GUILTY Jennifer Blagg - Re-trial of Michael Blagg 20 February 2018

[Niner]

From the article in post #178

“There’s no eyewitness, there’s no smoking gun, there’s no ‘this is the definitive evidence that connects him to the crime,'” said Judge Tamara Russell....

No eyewitness to the murder, but he IS on camera disposing of stuff in his work place trash, and his wife just HAPPENS to be found in the same area??? I'd say that was a "sort of" eye witness.

and this:

She cited unknown hairs found in the Blagg’s master bedroom and in the tent where the body of Jennifer Blagg was found. Murphy only had known hair samples from Michael Blagg and a few from the body of Jennifer Blagg.

There were none for Abby.

What? No hair brush?? No hairs in her bed???

and again THANKS for the updates Tortoise!

Oh - question - is it true the Defense will take 2 weeks for their case? I must have read that somewhere in your articles or did I miss read to mean they are BEHIND 2 weeks in this case??

 

[Tortoise]

Niner, in the older article it said 14 days, so I took that to mean court days.

They are behind schedule by about 2 weeks apparently.

Am I right in thinking the defendant is always the first defense witness? If so, that means he probably isn't testifying, again.

 

[Tortoise]

District Judge Tamara Russell this morning held a “Shreck hearing” out of the presence of jurors to decide whether to exclude testimony from Dr. Phil Danielson, a DNA expert and professor at the University of Denver whom defense attorneys hired to review DNA collected on a glove and on a step to the garage at the home

Danielson had only provided prosecutors with some of the information last night and this morning before court was called into session — far too late, she said, for her to review the information with an expert and be able to effectively cross-examine him.

Russell is expected to rule on Mahre’s request this afternoon.

more to read at link https://www.gjsentinel.com/breaking...cle_a87a9c28-3120-11e8-91d5-53014b150c48.html

 

[Tortoise]

Danielson is supposed to argue that the DNA of CBI Investigator Matt Saluto was found on the doorstep of the Blagg’s garage and a pair of gloves.

CBI has conceded that Saluto’s DNA was found on the step during previous testimony. During his opening statements, Public Defender Scott Troxell said he believes this is proof that the crime scene was “contaminated.”

Deputy Mesa County District Attorney Trish Mahre argued that her office has not gotten enough documentation from Danielson from his process and even went as far as to say that he ignored her emails. She brought in Sarah Miller, the DNA program leader/technical expert at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, to testify about what she thought was missing from Danielson’s report.

Danielson, interestingly enough, was one of Miller’s professors at DU.

Russell will make a decision about whether to acquiescence her request after lunch.

http://www.9news.com/article/news/l...i-agent-was-at-blagg-crime-scene/73-532198833

 

[cybervampira]

WIFE’S BODY WAS PUT IN LANDFILL ON DIFFERENT DAY THAN TRASH FROM BLAGG’S OFFICE, DEFENSE EXPERT SAYS
http://www.9news.com/mobile/article...laggs-office-defense-expert-says/73-532277940
The prosecution has claimed that the body of Jennifer Blagg was found among a "plume" of trash her husband's office.

JEFFERSON COUNTY - An expert for Michael Blagg’s defense took the witness stand Monday afternoon and said based on his calculations, the body of the now-55-year-old’s wife was placed into the Mesa County landfill on a different day than trash from Ametek Dixson.

The prosecution argues that sometime during the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2001, Michael Blagg shot his wife Jennifer in the face while she was sleeping, wrapped her body in a tent, loaded her into the family minivan and then threw her into the dumpster at Ametek Dixson, the place where he worked as the operations manager at the time.

 

[Niner]

Tuesday, March 27th:
*Trial continues (Day 24) (@ 9am MT) - CO - Jennifer Jo Loman Blagg (34) (Nov. 12, 2001; found June 4, 2002) (daughter Abby Jo, 6, still missing) - Michael Francis Blagg (38/now 55) indicted for 1st degree murder, pled not guilty; on no bond hold. First trial on 4-16-04 found guilty, sentenced to LWOP; due to a juror lying on Jury questionnaire, new trial granted; Venue change from Mesa County to Jefferson County.
*3/24/18 update: Pros rested their case on Friday, 3/23, and the defense started 3/26 & will take about 2 weeks (3/26 to 4/6).

 

[Tortoise]

Russell chastised Danielson and ordered him to go home and get the prosecution everything they need by noon on Tuesday. She will then weigh whether or not he will be allowed to testify during the trial after the Mesa County District Attorney’s Office has gotten the time to show his work to their own expert.

“I understand this is very, very inconvenient for everyone, but I need to be very careful in making my analysis,” Russell said.

http://www.9news.com/mobile/article...laggs-office-defense-expert-says/73-532277940

 

[Tortoise]

LISTEN UP!

[h=1]Michael Blagg takes the stand in his second murder trial[/h]
http://www.9news.com/article/news/l...stand-in-his-second-murder-trial/73-532481206

 

[Tortoise]

Public Defender Tina Fang questioned Michael Blagg about the beginning of his marriage to Jennifer Blagg, who he met while deployed in San Diego. She asked about the guns he kept in the house — notably, he said he had given the implied murder weapon back to his father long before the death of his wife and daughter.

Michael Blagg also explained that he was prone to “irrelevant comments” and regretted some of the things he said after the disappearance of his family.

9NEWS is in the courtroom and will post updates to 9NEWS.com during the morning break.

http://www.9news.com/article/news/l...stand-in-his-second-murder-trial/73-532481206

 

[Tortoise]

[FONT=&quot]Michael Blagg will testify in his second trial -- and he could be the last witness. Heading back into the courtroom and will have an update at the break.
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]In the morning break -- Michael Blagg's testimony so far has been about the events leading up to Nov. 13, 2001. We'll likely hear about the day his wife and daughter disappeared after the break. I'll post an update at lunch. [/FONT]#MichaelBlaggTrial

https://twitter.com/AllisonSylte

[FONT=&quot]"I would like to testify," Michael Blagg told a judge in the last hour, per [/FONT]@gabyreport[FONT=&quot]. A major development in the retrial in Golden. Blagg, accused of killing his wife in 2001, did not testify during his 1st trial in 2004. He's on the stand now: [/FONT]http://bit.ly/2GatKs1
https://twitter.com/mikewiggins76

[FONT=&quot]Blagg spoke about his proposal to Jennifer Blagg, the early years of their marriage, multiple moves around the country in pursuit of his career, a brief stint in marriage counseling, and about the weekend leading up to her disappearance.
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Blagg spoke at one point about his military background, and about being trained to "compartmentalize" emotions - something his defense hopes will negate testimony about him seeming dispassionate after his wife and daughter disappeared.
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Blagg also spoke about guns in his home; he said when Abby was born, he and Jennifer decided to get rid of all the ammunition in their home to make it safer.
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Blagg's testifying is a surprise move by the defense, who had initially told prosecutors and the judge that they would call a slate of other witnesses today. After Judge Tamara Russell excluded two witnesses this morning, lead defender Tina Fang asked Blagg be advised of rights.
https://twitter.com/gabyreport[/FONT]

 

[Tortoise]

Local time at the court is 11:42am.

 

[Tortoise]

[FONT=&quot]Blagg takes the stand. Hail Mary or the plan all along?
[/FONT]https://twitter.com/gabyreport

[FONT=&quot]Holy cow. So much to unpack from Blagg's claims:-He was upset that investigators were focused on him-He falsely confessed to workplace theft because interrogation wore him down-He attempted suicide several times on that pivotal day in Feb 2002. 1st time that's been disclosed
https://twitter.com/mikewiggins76

[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Michael Blagg maintained his innocence today while on the witness stand for his second murder trial. More than 16 years later, he said he didn't kill his wife and daughter -- and he "loved them with all my heart." Prosecutors will cross-examine him after lunch.
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Here's my updated story with quotes from Michael Blagg's testimony the morning break. He said he was innocent and very angry with the Mesa County Sheriff's Office for targeting him in the investigation. Prosecutors will get their say after lunch. http://www.9news.com/article/news/l...stand-in-his-second-murder-trial/73-532481206

[/FONT]

He smiled at the jury when he walked up to the witness stand, and made eye contact with the family members who have sat on his side of the courtroom for the entire trial...[...]

 

[Tortoise]

[FONT=&quot]The judge in the [/FONT]#MichaelBlaggTrial[FONT=&quot] has us on a break so she can look at *advertiser censored* -- *advertiser censored* related to the case that the jury might see because of Michael Blagg's testimony today.

https://twitter.com/AllisonSylte
[/FONT]

 

[Niner]

WOW! I sure missed that from yesterday! So no article about the cross from the prosecutors??

Anxiously awaiting....

 

[Tortoise]

“You reported your daughter missing and hadn’t even looked for her?” Deputy Mesa County District Attorney Trish Mahre asked.
“She wasn’t where I was expecting her to be,” Michael Blagg responded. “And she hadn’t been home all day, so I considered that a missing situation.”

Blagg admitted he also hadn’t checked to see if the car was still in the garage, or looked for his wife anywhere but in the bedroom.


The 911 dispatcher would tell him to go back inside and look for them.
“When you entered the home, you had no fear of entering the home?” Mahre asked.
“I didn’t really care, to be honest with you,” Blagg said.

Mahre grilled Michael Blagg about the *advertiser censored* he admitted to watching. His statements about this changed. He originally said he only watched it with his wife, and it was only so they could “research oral sex.” He initially told investigators he hadn’t looked at sexually explicit incidents in a while.


“You were aware, even though you said you hadn’t watched anything in six to eight months, your internet history indicates you looked at internet *advertiser censored* sites between March and October 2001?” Mahre asked.
“Yes ma’am,” Michael Blagg responded.

He admitted he didn’t just watch *advertiser censored* with his wife, like he initially claimed. He also claimed that he believed all of the *advertiser censored* he looked at was consistent with oral sex — something Mahre said was false, given his search history. But this led to a conundrum in the courtroom: a previous judge had said the jury could not hear anything specific about what Michael Blagg looked at.
But, the prosecution needed to use some specific information to prove that he was lying.



Al Nelson, retired from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office but was a canine handler [...] No scents were tracked in the backyard of the Blagg home — where the defense alleges a child predator took the pair out of the house.

closing statements are slated for Monday

http://www.9news.com/article/news/l...dresses-behavior-after-wifes-murder/532626109

 

[Tortoise]

[FONT=&quot]If [/FONT]#MichaelBlagg[FONT=&quot] walks, it will be because the jury believed him when he risked taking the stand Tuesday. Defense witnesses continue today in the accused wife-killer's second trial.
https://twitter.com/CarolAMcKinley
[/FONT]

 

[Tortoise]

Ed Primeau is an audio forensic expert who analyzes recordings and enhances some snippets of them. Michael Blagg’s public defender asked him to analyze the inaudible things he whispered as police left the room. Most of them were impossible to decipher. One of them wasn’t.

“Please, please please find them,” Michael Blagg is heard saying in an enhanced version of the recording where Primeau increased the volume by 300 percent.

“Find them,” he says again.

[...]


an academic with an expertise in interrogations and coerced confessions weighed in on the conversation.

“In my opinion, this was a psychologically coercive interrogation technique,” he said.

Interrogations like this, Leo said, could force people to say things that they don’t mean to.

“It can cause people to make or agree to false or unreliable statements,” Leo said.

During cross-examination, he admitted he didn’t know much about Michael Blagg’s background in nuclear engineering or as a helicopter pilot for the Navy, where he received training for how to respond to interrogations.

http://www.9news.com/article/news/l...g-said-when-police-werent-around/73-532848044

 

[Tortoise]

http://www.9news.com/article/news/l...-gas-station-after-disappearance/73-532898003

 

[cybervampira]

CHILD PREDATOR MAY HAVE FRAMED MICHAEL BLAGG FOR HIS WIFE'S MURDER, DEFENSE EXPERT SAYS
http://www.9news.com/mobile/article...wifes-murder-defense-expert-says/73-533223983
Experts for the prosecution have called what happened a "staged domestic homicide."

JEFFERSON COUNTY - A former FBI special agent and crime scene reconstruction expert claims that a child predator framed Michael Blagg for his wife’s murder and his daughter’s disappearance.

John Larsen, an expert who testified for Michael Blagg’s defense on Thursday, says the evidence lies in the fact that even though it was obvious 34-year-old Jennifer Blagg had been killed, both she and 6-year-old Abby were gone. This meant that the ensuing investigation focused on both of them — and immediately shifted the blame to the most obvious suspect.

“I would have looked at Mr. Blagg right off the bat, that’s gonna be my focus, because if I can find mom, I can find the child,” Larsen said.

[...]

 

[Niner]

So, is the Defense going to rest their case today? That is what has been predicted, at least!