I shall go ahead & post all the tweets.
Lou Raguse
@LouRaguse
I'm in the courtroom for opening statements in the 1st Degree Murder trial for Julissa Thaler for the death of her son Eli Hart.
Follow this thread for updates.
I will hold back on some of what I think are unnecessary details. This was absolutely gut wrenching.
For the state, prosecutor Britta Rapp gave the opening statement, beginning: "Eli Hart was only 6 years old. He was a friendly talkative outgoing kindergartener. He loved playing with cars and going fishing with his dad."
"But in May of 2022, Eli Hart’s life was tragically cut short by his own mother, this defendant. Julissa Thaler."
Rapp previewed a lot of the evidence the jury will see. They have Thaler on surveillance video leaving her apartment on May 19 at 11:27, the night before Eli's body was found.
The video shows Eli get into the car and Thaler loading a long object wrapped in a blanket in the trunk.
When police found Eli's body the next day, he was wrapped in that gray blanket next to a shotgun with blood on it.
Prosecutors have evidence Thaler spent a month shopping for a shotgun. They'll call the salesman who sold her ammo. He asked what type she was looking for, and her answer: She wanted the ammunition that would "blow the biggest hole in something."
The jury will see internet searches on Thaler's devices that include:
-months researching and applying for multiple life insurance policies for her son.
-"Can you take out multiple life insurance policies on someone"
-"How much does life insurance pay for a dead child?"
Then, the most disturbing internet search, "How much blood can a 6-year-old lose?"
This is the evidence of premeditation that prosecutors say proves 1st Degree Murder.
Again, holding back on the worst details, I will share that investigators found Eli's booster seat in a dumpster with a huge hole blown into it where a child's head would rest.
Then, the part that gutted me the most, they found Eli's backpack in a dumpster, streaked in blood, with his homework still inside.
All the DNA testing came back matching Eli.
Gas station surveillance video shows Thaler washing her hands in a pot hole puddle.
Eye witnesses saw her there discarding things.
Eli's blood was in Thaler's hair.
When it was defense attorney Rebecca Noothed's turn for opening statement, she began, "Julissa Thaler is not guilty of murdering her son. "
Noothed did not provide an alternate explanation for what happened to Eli. But she said the evidence will not prove intent or premeditation.
She said there is evidence Thaler was planning a life together with Eli (trips to Disney and Lutsen)
Thaler was concerned for their safety and bought two guns for protection, and life insurance for Eli and herself, Noothed said.
"There are no witnesses who heard her talk about killing, no witnesses who saw her pull the trigger – because she didn’t. evidence won’t show premeditation or intent," Noothed said.
Following opening statements, Eli's father took the stand. He is the state's "spark of life witness.
He looked devastated and spoke very quietly. He said that in March 2022 he filed a petition to get full custody of Eli, and Julissa opposed that and wanted full custody herself.
"He was everything to me. He completed my life. He just loved spending time with me and I loved spending time with him," Tory Hart testified.
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