GUILTY GA - Eight family members brutally murdered in Brunswick home, 29 Aug 2009

[popsicle]

11:30 a.m.

Asked why he had gone to St. Simons Island around 4 a.m. Aug. 29, 2009, where his brother and others were partying at a motel, Guy Heinze Jr. said because he "was geeked up" on crack cocaine and didn't want to go home where everyone was sleeping.

He also said he went to the south end of the St. Simons Island to call his brother to let him in his motel room because he had drugs on him and was afraid police would see him at stores closer to the motel.

He said he didn't remember throwing anything away at the motel, but he may have because he was trying to kill time.

He asked then if he could smoke one more cigarette before going back to jail.

Judge Stephen Scarlett recessed court an hour for lunch.


Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/...ld-not-have-killed-father-seven#ixzz2i5bZPzMi

 

[popsicle]

long lunch.. where are they.

 

[popsicle]

1:23 p.m.

When Guy Heinze Jr.'s death penalty murder trial resumed at 12:30 p.m. Friday, Georgia Bureau of Investigation forensic toxicologist Stacey Reynolds Forehan testified that she performed tests on his blood. She found that he had used marijuana, cocaine and propoxyphen. Propoxyphen is a component of Darvocet, a narcotic pain reliever that was withdrawn from the U.S. market in 2010.

Tanja Copp works at the GBI crime lab in Savannah as a drug chemist and testified she has tested drugs for about 100 cases a month since 1999.

Copp said she examined one pill that is evidence in Heinze's case and found it to be a generic form of Darvocet, a Schedule IV narcotic that can be obtained only with a prescription.

Brooke Oliver, a forensic biologist at the GBI's Atlanta crime lab, examined a document that is part of the prosecution's evidence against Heinze. She examined it first and found that it had blood on it, Oliver testified.

Other witnesses testified Thursday that the document had Heinze's bloody palm print was on the document and that the blood was that of Russell Toler Sr., the close friend of Heinze's father, Guy Heinze Sr. The two men, Toler's four children, his sister and his daughter's boyfriend were all slain inside a mobile home Aug. 29, 2009.


Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/...ld-not-have-killed-father-seven#ixzz2i60Htnx9

 

[popsicle]

2:12 p.m.

Glynn County police Lt. William Darris, a shift supervisor, was an investigator at the time of the deaths. Including military service, he has been a police officer 20 years.

The morning that Guy Heinze Jr. reported his father and seven others at been beaten to death in their mobile home, he was at police headquarters and began filling out search warrant applications for the house a Mercury Cougar and truck in the yard and for Guy Heinze Jr.'s blood, Darris testified.

The nurse at the jail drew Guy Heinze Jr.'s blood.

The defense stipulated to the authentication of toxicology and blood alcohol reports on the bodies of Chrissy, Michelle and Michael Toler, Russell Toler Sr., Russell Toler Jr., Brenda Gail Falagan, Guy Heinze Sr. and Joseph West, all of whom were beaten to death Aug. 29, 2009.

The defense also agreed to the admission ofa phone record. The record showed the last known call from the house phone at the mobile home was made by Michelle Toler to a friend, who was sleeping and did not answer.

Heinze told police he had found the house phone and used it to make a 911 call the morning he found the bodies, including that of Michelle Toler.

Guy Heinze Sr., GBI analyst Ann Kistler-Rao examined hairs found in the right and left hands of Russell Toler Jr. The sample was collected after he and seven family members were found beaten to death four years ago in a mobile home north of Brunswick.

One of the hairs in the right hand was found be animal hair and the other to match Toler Jr.'s own hair. The single hair in his left hand matched that of his sister, Chrissy, who lay dead in a bedroom in the trailer.

The results were based on an examination under a microscope and no DNA testing was done, Kistler-Rao testified.



Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/...igator-he-could-not-have-killed#ixzz2i6DrKL00

 

[popsicle]

2:45 p.m.

The investigation of all the deaths of those killed Aug. 29, 2009, in a mobile home was based on the belief that the victims had been shot to death, Glynn County police Lt. William Darris testified Friday afternoon in Guy Heinze Jr.’s death penalty murder trial.

When the preliminary autopsy reports began coming in the next day, “We had no gunshot wounds,’’ Darris said.

In a search of the Mercury Cougar Guy Heinze Jr. was driving, a pill bottle and cell phone were found, both in the car’s center console.

“The cell phone had blood,’’ he said. “I opened the cell phone and could see it had blood on the face and the key pad.”

Georgia Bureau of Investigation analyst testified Thursday that the blood on the cell phone was that of Joseph West, who was killed in the same room as Michelle Toler.

The pill bottle had white pills and a plastic bag with a substance in it, Darris testified.

Darris said he also seized pills that were in the back seat of the Cougar.

The cell phone was an LG phone with prepaid minutes and when powered on showed the Michelle Toler’s nickname, Baby Girl, he testified.

Darris had photos of what the phone’s voice mail log showed. There were two calls made Aug. 29, one showed a call of 36 seconds made at 3:45 a.m. and another at 3:48 a.m. on Aug. 29, Darris testified.

Another appeared to be a misdial to a non-working number, he said.

Heinze said in a videotaped interview that he had gone to St. Simons Island about 4 a.m. the same morning to see his younger brother, Tyler, who was partying with other people at a motel room.



Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/...igator-he-could-not-have-killed#ixzz2i6OR4E22

 

[popsicle]

3:13 p.m.

Judge Stephen Scarlett announced that a woman juror had reinjured her knee. The juror had tried to continue but was in such discomfort she asked to be relieved from jury duty. With the agreement of the lawyers, Scarlett sent her home.

There are now nine women and six men on the jury, three of whom are alternates.


Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/...igator-he-could-not-have-killed#ixzz2i6XGaht2

 

[popsicle]

3:45 p.m.

Lt. William Darris read from the transaction record on a shotgun that showed Russell D. Toler as the owner as of Sept. 13, 1985. Darris testified the shotgun was in the possession of Guy Heinze Jr. on Aug. 29, 2009.

The jury saw Heinze tell a police investigator in a videotaped interview that he had taken the gun from the mobile home the morning of the slayings. Heinze said he paid a man $25 for the gun and that he believed it was stolen and didn’t want police to find it.

He also read from a toxicology report on Joseph West that showed he had no marijuana in his system. Heinze told police he and West had smoked marijuana together Aug. 28, the night before Heinze found him dead with the others in the mobile home.

Chrissy Toler and Russell Toler Jr. had consumed marijuana, toxicology tests showed.

Both Russell Toler Sr. and his son Michael Toler tested positive for propoxyphene, a prescription painkiller, the reports showed.

On Aug. 28, Joe West, Michelle and Chrissy Toler and Chrissy Toler’s son Byron Jimerson, the sole survivor of the beatings, were seen in a video at a convenience store on U.S. 17 near Brunswick where West had spoken with another man. The four left the store about 11:45 p.m. It was the last time all but Byron were seen alive. Heinze was not on the video although he claimed to have been there, Darris said.

Darris testified he had never received credible evidence of gang activity in the case.

During a pause for witnesses to organize evidence, Judge Stephen Scarlett told jurors that court would be held from 8:15 a.m. until about 6 p.m. Saturday.

On Sunday, the Rev. Wright Culpepper would deliver a service at 11 a.m. and between 2 and 5 p.m. Sunday, the jurors could visit close family members but must follow all court rules including not discussing the case or the proceedings.


Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/...igator-he-could-not-have-killed#ixzz2i6bbSgRc

 

[popsicle]

During a pause for witnesses to organize evidence, Judge Stephen Scarlett told jurors that court would be held from 8:15 a.m. until about 6 p.m. Saturday.


Go judge.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

By Terry Dickson




5:13 p.m.

During cross-examination, defense lawyer Newell Hamilton Jr. raised questions of Lt. William Darris about the quality of the investigation including why the Glynn County police had sought little more than advice from a Georgia Bureau of Investigation crime scene specialist. He also questioned why some items were not collected as evidence.

Asked if he understood that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation had specialists better trained in processing crime scenes, Darris said, “I don’t know. Our guys have a lot of training.”

Darris described the crime scene as “overwhelming at times.’’

About a half dozen investigators processed the crime scene, Darris said.

One of the investigators resigned from the department and deployed to Afghanistan without completing a report.

“It would have been nice having his observations,’’ Darris said and acknowledged that the other officers completed reports month later.

Reports done six months later have all the evidence done and all the documentation is complete and readily available, he said.

“Those are experienced officers. They know the time it takes to gather all the’’ information and complete reports, he testified.

Although the investigators collected more than 400 items, he has since identified a few things he now wishes had been collected, Darris said.

“You have to make decisions on the spot, what’s important, what’s not. You err on the side of caution. That’s why we have so many items,’’ he said.

Darris also acknowledged that clothing with red droplets were found in bathroom where none of the victims was found. The clothing was not collected as evidence, he said.

“Instead of testing it it was thrown away,’’ Hamilton said.

“It was not collected, yes,’’ Darris said.

“If could have shipped that whole trailer to the crime lab in Savannah and said, ‘Have it, I would have done it … You have to make decisions,’’ Darris said later in his testimony. “We didn’t send 400 pieces of evidence


Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/...ld-not-have-killed#comment-form#ixzz2i6xV5vop

 

[oceanblueeyes]

During a pause for witnesses to organize evidence, Judge Stephen Scarlett told jurors that court would be held from 8:15 a.m. until about 6 p.m. Saturday.


Go judge.

This is Georgia......... Popsicle ............they get on with it and don't dilly dally around.

Even when it isn't a sequestered jury they often will have trial on Saturdays.

 

[popsicle]

Darris also acknowledged that clothing with red droplets were found in bathroom where none of the victims was found. The clothing was not collected as evidence, he said.

“Instead of testing it it was thrown away,’’ Hamilton said.

“It was not collected, yes,’’ Darris said.

“If could have shipped that whole trailer to the crime lab in Savannah and said, ‘Have it, I would have done it … You have to make decisions,’’ Darris said later in his testimony. “We didn’t send 400 pieces of evidence

Just wow.

 

[blefuscu]

Omg, I feel so sorry for the jury having to look at photos of the victims.

It seems to me that the females were beaten much more severely than the men. They definitely took more blows. Possibly misogyny?

 

[oceanblueeyes]

Just wow.

I could beat the crap out of this LE!

That was the clothes he was probably wearing when he did it along with the underwear he had on when he went to wash off some of the blood.

This is a small town of 18,000 thousand people. LE had probably never ever had a crime scene this big or this horrific.

IMO

 

[oceanblueeyes]

Omg, I feel so sorry for the jury having to look at photos of the victims.

It seems to me that the females were beaten much more severely than the men. They definitely took more blows. Possibly misogyny?

I have thought of that too blefuscu.

Then I thought they both may have been the only ones who were able to fight back..although unsuccessfully, and that outraged him even more. Both his father and his uncle suffered severe injuries too.

The 15 year old, Michelle's hand was broken and the aunt who was disable due to a stroke had hair in her hand.

They may be the only ones, other than Rusty Toler Jr. since he had a clump of hair in his hand too, that knew who their murderer was. I don't think the rest ever knew what hit them or who.

IMO

 

[momrids6]

Just wow.

I live in the next county down. Local LE's salaries are a joke. Starting they make little more than flipping burgers. Local budgets are too. Most do the best they can what what they've got. The backlogs, budget cuts, "clearance rate", and "at will firing" all contribute. Brunswick has a metro size crime problem and rural backwoods funding.

 

[Soulmagent]

The FBI offered to help. ....I am pretty sure I saw that.

This article states they sent in 60 items to the crime lab and wanted to send 60 more.
http://jacksonville.com/news/georgia/2010-07-22/story/crime-lab-backlog-slows-heinze-case
It also says ,they were not overwhelmed....
just saying..

Also ,blood drops on clothing in a bathroom and no victim makes one wonder if it was the murderers blood and why why why would any LEO toss that out?

 

[oceanblueeyes]

The FBI offered to help. ....I am pretty sure I saw that.

This article states they sent in 60 items to the crime lab and wanted to send 60 more.
http://jacksonville.com/news/georgia/2010-07-22/story/crime-lab-backlog-slows-heinze-case
It also says ,they were not overwhelmed....
just saying..

Also ,blood drops on clothing in a bathroom and no victim makes one wonder if it was the murderers blood and why why why would any LEO toss that out?

I don't remember the FBI offering assistance. When they are used it is often their labs, unless it is a missing child case, but they did send everything to the GBI including autopsying the bodies.

From your link.........July 22, 2010 - 11:49pm

Prosecutors said they have given about 2,400 pages of documents including police or lab reports and crime scene photos to the defense.

They've also provided about 80 compact discs or digital video discs of evidence, Perry told Williams.

Police have sent about 70 items to the crime lab "for blood-matching and DNA and fiber analysis," and are preparing to send another 60 to 70 items to the lab, Perry said.


Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/georgi...e-lab-backlog-slows-heinze-case#ixzz2i7SjFpdC

That is a lot of evidence turned over by July, 2010 and a lot of items tested. Didn't LE testify they had 400 items of evidence. No police department tests everything found and in this case it would have been impossible with the amount of blood evidence alone found in the home.

In the police interview they did mention Heinz Jr did have cuts on his hands and leg... so you certainly could be right that the blood droplets were his or maybe blood droplets dripping off his fingers from his victims. Either way they should have tested them.

But every piece of evidence entered is enough for a conviction. The blood SPATTER found on his clothing and shoes plus all of his bald faces lies shows he is very much guilty of these crimes, imo.

IMO

 

[QueenD]

The FBI offered to help. ....I am pretty sure I saw that.

This article states they sent in 60 items to the crime lab and wanted to send 60 more.
http://jacksonville.com/news/georgia/2010-07-22/story/crime-lab-backlog-slows-heinze-case
It also says ,they were not overwhelmed....
just saying..

Also ,blood drops on clothing in a bathroom and no victim makes one wonder if it was the murderers blood and why why why would any LEO toss that out?

I too remember seeing that on an article this week while reading different news outlets on this.

It did state the FBI offered to help.

 

[QueenD]

I have thought of that too blefuscu.

Then I thought they both may have been the only ones who were able to fight back..although unsuccessfully, and that outraged him even more. Both his father and his uncle suffered severe injuries too.

The 15 year old, Michelle's hand was broken and the aunt who was disable due to a stroke had hair in her hand.

They may be the only ones, other than Rusty Toler Jr. since he had a clump of hair in his hand too, that knew who their murderer was. I don't think the rest ever knew what hit them or who.

IMO

Was the clump of hair from the victim of the murderer? Not sure if I had seen if LE said.

 

[geevee]

Was the clump of hair from the victim of the murderer? Not sure if I had seen if LE said.

From post #66:

--
"Guy Heinze Sr., GBI analyst Ann Kistler-Rao examined hairs found in the right and left hands of Russell Toler Jr. The sample was collected after he and seven family members were found beaten to death four years ago in a mobile home north of Brunswick.

One of the hairs in the right hand was found be animal hair and the other to match Toler Jr.'s own hair. The single hair in his left hand matched that of his sister, Chrissy, who lay dead in a bedroom in the trailer."
--

So far that's all I've seen on the hair testing.