Laura Babcock Murder Trial 12.05.17 - Closing Arguments - Day 1

[Grey-St]

Millard pulls up these two photos for the jury side by side. The first one was taken July 4, 2012 at 1:39 p.m. at the hangar. The second at 2:40 p.m. at his farm.

"The Crown wants you to believe Laura Babcock's body is in that tarp. It hasn't escaped me."

"For this to be Laura Babcock's body, one would have to imagine supposedly I'm dragging a body in a tarp, switching vehicles. Then after I do all my day's routines, I go to the farm to drop this off."

"Does any of this theory make sense - stopping for engine parts, going to the hangar, transferring this tarp from the convertible to the van, doing some work on an airplane engine, having a photograph taken, then driving out to the farm.

"I say it doesn't make sense."

Well, that's because you do things that don't make sense DM. Must we list all the examples? :thinking:

 

[Kamille]

Lisa Hepfner‏ @HefCHCHNews
49s50 seconds ago
"Every thing was done by every code possible," #Millard says his uncle told the jury about how pets are cremated, "he wasn't here to help me," #Millard says.

 

[Kamille]

Lisa Hepfner‏ @HefCHCHNews
39s40 seconds ago
Many things were done to make the incinerator comply with commercial regulations, #Millard says. "My uncle gave a crazy story about driving the incinerator down the street and parking it in the strip mall," That's a twisted motion from his imagination, ridiculous, #Millard says

So what was the plan DM? You drove it around back rural roads with bodies in it. Was that the plan?

 

[loveisthemovement]

Millard moves onto the incinerator.

"The important part of that is plan. However the incinerator ends up being used down the road is one thing. But what was its intended purpose when it was purchased?"
by Shannon Martin 3:02 PM

RSBM BBM Did he really just say that???!!

 

[Kamille]

Lisa Hepfner‏ @HefCHCHNews
37s38 seconds ago
Supposedly this guy Charlie told my uncle about some business, and that's not something we could have cooperated on, we don't get along well, Millard says. But pet cremation was one possible use, and garbage incineration was another. #LauraBabcock

Does the jury know that "Charlie" was your IT guy and he's married to your bookkeeper who is still working for you? And you were fine with Charlie until sometime after May 2013.

 

[Inspector_North]

lisa hepfner‏ @hefchchnews
49s50 seconds ago
"every thing was done by every code possible," #millard says his uncle told the jury about how pets are cremated, "he wasn't here to help me," #millard says.

bbm
wtf!?

 

[mimimic]

I thought he sent a pic of the red blue herring tarp picture to MMJ. Is this wrong?

Yes as he sends a picture to MMJ

 

[Kamille]

Lisa Hepfner‏ @HefCHCHNews
1m1 minute ago
"The issues between me and my uncle...it's... it's some family dispute. What my uncle says some guy Charlie says, it's hearsay. It's a broken telephone," #Millard says.

Lisa Hepfner‏
@HefCHCHNews
32s32 seconds ago
Making the incinerator mobile makes it more useful, and able to do a greater variety of commercial jobs, #Millard says.

 

[Kamille]

Millard, "My uncle gave us a twisted story, about driving down a main street and doing pet cremation right there in the parking lot."

He adds, "That's ridiculous notion, a twisted notion, from his imagination. No where in the evidence did I suggest such a thing."

Remember when Millard's uncle testified?

by Shannon Martin 3:08 PM

 

[Kamille]

Lisa Hepfner‏ @HefCHCHNews
1m1 minute ago
There was no attempt to conceal the incinerator, #Millard says. It was right there in the hangar for people to see.

Until it was hidden in the trees when LE were actually looking for one of your victims. :gaah:

 

[Kamille]

Lisa Hepfner‏ @HefCHCHNews
1m1 minute ago
Barrels were moved from hangar to barn before inspectors came through. Shane Schlatman testified that the incinerator was moved there at about the same time, #Millard says.

 

[Kamille]

Millard still on the incinerator - he says it was done to code and regulations, and kept a the airport hangar.

He now switches to the animal bone expert he called as a witness.

"What we did learn from him was that he felt a digital blurry image is not something to make an identification at all."


by Shannon Martin 3:12 PM

 

[Inspector_North]

He now switches to the animal bone expert he called as a witness.

"What we did learn from him was that he felt a digital blurry image is not something to make an identification at all."


by Shannon Martin 3:12 PM

You mean the picture the Judge said was not the best quality copy?

 

[Kamille]

Lisa Hepfner‏ @HefCHCHNews
3m3 minutes ago
Millard wants to talk about the bone experts now. One archaeologist didn't think the photos were clear enough to identify bones. Dr. Rogers the forensic anthropologist is used to being in court and on the stand. She works in the field with police, #Millard tells jury to consider

Lisa Hepfner‏ @HefCHCHNews
2m2 minutes ago
His witness, archaeologist Rufalo, is an expert in animal bones, in contrast to Dr. Rogers, #Millard says. "Just because human bones are not his specialty doesn't mean he doesn't know what he's talking about."

 

[Kamille]

Lisa Hepfner‏ @HefCHCHNews
2m2 minutes ago
Rufalo teaches others how to identify human and animal bones, #Millard says. And he's never testified as an expert in court before. The jury should consider that, #Millard says.

Lisa Hepfner‏ @HefCHCHNews
45s45 seconds ago
He doesn't have a working relationship with the police, #Millard says. "And very interestingly, when he gave his expert opinion, he did not know who he was making his report for." #LauraBabcock

Lisa Hepfner‏ @HefCHCHNews
1m1 minute ago
"Does that make his opinion untainted and unbiased?" Millard asks of Rufalo, who found that some bones more resembled a deer-like animal than a human


I guess he's suggesting that Dr Rogers is tainted and biased? :notgood:

 

[Kamille]

Millard talks about Dr. Tracy Rogers. He said she's not an expert in animal bones.

Court has heard she's a leading forensic anthropologist, and has testified at multiple trials.

Millard says his witness, Scott Rufolo, may not know about human bones but he knows "a lot about animal bones."

 

[Tealgrove]

Good Lord this is arduous.

 

[Kamille]

Lisa Hepfner‏ @HefCHCHNews
43s44 seconds ago
Rufalo testified that he could not be completely certain because of the lack of quality of the photograph, but bones he identified more matched the features of a deer, #Millard says

 

[Night_is_Mine]

Dell nicely covering everything. Jury will have a tough time coming to a decision.

 

[Kamille]

Lisa Hepfner‏ @HefCHCHNews
58s58 seconds ago
Millard is showing photo from Rogers exhibit, with a deer bone next to a human bone. They are marked as "distal radius" ends of bone, and Rufalo testified that was a mistake. It was proximal end, not distal. "This is a fundamental error," #Millard says.

Lisa Hepfner‏ @HefCHCHNews
23s23 seconds ago
"She had these bones in front of her and she couldn't tell the difference between the ends of a deer bone. Consider that when you're looking at the evidence," #Millard says.