State v Bradley Cooper - March 22, 2011

[jumpstreet]

All these witnesses, at RC said, are foundation witnesses. You can't just put on an expert and have them give the results of a test on evidence if you don't establish that the item was seen, then collected, then packaged, then sent somewhere, prelim tests run (if applicable), and then sent to final testing where an expert can testify if they found a result. Rules of evidence require this foundation.

Good info, and makes sense. Does it mean that the state will need to also call each and every person who may have come in contact with the evidence from the collector, to the packager, to the preliminary tester, and then finally to the expert tester? (ie, anyone involved in transport, processing, etc)? If so, that might help explain/contribute to the (iirc upwards of 200 names...) witness list.

I'm just wondering how many intermediate testimonies are needed before we can hear from the folks who actually tested the collected stuff.. . to tell us what (if anything) they found. BTW (just curious) are the 'rules of evidence' (or a summary version) written down somewhere?

 

[borndem]

I guess there goes the "no one would vacuum a gas spill" theory out the window. Thanks for looking this up.

I'm still groovin' on the flamethrower.

 

[Cheyenne130]

Going back to my Nancy Drew theory on yesterday's board... He dumped her body and then headed to Harris Teeter for an alibi about why he was out and about so early... then went home and starting cleaning and realized he needed to make it seem like she was a live so he set up that phone call and went to get detergent.. Again, amazing these kids were not up!

There really wasn't time between the first trip and the second trip to do much of anything. I believe the second trip was planned from the very beginning.

 

[jmflu]

2 things give me the heebies. 1)They tell him they found a body, and he tells them what the body is wearing. 2)Donna Rentz hugs "this man I loved," then looks under his ball cap and into his eyes, and sees there that he murdered her daughter.

 

[Cheyenne130]

2 things give me the heebies. 1)They tell him they found a body, and he tells them what the body is wearing. 2)Donna Rentz hugs "this man I loved," then looks under his ball cap and into his eyes, and sees there that he murdered her daughter.

I can add a third after today's video: the condition of her bed on Wednesday (I know the video was Thursday but he had to leave the house on Wednesday) compared to the condition on Saturday tells a tale that he knew she wasn't coming home.

 

[borndem]

Good info, and makes sense. Does it mean that the state will need to also call each and every person who may have come in contact with the evidence from the collector, to the packager, to the preliminary tester, and then finally to the expert tester? (ie, anyone involved in transport, processing, etc)? If so, that might help explain/contribute to the (iirc upwards of 200 names...) witness list.

I'm just wondering how many intermediate testimonies are needed before we can hear from the folks who actually tested the collected stuff.. . to tell us what (if anything) they found. BTW (just curious) are the 'rules of evidence' (or a summary version) written down somewhere?

Check the
North Carolina General Statutes Chapter 8C Evidence Code

Read that, and you will think today's session was traveling at a Ferrari Enzo speed. But evidence rules are there...

 

[johnfear]

I would have been interested to see surveillance from an outside source that day. What care was he driving? Can we tell anything from a distance about the car? (Mud, plate appearance, etc.)

I think the Keystone Cops theory is shaping up, but they may have just appeared that way because they were doing a whole lot behind the scenes.

The shop vac though.....really? I hope we just haven't met the guy who thought that was important yet.

 

[FullDisclosure]

I know most people posting here are in the 100% guilty box. As I've said, I'm clearly on the fence. My issue is that looking at Brad's story with an unbiased view (I don't feel I have a bias in this case), I honestly haven't seen anything yet where the explanation was unreasonable. I know most of you are completely opposite...but that's my view and opinion. It doesn't mean I believe what is being said. But I can see how things happened as he said they did. Now I keep waiting for the prosecution to show me something that makes it impossible for his story to be true. And that just hasn't happened yet. And I'm not talking about her friends views of what he usually does or never does. They didn't live with him and only heard Nancy's view. So those things were said with bias. I just need something to make me go feel he said wasn't possible.

Add me to that list! I feel exactly the same way.:fence:

 

[CyberPro]

2 things give me the heebies. 1)They tell him they found a body, and he tells them what the body is wearing. 2)Donna Rentz hugs "this man I loved," then looks under his ball cap and into his eyes, and sees there that he murdered her daughter.

I posted something similar to this last week, but try as I might I just can't crack the nut. Think back to a time when you might have received word that a friend or loved one might have died, been involved in a bad accident, or perhaps you just got some bad or shocking news.

The stages of grief begin with disbelief. So, during the time you got the bad news, what was the first reaction? Usually something like: NO!, When did it happen? and your mind is reeling trying to cope with this bad news. Often, if it is not a lengthy illness, you might ask HOW?

According to the testimony, BC did not ask any of that. He held his head a made groans. No questions? Why? As I said, if someone had gone running and was missing, my first thoughts would not have been that they were abducted, but that they had been injured or killed by a passing car, and had been in an area that they were not seen from the road. I don't recall any testimony that BC ever asked how it happened, or really expressed any disbelief, other than to ask how they determined it was NC.

 

[jmflu]

You're right. His reactions to so many things make him look guilty.

 

[ncsu95]

Brad (apparently) cleaned the dust around the edges of the washing machine and dryer! The CCBI noted that the two machines were spotless. And he testified he was surprised there was no dust in the crevices where one would expect to find them.

I found that... interesting!

Maybe he was going overboard with the cleaning because she gave him hell when she got home from vacation about the house being a mess.

 

[ncsu95]

Some women enjoy the comfort of a sports bra as opposed to a regular. Speculating.

But when would she have put it on? When she got home from the party to go to bed? That doesn't make any sense.

 

[Cheyenne130]

Maybe he was going overboard with the cleaning because she gave him hell when she got home from vacation about the house being a mess.

Do you think she was going to be overjoyed when she came home and found her bed totally covered with laundry baskets and other stuff?

 

[ncsu95]

I can add a third after today's video: the condition of her bed on Wednesday (I know the video was Thursday but he had to leave the house on Wednesday) compared to the condition on Saturday tells a tale that he knew she wasn't coming home.

Her body was found Monday night. You have no idea when he put that stuff on the bed. And it was just clothes....why is that a big deal? That's where my wife dumps the laundry basket after she washes stuff.

 

[ncsu95]

Do you think she was going to be overjoyed when she came home and found her bed totally covered with laundry baskets and other stuff?

Once again, you have no idea when that stuff was put on the bed.

 

[SleuthyGal]

I rewatched the part of the testimony where the CCBI agent is showing the pictures of the scene and NC's body at the scene to the jury. This is Day 8 part 5, the last 2 minutes of that stream. During this portion, the camera was focused on BC the entire time.

I caught the part where Brad writes something on a piece of paper, hands it back to one of Kurtz' legal assistants, and smirks as he waits for her to read it. At that very moment the rest of the courtroom is hearing about the decomposing condition of his wife's body and the jury is seeing these pictures. I'm sure they were very distressed (that's the point that one juror had to be excused and they took a break).

Brad wasn't distressed though.

He was busy smirking.

 

[Cheyenne130]

Once again, you have no idea when that stuff was put on the bed.

We know it was between Saturday and Wednesday.

 

[Maja]

But when would she have put it on? When she got home from the party to go to bed? That doesn't make any sense.

How do we know she didn't wear it the evening of 7/11?

Another thought is she may have worn them to bed. They are comfortable.

 

[SleuthyGal]

Here's a picture of the smirk...or at least part of it. Hard to capture it in a still photo, but there it is.

As his wife's body and the surrounding area is being described...Brad is passing notes in class.

 

[ncsu95]

We know it was between Saturday and Wednesday.

And her body was found Monday.