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

[popsicle]

6:25 p.m.

Michael Knox, a forensic science and criminology consultant, testified Monday for the defense in Guy Heinze Jr.s' death penalty murder case.

Knox said he formerly was a major case investigator with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and that he reconstructed crime scenes to show what had actually happened. Knox said defense attorney Newell Hamilton Jr.'s office contacted him to review the evidence in the case, for which he is charging about $18,000 including his testimony and courtroom presentation.

Knox said he could examine blood patterns to determine how the blood was deposited where it was found, whether it was dripped from something, "forcefully distributed'' such as from an impact or cast off from a weapon.

The first step is to gather all the evidence and never form an opionion first, he said.
In some investigations, "confirmation bias" occurs in which the tendency is to look for evidence to support the theory and ignore things that are contrary to the theory, he testified.

Was hired by Hamilton's office to review the crime scene and the evidence, Knox said.
"Lots of photographs. I don't how many, but thousands of photographs were taken,'' he testified.

He also received fingerprints, reports from the GBI crime lab "everything we needed," Knox testified.

Knox said he had never interviewed Heinze and saw him for the first time Monday and that what he looks at is physical evidence because talking first with defendants could bias an investigation.

"Physical evidence is the most reliable. We're all human. We all make mistakes,'' he said of the reliabilty of witness statements.

He said he saw no evidence that blood pattern analysis was done in the case.
In a case where eight people were beaten to death, "it absolutely should have been done,'' because it will accurately represent what happened in the case, Knox testified.

Judge Stephen Scarlett recessed court until 8:15 a.m. Tuesday.



Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/...eard-guy-heinze-jr-say-ill-kill#ixzz2iOmHLuIN

 

[oceanblueeyes]

I don't think it is beyond reasonable doubt. No phone ping evidence was submitted .

No other phone records and why wasn't the amount Joe made investigated. No evidence submitted on the alledged crack which is huge . The motive mentioned in court is BS ,IMO for a reason . Crack probably is a more likely motive and LE seems to act as if it wasn't a factor in this crime ,they said Darvocet so it seems they avoided investigating that or may have but it wasn't going where they wanted it to.

The knive being found in the couch is good but they couldn't tie it to hienze .
The bloody cell phone was great ,until we find no one tested guys hands for blood . So he could have used it after being in the house. No pings to place it away fro the house or at the scene (unless we just didn't see that put)

The 3 spots of blood on the Gym shorts are not enough for me to think it is beyond a doubt.

I respect your right to believe as you see it but I see it totally opposite. There were 8 blood spatters (spatter can only happen when the blood is being hurled through the air at a high velocity as the blood is being let.) The blood of a victim was found on the cell phone inside the vehicle that GHjr was driving is huge. The medication belonging to one of the victims (MT) was found in the vehicle the suspect was driving. The shotgun hidden in the trunk of the vehicle the suspect was driving also had blood on it. The bloody palm print on the paper found inside the home belongs to the suspect. Bloody palm prints can only be made when the blood is wet and this victim was deceased when GHjr supposedly 'found' the victims. He said he only touched two victims. His father and Michael. Blood is easily seen on someone's hands. No blood was seen on his hands. He has blood spatter on the top of his sandals. No blood on the bottom.

He was seen in black shorts yet the 8 blood spatters were on the inside of the lighter gray boxer/gym type underwear. Which means he changed them so the dark side wouldn't show the blood. He really believed at the time LE would think he was a victim and had just found his entire family dead.

He had made previous threats to murder them all. He was strung out on crack. He said Joe let him have it without paying yet if so why didn't he get his crack from Joe instead of begging to buy crack just the night before from someone else telling them he had $50. If Joe let him have crack then why go on to a crack party to buy crack?

The witnesses testified that these men had money before they were murdered yet all but one had no money when found nor none of the female victims either.

His story has more holes in it than swiss cheese. The DA has proven he lied to cover his *advertiser censored**.

He murdered all of these people and thought he had murdered Byron also. Victim after victim has been tied to him and his clothing/shoes...the cell/gun/bloody palm print, and prescription medication.

Not one person in that entire home had crack in their system when they died.

IMO

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

thanks to Popsicle and others sharing court news from this ongoing hearing. This crime is unimagineable. Justice for this family.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

6:25 p.m.

Michael Knox, a forensic science and criminology consultant, testified Monday for the defense in Guy Heinze Jr.s' death penalty murder case.

Knox said he formerly was a major case investigator with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and that he reconstructed crime scenes to show what had actually happened. Knox said defense attorney Newell Hamilton Jr.'s office contacted him to review the evidence in the case, for which he is charging about $18,000 including his testimony and courtroom presentation.

Knox said he could examine blood patterns to determine how the blood was deposited where it was found, whether it was dripped from something, "forcefully distributed'' such as from an impact or cast off from a weapon.

The first step is to gather all the evidence and never form an opionion first, he said.
In some investigations, "confirmation bias" occurs in which the tendency is to look for evidence to support the theory and ignore things that are contrary to the theory, he testified.

Was hired by Hamilton's office to review the crime scene and the evidence, Knox said.
"Lots of photographs. I don't how many, but thousands of photographs were taken,'' he testified.

He also received fingerprints, reports from the GBI crime lab "everything we needed," Knox testified.

Knox said he had never interviewed Heinze and saw him for the first time Monday and that what he looks at is physical evidence because talking first with defendants could bias an investigation.

"Physical evidence is the most reliable. We're all human. We all make mistakes,'' he said of the reliabilty of witness statements.

He said he saw no evidence that blood pattern analysis was done in the case.
In a case where eight people were beaten to death, "it absolutely should have been done,'' because it will accurately represent what happened in the case, Knox testified.

Judge Stephen Scarlett recessed court until 8:15 a.m. Tuesday.



Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/...eard-guy-heinze-jr-say-ill-kill#ixzz2iOmHLuIN

Thanks.

Wow they are burning the midnight oil tonight.

IMO

 

[noZme]

As for Michael Knox & Monday morning quarter-backing about blood spatter evidence, I looked up dimensions for older mobile homes. It is likely the 8 adult bodies & little boy were in less than 1000 square feet. That area is reduced by wall space, closets, HVAC, cabinetry, refrigerator, sink, stove, bathtub, loo & other fixtures. Each person was bludgeoned 60 to 100+ times. There had to be wall-to-wall & floor to ceiling blood & tissue. Each victim had been beaten with the same/similar tool - why should every blood drop be tested & named as droplets, cast-off, etc?

I thought the evidence against Heinze was quite damning.

 

[blefuscu]

I'm worried about this juror shooting his mouth off and saying there's no evidence. Why hasn't he been thrown off the jury?

 

[Soulmagent]

I went back over looking for the blood splatter information. Now granted we are limited in what we have heard but the only two examples of the word splatter ,referring to GHJ clothing (not the crime scene) is this ::

Police have testified that, beneath a pair of khaki shorts, Heinze had on black and gray reversible gym shorts and that blood spatters were visible on the lighter gray side of the shorts. A DNA analyst testified the blood was that of some of the victims.


http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/...ked-100-worth-crack-finding-his#ixzz2i5Ne4biQ

The only problem is the testimony he blogged about does not say splatter except concerning the gun

Here is the blogged testimonies by the same reporter concerning the blood.

Both the right and left side of the gunstock were spattered with blood, O'Malley-Fripp said, and she swabbed and analyzed them.

Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/georgi...ze-jrs-clothing-sandals-matched#ixzz2iPUxaUTI

Bullard said he took a pair of khaki shorts, a blue shirt, brown flip flops and black boxer shorts from Heinze when he was booked. He identified them in an evidence bag.

Heinze had $391.89 in cash when he came to the jail.

http://jacksonville.com/news/georgi...esumes-cross-examination-police#ixzz2hzYYLK3S

He received also a piece of paper with a red stainss on it, Rowland said.
The red stains were the bloody palm prints of Guy Heinze Jr., he testified.
A GBI analyst had testified earlier the blood on the piece of paper was that of Russell Toler Sr.


Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/georgi...ze-jrs-clothing-sandals-matched#ixzz2iPU40AvY

Prior witnesses said the shorts Heinze wore as underwear were reversible and had blood visible on the lighter side.
3:56 p.m.
As he cross-examined DNA analyst Kristen O'Malley-Fripp, defense lawyer Newell Hamilton Jr. asked her about preserving DNA evidence and problems she had experienced with machine breakdowns in analyzing samples in the case against Guy Heinze Jr.


Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/georgi...ze-jrs-clothing-sandals-matched#ixzz2iPUHhIf9

Guy Heinze Jr.'s shorts, that forensic biologist and DNA analyst Kristen O'Malley-Fripp described as gray-black and reversible, arrived at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation crime lab Sept. 2, she testified.
She found blood on four areas of the shorts, did DNA analysis on sample cuttings and found two to be the blood of Russell Toler Sr. and the others to be the blood of Michael Toler and Chrissy Toler.
A swabbing of blood from a paper document taken from the trailer had the blood of Russell Toler Sr., she said.
She also did DNR analyses of swabbings that forensic biologist Barbara Retzer did on sandals that police took from Heinze at the jail.
One swabbing from the sandals matched the blood of Joseph West and another matched Guy Heinze Sr.
One sample on a pair of khaki shorts that belonged to Heinze matched the DNA of Russell Toler Sr. and another matched the DNA of Guy Heinze Sr., she said.
A pair of pants had blood that matched the blood of Russell Toler Sr., O'Malley-Fripp testified.
2:15 p.m.
She also examined blood found on a cell phone. That blood was that of Joseph West, the boyfriend of Chrissy Toler.

She showed the jurors a pair of khaki pants taken from Heinze and indicated eight areas where they had tested positive for blood.

Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/georgi...ze-jrs-clothing-sandals-matched#ixzz2iPVi1DTY

Police have testified that, beneath a pair of khaki shorts, Heinze had on black and gray reversible gym shorts and that blood spatters were visible on the lighter gray side of the shorts. A DNA analyst testified the blood was that of some of the victims.


http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/...ked-100-worth-crack-finding-his#ixzz2i5Ne4biQ

Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/georgi...ze-jrs-clothing-sandals-matched#ixzz2iPUdeek9

I dunno it is was ever said if the clothing was blood splatter or smears or transfer. If anyone can clear this up for me it would be great.

 

[geevee]

From post #122 (BBM)

"Examining a picture of Heinze, she said that it appeared to be the way he was dressed that morning, in a striped blue polo shirt and in khaki shorts "other than he was barefoot."
"That whole family never had shoes on. I don't understand it," with all the fire ant and other things out there, she testified." ~Margaret Orlinski
---

Possibly the answer as to why there was no blood on his flip flop bottoms.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

I went back over looking for the blood splatter information. Now granted we are limited in what we have heard but the only two examples of the word splatter ,referring to GHJ clothing (not the crime scene) is this :: The only problem is the testimony he blogged about does not say splatter except concerning the gun

Here is the blogged testimonies by the same reporter concerning the blood.


I dunno it is was ever said if the clothing was blood splatter or smears or transfer. If anyone can clear this up for me it would be great.

Thank you for all the hard work. I know it is time consuming having to go back through each update.

However it does say the blood on the reversible underwear were spatters. Even though a forensic lab expert testifies in court about such things LE already knows the difference between transference (smears) and blood spatter when it is seen on items.

Police have testified that, beneath a pair of khaki shorts, Heinze had on black and gray reversible gym shorts and that blood spatters were visible on the lighter gray side of the shorts. A DNA analyst testified the blood was that of some of the victims.

One thing I have noticed during Mr. Dickson's blogging of this case he does very often put in what has been asked by the defense attorney and the answers. If any of this forensic blood evidence against GHjr had been transference and not blood spatter I do believe he would have made sure he blogged that.

First of all, the DA knows that blood transference...ie....smears are not the evidence that ties the suspect to a crime. They introduce evidence that shows blood spatter because that shows the blood was being let at the time by the victims and landing on other items.....such as clothing....shoes of the suspect or the cell phone of one of the victims......etc.

JMO

 

[popsicle]

9:30 a.m.

Forensic pathologist Jonathan Arden testified Tuesday he reviewed the autopsies performed in the eight deaths for which Guy Heinze Jr. is being tried for his life on malice murder charges.

Arden said he worked from photographs that were taken during the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's autopsies of the victims.

"Each of these victims had severe blunt force trauma to the head,'' he testified.

He said that three of the victims had injuries from a sharp object and that there were skull fractures, some of great severity, lacerations to the ears, and other wounds.

Aside from a sleeping aid found in the blood of one victim, none the eight appeared to be chemically incapacitated and unable to respond, Arden testified.

There was no mystery on the injuries and, as an independent set of eyes, he agrees on Donoghue's finding on the cause of the deaths, he said.

But he believes that multiple weapons were used.

"We know there was more than one. We know there were multiple blunt force injuries and at least one stab wound, in Mr. Russell Toler Jr.,'' so at least two weapons were used, he testified.

He concluded that Russell Toler Sr. and his sister, Brenda Gail Falagan, also had wounds from a sharp object, Arden testified.

There were also some "nondescript injuries" that could have come from almost anything including a fist or feet , he testified.

A photo of the left side of Toler Sr.'s showed long superficial cuts, not the sort of tearing laceration from a blunt object.

"In my opinion these are cutting injuries,'' he said.

Falagan had an injury on her palm that was a stabbing wound, Arden testified.

He agreed with the GBI pathologist's conclusion that the long, parallel bruises on the victims was indicative of being struck with long thin objects.

In addition to the other wounds, Russell Toler Jr.'s forehead bore signs of concentric circles such as being beaten with a hammer or the end of a pipe, he testified.

"It's my conclusion that multiple different objects were used..." he testified.

"We have a very large number of victims in a single crime scene'' and injuries inflicted face-to-face, Arden said.

With so many victims, there is typically a gun used, some weapon of mass destruction like a bomb or some of the victims had been tied up or held at gunpoint, Arden testified.
It is inconsistent with anything he has ever seen that one person could control so many people and kill them all by beating, he testified.

Before he began testifying, Arden laid out his experience that includes having been the chief medical examiner in Washington, D.C.

Arden estimated he has done 3,000 autopsies, about one third the number that Georgia Bureau of Investigation regional medical examiner Edmund Donoghue testified he had done. Donoghue testified Wednesday of last week that all eight victims had died of head injuries from being beaten with a long, slender object.

Arden testifies he gets paid $3,500 "to come out of town for two days,'' and said his fees are a little lower.

He entered into a contract with the defense lawyers and said he didn't know how much he'll be paid.

He also testified in the J.R. Spell case, a Wayne County murder case moved to Glynn County because of pretrial publicity. Spell was convicted of killing his former wife, father-in-law and mother-in-law and is serving a life sentence.

Arden said he often gives the lawyers that hire him bad news.



Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/...e-beaten-8-people-death-defense#ixzz2iSRuHRq7

 

[Soulmagent]

Thank you for all the hard work. I know it is time consuming having to go back through each update.

However it does say the blood on the reversible underwear were spatters. Even though a forensic lab expert testifies in court about such things LE already knows the difference between transference (smears) and blood spatter when it is seen on items.

Police have testified that, beneath a pair of khaki shorts, Heinze had on black and gray reversible gym shorts and that blood spatters were visible on the lighter gray side of the shorts. A DNA analyst testified the blood was that of some of the victims.

One thing I have noticed during Mr. Dickson's blogging of this case he does very often put in what has been asked by the defense attorney and the answers. If any of this forensic blood evidence against GHjr had been transference and not blood spatter I do believe he would have made sure he blogged that.

First of all, the DA knows that blood transference...ie....smears are not the evidence that ties the suspect to a crime. They introduce evidence that shows blood spatter because that shows the blood was being let at the time by the victims and landing on other items.....such as clothing....shoes of the suspect or the cell phone of one of the victims......etc.

JMO

I understand the quote , It is a quote from the reporter about the testimony. However as he blogged the testimony it never said splatters. It may be correct and it may not be . I cant tell because I didn't hear the testimony and he blogged it differently than he reported it.

I at this point don't feel with what is reported I could find him quilty ,I definitely don't think beyond reasonable . If they testified it were splatter ,like everyone thinks because of the report ,which is conflicting with what the reporter blogged then I might be able to consider it. As of right now I cannot because the testimony is different then what he reported.

Maybe OBE can email him again and ask him about the splatter testimony . I am sure it is in his notes.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

By Aaleeyah Pringle

10:30 a.m.

Under cross examintion in Guy Heinze Jr.s' death penalty murder trial, forensic pathologist Jonathan Arden testified that one strike with a single object could cause more than one injury.

Arden testified that he cannot say specifically how many weapons were used in the Aug. 29, 2009, beating deaths of nine people for which Heinze is charged.

It would be better to examine things in the flesh instead of using photos, he testified.

"It's not the only way to be correct,'' he said.

"Long slender, hard object like a pipe,'' Assistant District Attorney John Johnson said of the Arden's testimony on the possible source circular bruises on Russell D. Toler Jrs., head.

Johnson showed Arden a shotgun that was found in the car Heinze was driving and asked if the barrel was not like a pipe. Arden said it was.

Arden had testified that in some cases a gun would have to be used to control people before beating them to death. Johnson showed him the shotgun and asked if such a weapon could be used to control the victims before their deaths.

Referring to Arden's report, Johnson asked, "Even if it an assailant had moved quickly from one victim to another without any resistence it could easlily take 10 to 20 minutes.''

Arden said it could have taken longer.

Then Johnson went down the list of victims saying Guy Heinze Sr. was lying in the floor where he slept, that Brenda Gail Falagan died in her bed under the covers.

Arden acknowledged that the barrel of a 20-gauge shotgun was missing and never found and it was consistent with many of the injuries.

Johnson asked about the bites of roaches when bodies are left for several hours.

"They wander their way down a body and bit as they go,'' but not in a straight line, he testified.

GBI medical examiner Edmund Donoghue testified last week that wounds that appeared as lacerations were actually from cockroaches biting a straight row. Arden said he believed they were cuts from a sharp object.

Defense lawyer April Herbert questioned Arden if he had seen nunchucks or photos of them.

The former manager of New Hope Mobile Home Park where the deaths occurred that workers there had found homemade nunchucks fashioned from two 5-inche pipes and an S-hook. A former investigator in the case said he does not remember taking possession of the nunchucks or sending anyone to do so.

The manager, Gail Montgomery Priest, also said she turned over a framing hammer found months later under the steps of the mobile home. Arden said it would have been good to have examined one or both of those objects.


Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/...e-beaten-8-people-death-defense#ixzz2iSgnkvW0

 

[oceanblueeyes]

I understand the quote , It is a quote from the reporter about the testimony. However as he blogged the testimony it never said splatters. It may be correct and it may not be . I cant tell because I didn't hear the testimony and he blogged it differently than he reported it.

I at this point don't feel with what is reported I could find him quilty ,I definitely don't think beyond reasonable . If they testified it were splatter ,like everyone thinks because of the report ,which is conflicting with what the reporter blogged then I might be able to consider it. As of right now I cannot because the testimony is different then what he reported.

Maybe OBE can email him again and ask him about the splatter testimony . I am sure it is in his notes.

I would but he has been called off to do another news story, at least for today anyway. Aaleeyah Pringle is now doing the blog reporting.

ETA: Sheesh he is back now I guess he had to step away for awhile but has returned. I don't want to bother him while he is in the courtroom though.

 

[popsicle]

10:40 a.m.

Janet Baker, a former resident of New Hope Mobile Home park, said she got up about 2:30 and 4:30 a.m. on the morning tenant Russell Toler Sr., his friend Guy Heinze Sr. and six others were beaten to death inside a mobile home there. Guy Heinze Jr., who was one of 10 who lived in the mobile home, is on trial for his life in the deaths.

Baker testified she heard a dog barking repeatedly at one of those times.

Because tenants are supposed to have dogs out at night, "It sort of aggravated me,'' she testified.

Under cross-examination, Baker testified that she doesn't know which dog it was but couldn't tell if it was running free or tied up.

There was testimony that the Toler family's bull mastiff, Buddy, was tied up on their front porch during the slayings and didn't like strangers.


Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/...e-beaten-8-people-death-defense#ixzz2iSjjzc4v

 

[oceanblueeyes]

10:40 a.m.

Janet Baker, a former resident of New Hope Mobile Home park, said she got up about 2:30 and 4:30 a.m. on the morning tenant Russell Toler Sr., his friend Guy Heinze Sr. and six others were beaten to death inside a mobile home there. Guy Heinze Jr., who was one of 10 who lived in the mobile home, is on trial for his life in the deaths.

Baker testified she heard a dog barking repeatedly at one of those times.

Because tenants are supposed to have dogs out at night, "It sort of aggravated me,'' she testified.

Under cross-examination, Baker testified that she doesn't know which dog it was but couldn't tell if it was running free or tied up.

There was testimony that the Toler family's bull mastiff, Buddy, was tied up on their front porch during the slayings and didn't like strangers.


Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/...e-beaten-8-people-death-defense#ixzz2iSjjzc4v

Thanks.

Didn't Hjr say he went around to West's window to get crack around 2:30 am that morning?

 

[popsicle]

yep he did.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

yep he did.

Thanks.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

yep he did.

I know each day when my hubby comes home from work our two doggies start having barking fits as they stand at the glass door waiting for their 'daddy' to get inside and pet them.

So dogs also loudly bark when it is someone they know very well.


IMO

 

[Evan's Mom]

I know each day when my hubby comes home from work our two doggies start having barking fits as they stand at the glass door waiting for their 'daddy' to get inside and pet them.

So dogs also loudly bark when it is someone they know very well.


IMO

Yep. We have three dogs and they go nuts at ANY noise or the arrival of anyone to our house whether they live there or not.

 

[popsicle]

11:47 a.m.

Michael Knox, a former major crimes investigator with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, testified he did a blood pattern analysis based on photos taken at mobile home where eight people were beaten to death four years ago.

Knox, a forensic science and criminology consultant, testified he was provided with thousands of photographs. Those pictures were taken by police investigators and analysts in Guy Heinze Jr.’s ongoing death penalty murder case.

“Nobody got in and out of this scene without touching that floor,’’ so that’s where the investigation should begin, he testified.

The more people walk around in the scene, the more evidence they move around and the more evidence they destroy, Knox said.

“You are going to destroy evidence,’’ in the process he said. “You’ve got one shot at it.”
Just walking around the floor “can destroy a critical piece of evidence” or transfer it to a place that changes the crime scene, he testified.

There should be no rush to process a crime scene, but bodies shouldn’t be left too long because they begin to decompose, and some evidence should be gathered before the bodies are moved, he testified.

“There was a substantial amount of blood evidence,’’ that can documented days and weeks after the crime, he said.

And there are cases when the chemical Luminol has found blood at Civil War sites, he testified.

Knox said a scene of the magnitude should have taken two weeks.

The walk through video from the crime scene lasted about 7 ½ minutes and the person who made the video walked through the scene stepping over bodies, he testified.

That posed the risk of tracking evidence from one place to another or destroying the evidence, he said.

Caring for the injured takes precedence over everything else, but care can be taken to check for any contamination by recording the type of footwear they wore at the scene, he said.

Putting on a full Tyvek suit protects the wearer from blood-borne diseases while preventing contamination from an investigators hair but even with Tyvek shoe coverings blood and other evidence can be transferred, he said.

“We’re not just interested in what blood is there, but where is it and how it got there,” he said.

Once the life-saving team leaves, there should be no one in the scene unless they’re in a full Tyvek suit, Knox testified.

Knox said he has looked at about 3,500 pictures taken by investigators and used some of them in a slide show.

In a drawing, Knox showed where the bodies were found. It matches one investigators showed the jury.

Russell Toler Sr. and and Micahel Toler, 19, were in the south bedroom, Brenda Gail Falagan was in bed in the middle bedroom, Guy Heinze Sr. dead in the living room, where witnesses have said he slept ,and Russell Toler Jr. was in the adjacent kitchen.

In the north bedroom, Byron Jimerson, then 3 and the only survivor, was in bed and Michelle Toler, 15, ended up on a pallet on the floor wear Joseph West, 30, lay dead where he slept. The body of Chrissy Toler, who was Byron’s mother, West’s girlfriend and Michelle Toler’s sister, lay between the mattress and the wall.

Knox said the blood on the khaki shorts Heinze was wearing was transferred to them and was not spattered on them when anyone was struck.

The lack of injuries on Heinze is important because “several of [the victims] put up a struggle of differing significance,’’ a couple of which were severe enough that the assailant would have certainly received an injury, Knox said.

Knox said the injury on Heinze hand was a healing injury and had not occurred in the few hours before the slayings.

His job framing houses was the likely source of the minor injuries on Heinze’s body, he testified.

Had Heinze killed one or more of the victims, he would have had blood on him, he said.

"As much blood spatter as there was at this scene, no one could have committed these crimes without" having a substantial amount of blood on them that could not be scrubbed off, Knox said.

"You're going to have to use brushes that are going to get down in all the little grooves,'' a lot of scrubbing, a lot of soap and a lot of water, he testified.



Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/...e-beaten-8-people-death-defense#ixzz2iT10crGp