why she wanted it. What's your next question? [01:25:59] Speaker 1: Was there something that was about to happen kind of in the, I guess, week or two following February 25th of 2023 that was going to change that status of you not telling people? [01:26:23] Speaker 11: Yes. And what was that? It was her 25th birthday and she planned on making it public. And can you describe, did she have parties planned? [01:26:35] Speaker 1: Yes. We had two different baby showers planned. Did you discuss with her how that was going to work? Like, did people know that she was pregnant? No. But there was a very distinct plan that she was finally going to tell everybody. Right. No surprise. [01:26:55] Speaker ?: No surprise. [01:26:56] Speaker 1: And that week that it happened, did you talk to your daughter that week? Mm-hmm. And even specifically on February 25th of 2023, did you message with Jade that night? Yes. And that previously introduced exhibit, Detective Tom Miller put in, did you recognize that post? Yes. Yes. And what is that? That's her off-raid ourselves. And is that the post that Jade made to Instagram to her story that night, February 25th? Yes. 2023. And you've seen all of the photos that she took of the date night. Did she post any of those? [01:27:50] Speaker 11: No. [01:27:51] Speaker ?: Yes. [01:27:52] Speaker 1: And then this next image, it was Instagram, but it didn't technically say who posted it. Do you recognize that? Yes. And can you describe what that is? That is the chicken spaghetti I made that night. Yes. And did you know what she was making or did she know what you were making? No. [01:28:14] Speaker ?: Neither one. [01:28:15] Speaker 1: And those messages that Detective Miller put on the screen between you and Jane, is that the last time that you talked to her? Yes. Can you describe how you found out? [01:28:40] Speaker 11: I received a film call from an Ajayah Jackson. And can you describe how Ms. Jackson sounded on that phone call? She was crying. She was frantic. She just said something's happened and I'm on my way. I can't get to her fast enough. [01:28:58] Speaker 1: And did Ms. Jackson tell you what she heard Jane say? Yes. [01:29:07] Speaker 11: And what did you do when she called? My husband and I were out. We went straight home, packed a bag, and headed to Nashville. And what time did you get here? Approximately 3, 3:30 in the morning. [01:29:26] Speaker 1: And when you arrived, who was at the hospital? [01:29:36] Speaker 11: Her stepmom stayed by her side until I could get here. [01:29:43] Speaker 1: And was Ms. Jackson still there? No. Were any of her other friends there? [01:29:50] Speaker 11: No. Was this? She was in ICU and was not allowed to have visitors at the time. Did you at any point see Mr. Taylor there? Yes, when we arrived. He was in the parking garage because he'd been asked to leave once they moved her to ICU. Had you ever seen him before? Never. That was the first night I ever spoke to him. And did he speak to you? Yes. And did he tell you what happened to Jade? That he thought she had an allergic reaction. Did he tell you anything about what Jade said on that 6 minute and 9 second call? No, that was not mentioned. [01:30:24] Speaker ?: No. That was not mentioned. [01:30:24] Speaker 1: And after that moment did you see him again? No. Can you describe that time frame of being at the hospital? Who was there and kind of what was going on? [01:31:03] Speaker 11: For the first few days only her parents were allowed in the room. And then once we determined... [01:31:15] Speaker 1: Which meant, Ms. Burks, I'm going to get to that part. But before that, when you first got there, were there still police there at the hospital? No. Was anyone there to interview you and tell you about a criminal investigation? No. [01:31:37] Speaker ?: Yeah. [01:31:38] Speaker 1: How did that make you feel? [01:31:42] Speaker 11: At that point I just wanted to get to my job. [01:31:47] Speaker 1: At some point when you're at the hospital, I guess, can you describe what's going on as far as any police activity that first day? [01:31:57] Speaker 11: I did not see a police officer during the day. Before I arrived, her stepmother was the one I'm in contact with. I guess it was the detective. [01:32:13] Speaker 1: And I guess at some point did you get your daughter's phone? Yes. And when was that? [01:32:21] Speaker 11: Once I got there. Her stepmother gave me her phone and her keys. [01:32:26] Speaker 1: And when you got her phone, what did you do with it? Put it in my purse. My purse. At some point did you look at her phone? Yes. And did you have your daughter's passcode? Yes. That kind of shows how close you guys are. So you had her passcode to get in her phone? We had the same passcode. [01:32:49] Speaker ?: Yes. [01:32:50] Speaker 1: And when you got in her phone, what if anything did you do? I went directly to her plane camera. And that's that camera that we saw that should have been to the left of the stove. Correct. I guess kind of based off of everything you know, did she have a current subscription? No. Do you have plane cameras? Yes. Are you familiar with how they work? Yes. If you don't have a subscription, can you still see a live feed? Yes. Can you describe when you looked in her phone, what was it an image of? [01:33:37] Speaker 11: Her balcony with her blinds open, looking out for that, her window off onto her balcony in her bedroom. [01:33:47] Speaker 1: Can you describe, did that seem normal or what did you think when you saw that? [01:33:54] Speaker 11: Yes. I immediately went into a panic asking why her camera had been moved because I knew my child had her camera in her kitchen facing her door. [01:34:03] Speaker 1: And at that point, did you know whether or not Mr. Taylor had access to that apartment? [01:34:11] Speaker 11: Whether or not he had a key? I know he did not have a key. Okay. Because she only had one key. [01:34:19] Speaker 1: And what was your involvement, if any, in people going over to the apartment? [01:34:27] Speaker 11: As soon as I got off the phone with Ms. Jackson and I realized that they were headed to the hospital, I immediately called her friend Lauren and said, I don't know what's going on. I need to go straight to Jay's apartment and lock it up. It does not need to be left unlocked. I said, I need you to get her apartment key and take it to Andrea at the hospital. And that's what she did. [01:34:58] Speaker 1: And you know that friends, Ms. Drakeland, they went back to the apartment. Was that something that you directed them to do? [01:35:09] Speaker 11: After discussing the whole camera situation and not knowing, the detective called her stepmother, Andrea Browning. She asked, could we go to the apartment? And we were told yes. [01:35:29] Speaker 1: And was that the detective that was there the first night or Detective Grace? The one that was there the first night. Okay. So your impression is that you all have permission, nobody else was coming? [01:35:41] Speaker 11: I would never have gone into that apartment if we'd have been told not to. [01:35:46] Speaker 1: And Ms. Burks, at some point Detective Grace showed up and things started moving in the investigation phase. But can you describe what was happening at the hospital? [01:36:19] Speaker 11: That child just laid there in life support. When we got there she was having seizure-like activity. They were pumping her with medications. But ultimately we were told her brain had hernicated. And there was nothing they could do. [01:36:40] Speaker 1: And Ms. Burks, what do you do for work? [01:36:46] Speaker 11: I work at the VA hospital, Veterans Hospital, in the emergency room. [01:36:56] Speaker 1: And while you are not a medical professional, are you, does your job make you very familiar with these medical conditions? [01:37:06] Speaker 11: Yes. I've been there 26 years. I'm very familiar with all the medical conditions. [01:37:10] Speaker 1: When the doctors were telling you about Jade's condition, what did that mean to you? [01:37:17] Speaker 11: That there was nothing that could be done to bring my baby back. [01:37:35] Speaker 1: And what did they tell you about Jade's newborn baby? [01:37:42] Speaker 11: The length of time that she went without oxygen, and the baby went without oxygen. And she's in that condition. Therefore, the baby went a bit viable. [01:38:07] Speaker 1: And did you even consult with a doctor at your hospital about what they were saying? I did. And based on everything that the doctors were telling you about whether her baby could survive, what decision did Joel have to make? [01:38:28] Speaker ?: To make her DNR. [01:38:29] Speaker 11: And then to ultimately decide when we wanted to take her off of our support. And when did that happen? [01:38:47] Speaker ?: Thank you, Ms. Burks. [01:38:48] Speaker 1: I don't have anything else. [01:39:03] Speaker ?: I know this has been very difficult for me. [01:39:21] Speaker 10: You've been here all week, part of the week, so I just have a few questions for you, okay? I think you mentioned this, I want to make sure I understood it. Before the 25th or the 26th, you'd never met Mr. Taylor, right? Correct. And you'd never talked to him on the phone? Correct. Your daughter, Jade, had maybe mentioned to him. That was kind of the extent of your contact with Mr. Taylor? Correct. He was around her one time, and I said to him, I said hi. Like a video call or a phone call or something? [01:40:10] Speaker 11: I don't remember if it was a video call. I just remember one time she was around him and I said, tell him I said hi. [01:40:17] Speaker 10: But I had never personally spoken with him. So your comment that her not wanting to post things publicly was because of Blaze. Blaze never told me that, right? [01:40:33] Speaker ?: I never spoke with him. Okay, I just want to make sure I understood. That was from Jane, right? [01:40:40] Speaker 11: Correct. [01:40:41] Speaker 10: And I know you and your daughter were very close, right? Very close. And I know you've heard a lot of things during this trial. Is it possible there were any little parts of her life that you didn't know about? [01:41:06] Speaker 11: Most kids have parts of their life that they don't tell their parent about. Okay. [01:41:10] Speaker 10: That's fair. I appreciate that. The... [01:41:26] Speaker ?: Before you... [01:41:26] Speaker 10: Actually, I'm sorry. [01:41:27] Speaker ?: Before you got... So... Let me get this right. [01:41:30] Speaker 10: The party that you were going to have on the 25th birthday where she was going to have a baby shower and all that stuff. We weren't having a baby shower on the 20... On her birthday. We were having a birthday dinner. Oh. [01:41:47] Speaker ?: Was the baby shower around then? [01:41:48] Speaker 10: The baby shower was going to be in April. Okay. I'm sorry. I thought you were having like a joint birthday party. No. Do you know if Blaze was invited to that? No. It was here in Little Rock. [01:41:56] Speaker ?: Okay. So, so far as you know, he maybe didn't even know about that, right? [01:41:56] Speaker 10: I'm not sure if he knew or not. [01:41:57] Speaker 11: Okay. Okay. So, you don't have any information that Mr. Taylor was even aware. [01:42:00] Speaker 10: I'm not sure if he knew or not. Okay. [01:42:02] Speaker 11: So, you don't have any information that Mr. Taylor was even aware of that. Okay. I'm not sure if he knew or not. [01:42:05] Speaker 10: Okay. So, you don't have any information that Mr. Taylor was even aware of that. I'm not sure if he knew or not. Okay. So, you don't have any information that Mr. Taylor was even aware of that. I'm not sure if he knew or not. Okay. I'm not sure if he knew or not. I'm not sure if he knew or not. Okay. I'm not sure if he knew or not. Okay. So, you don't have any information that Mr. Taylor was even aware of that. Jake was going to go public about her pregnancy on her 25th birthday? I'm not sure. Okay. [01:42:36] Speaker ?: Thank you. [01:42:51] Speaker 10: I know when you got here, there was a lot going on. And when did you get Jade's phone? As someone went to the hospital. So, like 3:30, 4:00 in the morning? Yes. And you got that from IJ? No. [01:43:10] Speaker 11: I got that from her stepmother. [01:43:11] Speaker 10: From her stepmother. Okay. Thank you. I apologize. [01:43:15] Speaker ?: I didn't realize. [01:43:16] Speaker 10: And when you opened her phone and looked in it, when was that? I don't know the exact time. And so you can see in the Blink application, and there's a live feed, but no, like, you couldn't scroll backwards, right? Correct. And so you can't see in that Blink application when the camera was moved? No, you cannot. It's a live feed. And so you don't have any information about when that camera was moved? No, I do not. When was the last time you saw it in Jade's kitchen? [01:43:58] Speaker 11: Possibly in those photos. She didn't call me a lot from her kitchen. Okay. [01:44:04] Speaker ?: Okay. [01:44:04] Speaker 11: That's fair. [01:44:05] Speaker ?: Okay. [01:44:06] Speaker 10: That's fair. Okay. [01:44:08] Speaker ?: Thank you. Thank you for that. Maybe redirect. Thank you for that. Maybe redirect. Thank you. [01:44:14] Speaker 3: Thank you. Thank you for that. Maybe redirect. redirect. [01:44:35] Speaker 1: Ms. Burgess, just to clarify, Jade was planning a birthday party in Little Rock. She had a dinner, y'all had reservations, she picked out the place, she was planning this party because you're planning a baby shower and people are going to even know she's pregnant before you can send out baby shower advice. [01:44:56] Speaker 8: Ms. Burgess, that is correct. [01:44:57] Speaker 1: Ms. Burgess, so that was kind of a big thing for her and y'all were talking about it a lot. Ms. Burgess, it was something that was definitely going to be happening. Ms. Burgess, correct. Ms. Burgess, Jane was planning multiple other things at the same time. Ms. Burgess, specifically, she had a catering event that was coming up and she was messaging you with menus and things about that and she was really excited about it. [01:45:26] Speaker 11: Ms. Burgess, it was one of my friends' weddings. Ms. Burgess, what was that wedding supposed to be? Ms. Burgess, March 3rd. Ms. Burgess, that was supposed to be a Rosemary. Ms. Burgess, thank you. And obviously I didn't get to go. Thank you, Ms. Burgess. [01:45:49] Speaker 10: Any other questions? Mr. Taylor was involved in any plans with you and Jay, was he? No. [01:45:59] Speaker 11: Ms. Burgess, thank you, Ms. Burgess, thank you. [01:46:05] Speaker ?: Ms. Burgess, thank you. Ms. Burgess, thank you. Ms. Burgess, thank you. Ms. Burgess, negative or less than 10 nanograms per ml. [01:46:16] Speaker 8: Ms. Burgess, okay, so if the cocaine was dissolved in a very small amount of alcohol and put it in her drink and she adjusted it that way, [01:46:21] Speaker 1: Ms. Burgess, that would explain the cocoa leveling that is apparently so incredibly important? [01:46:36] Speaker 8: Ms. Burgess, it would have to be a larger amount of ethanol, not just a little bit, in order to come up in the assays, so we're not talking like a teaspoon. I think somebody had said something crazy like vanilla before. [01:46:48] Speaker 1: Ms. Burgess, well, you just said somebody said something crazy, that's interesting, because you're saying that it came up in the comforter, the cocoa ethylene, correct? [01:46:57] Speaker 8: Ms. Burgess, in the vomitus, yes. [01:46:59] Speaker 1: Ms. Burgess, okay, but Dr. Nissen's report specifically does not even have a numeric value if the response was so low. [01:47:12] Speaker 8: Ms. Burgess, yet it's still persisting in other matrices a couple days later. Ms. Burgess, so it just hadn't formed all the way probably. [01:47:21] Speaker 1: Ms. Burgess, it literally does not have a numeric value. Ms. Burgess, that is how low it is. [01:47:27] Speaker 8: Ms. Burgess, okay, but it's still persisting in other matrices days later, so we know that it was at a higher value then, even given its half-life. [01:47:38] Speaker 1: Ms. Burgess, days later when she's in the hospital receiving medication after medication after medication, trying to keep her alive online, Ms. Burgess, life support because she ingested liquid cocaine. [01:47:52] Speaker 8: Ms. Burgess, I don't know that. [01:47:54] Speaker ?: Ms. Burgess, I don't know that. [01:47:55] Speaker 1: Ms. Burgess, you have heard... Ms. Burgess, excuse me. Ms. Burgess, three experts testify... Ms. Burgess, you don't need to raise your phone. Ms. Burgess, okay. [01:48:01] Speaker 3: Ms. Burgess, okay. Ms. Burgess, just ask your question in a reasonable manner. [01:48:06] Speaker 1: Ms. Burgess, Dr. Lindsay, you have heard three experts testify that it was ingested and it had to be a liquid. Ms. Burgess, it was in her drink. [01:48:19] Speaker 8: Ms. Burgess, are you testifying because there's nothing... [01:48:22] Speaker 3: Ms. Burgess, please don't interject yourself. Ms. Burgess, just keep yourself calm as well. Ms. Burgess, you don't ask questions, okay? [01:48:29] Speaker 8: Ms. Burgess, I'm sorry. [01:48:30] Speaker 3: Ms. Burgess, okay. [01:48:31] Speaker 8: Ms. Burgess, there is nothing... Ms. Burgess, now, what is your question? [01:48:34] Speaker 3: Ms. Burgess, you said three experts said eggs. What is your question? [01:48:38] Speaker 1: Ms. Burgess, you've heard the three experts testify that it was ingested orally, correct? [01:48:44] Speaker 8: Ms. Burgess, I've heard them testify that it could have been ingested orally. [01:48:50] Speaker 1: Ms. Burgess, have you heard them testify that there was no evidence that it was ingested in any other manner? [01:48:56] Speaker 8: Ms. Burgess, no, I haven't. [01:48:58] Speaker 1: Ms. Burgess, you haven't heard that testimony? [01:49:00] Speaker 8: Ms. Burgess, I have not. If you point it out, I would be happy to look at it. [01:49:03] Speaker 1: Ms. Burgess, okay, so you didn't hear Dr. Carney's testimony when she described her autopsy. [01:49:08] Speaker 8: Ms. Burgess, that wouldn't show you whether it was ingested orally or by any other manner. [01:49:13] Speaker 1: Ms. Burgess, okay, and Dr. Lindsay, you went on and on about pharmacokinetics and calculating a dose. Did you provide your calculations? [01:49:27] Speaker 8: Ms. Burgess, did I provide my calculations? Ms. Burgess, no, but anybody can do them. If it's a half-life of 30 half-lives in between the first and the second dose, you would be up to billions of, uh, milligrams. [01:49:41] Speaker 1: Ms. Okay, so you don't have any math that supports that at all for pharmacokinetics? [01:49:46] Speaker 8: Ms. Burgess, I did it at one time, but it was so off the chart, I knew that it was incorrect. [01:49:51] Speaker 1: Ms. Oh, so you knew that you were incorrect? [01:49:53] Speaker 8: Ms. Burgess, no, I knew that the pharmacokinetics did not make sense. Ms. Burgess, So anybody can take, the other experts didn't do the same calculations, and they could have, or they should have, uh, they would have seen right away that it was not possible. [01:50:12] Speaker 1: Ms. Well, you're saying it's not possible because you're refusing to acknowledge that it was ingested in liquid form, correct? [01:50:19] Speaker 8: Ms. Burgess, No, I'm not, I'm saying we don't know. It could have been ingested in liquid form or it could have been used in another form. We just don't know. [01:50:26] Speaker 1: Ms. Burgess, Well, that's what you're saying that you just don't know, but Dr. Carney was very positive when she did her autopsy report. [01:50:34] Speaker 8: Ms. Burgess, That wouldn't have shown, an autopsy report would not show whether someone had ingested it orally or ingested it through insulflation or injection, and autopsy would not show that. [01:50:48] Speaker 1: Ms. Burgess, Dr. Lindsay, are you a forensic pathologist? [01:50:52] Speaker 8: Ms. Burgess, No, I'm not a forensic pathologist, but I'm a toxicologist, and it would not show that. I don't, if you want to describe how it would show that, maybe that could enlighten me. [01:51:02] Speaker 1: Ms. Burgess, Dr. Lindsay, I am asking you the question. Ms. Burgess, Okay. Ms. Burgess, Have you ever performed an autopsy? [01:51:09] Speaker 8: Ms. Burgess, No. Ms. Burgess, No. [01:51:11] Speaker 1: Ms. Burgess, Okay. Ms. Burgess, Did you hear Dr. Kruluski's testimony where he said that he would not even attempt to calculate using pharmacokinetics to try to calculate the dose? [01:51:29] Speaker 8: Ms. Burgess, He doesn't do that regularly in his practice. He's more of an analytical chemist. It was clear by the way he answered the questions, and that's why he wouldn't do the pharmacokinetic calculations. Ms. Burgess, That's more of a biochemistry type thing. [01:51:43] Speaker 1: Ms. Burgess, Dr. Lindsay, that was not Dr. Kruluski's answer. You do know that, correct? [01:51:47] Speaker 8: Ms. Burgess, I listened to his testimony, and that's how I knew he didn't do that. He didn't do it on a regular basis. He's an analytical, more of an analytical chemist toxicologist than a strict toxicologist who does pharmacokinetic modeling. I think he was open about that. [01:52:05] Speaker 1: Ms. Burgess, Okay. Dr. Lindsay, I know that you do -- so you're saying that you reviewed -- so you're saying that you reviewed -- so I'm going to talk a little bit about that. Ms. Burgess, So you're saying that you reviewed everything in the investigation file and the testimony at the bond hearing, correct? Ms. Burgess, Yes, that's correct. Ms. Burgess, But you are here testifying that -- you think it's possible that Jake Benning was drinking four drinks out and doing cocaine? How -- was she doing it again? Ms. Burgess, We don't know. Ms. Burgess, Okay. But what did you use for your pharmacokinetics calculation? [01:53:03] Speaker 8: Ms. Burgess, So that's a little bit different. What I'm saying is we don't know whether she ingested it orally or whether through insulplation or whether ingestion -- we just don't know because the numbers don't tell us. Ms. Burgess, And the only reliable numbers we have are from a tube that did not have preservative in it. Ms. Burgess, So while a ratio in a proper tube might give us an idea of whether it was orally ingested in case -- instead of insulplated, we didn't have that because we have the tube that didn't have the proper preservative in it. [01:53:41] Speaker 1: Ms. Burgess, Okay. So my question is for the pharmacokinetics that you testified about, I think at one point you said 16 that you all -- what was the ingestion method that you used for that pharmacokinetics calculation? [01:53:55] Speaker 8: Ms. Burgess, So I did assume an oral bioavailability for that. Oh, gosh, I should have been using that before. [01:54:03] Speaker 1: Ms. Burgess, So you assumed liquid cocaine? [01:54:08] Speaker 8: Ms. Burgess, Cocaine taken orally. Ms. Burgess, Dissolved into liquid? Ms. Burgess, It doesn't have to be dissolved in a liquid. It's the same thing if you take it orally or food, liquid, whatever. Ms. Burgess, It's going through the metabolism that way instead of going through insulplation or vaginal insertion or whatever. [01:54:33] Speaker 1: Ms. Burgess, So you said that and then immediately afterwards you said -- Ms. Burgess, but you can't calculate the pharmacokinetics with this case. [01:54:44] Speaker 8: Ms. Burgess, Correct. Ms. Burgess, Correct.