GUILTY NJ - Brendan Creato, 3, found dead in Cooper River Park, 13 Oct 2015

[Roselvr]

I think that could totally be right and I agree with you that there are missing pieces.

They really need to see if any photos or video are found for her to come to kill Brendan but she seems like the type of person that doesn't need to get her own hands dirty; she put enough thought into his head that she didn't want a kid around.

They had to have been talking on an app or something that's not being picked up in history

 

[ZoriahNZ]

I actually feel pity for this guy, even though I don't want to. I am convinced that Julie is the one who pushed for this unlawful death, even if she didn't say the actual words: "Kill your son, or we're done." Is there any way charges can be brought against her, no matter what happens in this trial?

 

[Vail]

They really need to see if any photos or video are found for her to come to kill Brendan but she seems like the type of person that doesn't need to get her own hands dirty; she put enough thought into his head that she didn't want a kid around.

They had to have been talking on an app or something that's not being picked up in history

There is evidence an encrypted text app was used by Julie but that could have been for a lot of things...

 

[Jewels53]

I don't think Julie would kill Brendan cause she really could care less about DJ or she would accept Brendan. Julie is all about Julie and that is all, she doesn't care what happens to anyone else. She can date anyone, and she has had other male friends that DJ didn't like. That is just what I got out of her and DJ's conversations. I could be wrong. jmo

DJ was the one desperate for Julie he had more motive! imo

 

[mls128]

Julie has a lawyer.
She attempted to plead the fifth on everything they asked until ordered to testify. Even then, she referred to the transcript and would only offer her own words to defend the phone conversation they had around 10pm that night (because she believes that is her alibi)
She was willing to drive down there to see him for a short amount of time
There is no evidence to prove where she or her car was between 10PM and 8AM.
She knew about the door or that DJ didnt lock it.
She hated Brendan.
She hated Sam.
She blamed them for everything wrong with DJ and their relationship.
She used an encrypted text messaging app - we have no idea what was said on it or to who
She knew about the spot near the river
She has the cunning to think up the plot


Did Julie kill Brendan? I don't know. Did she mastermind a plan and then explicitly tell DJ how to carry it out? I don't know. Did DJ kill Brendan? I also don't know, and that is the doubt here.

Someone did do this. The child had clean socks - they have definitely proven it was a homicide. But they have not proven who did it IMO.

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2017/05/17/creato-trial-closing-arguments/
https://patch.com/new-jersey/haddon/both-sides-rest-david-creato-murder-trial
http://www.phillyvoice.com/creato-t...sages-exchanged-between-defendant-girlfriend/

Good post. Yeah that's what I was leaning torwards but I'm not totally sold on either.

 

[rreinen77]

I think the prosecution has a better case against Julie, then Creato.
I think even if this Creato guy wanted to kill his child (I can't believe that, I can't see him doing it...I just can't)
I'm not real sure he has the brains to pull it off. No DNA evidence, come on... I am still dumbfounded over why they didn't send the kids PJ's for DNA testing, the prosecutor said " 'they were wet, I know the lab wouldn't test them"'...she must have amazing abilities that prosecutor....

http://www.forensicmag.com/article/2016/08/handheld-wet-vac-system-snags-decades-old-dna

http://www.m-vac.com/why-mvac/what-others-say/dna-labs-int-m-vac-case-studies-2017

http://www.officer.com/press_releas...y-m-vac-is-key-in-early-release-of-chris-tapp

That whole team working this case should be fired.

 

[katydid23]

I don't think Julie would kill Brendan cause she really could care less about DJ or she would accept Brendan. Julie is all about Julie and that is all, she doesn't care what happens to anyone else. She can date anyone, and she has had other male friends that DJ didn't like. That is just what I got out of her and DJ's conversations. I could be wrong. jmo

DJ was the one desperate for Julie he had more motive! imo

I agree. She is hateful and pathetic. But I don't think she would go to the trouble of killing the child. She didn't care enough about DJ to go to that extreme.

I think the obsessed one in this toxic relationship was DJ. He did object when she said bad things about his son. He did say ' he will always be in my life' so stop. But she didn't stop being obnoxious and hateful. And she would threaten to move on with other interested men.

I think he panicked and did something drastic.

 

[Vail]

I agree. She is hateful and pathetic. But I don't think she would go to the trouble of killing the child. She didn't care enough about DJ to go to that extreme.

I think the obsessed one in this toxic relationship was DJ. He did object when she said bad things about his son. He did say ' he will always be in my life' so stop. But she didn't stop being obnoxious and hateful. And she would threaten to move on with other interested men.

I think he panicked and did something drastic.

This is a good point put forth by you two. They had those weird moments of being totally into each other and into ideas for the future that could spiral out of control so I don't know if we can so easily say Julie didn't care about DJ - she didn't in the sense we know love to be, but she did care about being in control of him and kept it going until he was arrested. If DJ is laying there convincing himself that Brendan is only 3, he could run away with Julie, live in the Adirondacks or something, never have to deal with Sam's BS or burden his mom, he has no truck and his job is crap, his dad is using him (this is all just how he might be spinning it in his head) and a list of a hundred other reasons he might think Brendan being dead is worth it to him, those are all the same grandiose things Julie would be swept up in. Based on the trial I agree that Julie has been made more suspect by both sides than any evidence presented against DJ, which sucks because even if Julie did it, he is responsible whether he held the pillow himself or not.

Some updated links:

http://www.phillyvoice.com/a-timeline-of-events-the-murder-case-against-dj-creato/
http://www.courierpostonline.com/st...brendan-creato-haddon-murder-trial/336429001/

 

[mothwings]

There is no evidence to prove where she or her car was between 10PM and 8AM.

I missed this when the Pace University person testified. Can you direct me to where in the direct or cross they mentioned the car? Or was there some other testimony about it? The trial's audio has been terrible.

Towards the middle of the trial, from what I'd ascertained through watching the trial (and the audio I was provided), I pretty confident I'd be acquitting but when day 8 and 9 came and DJ's phone, texts and it's entire activity was shown in court (leading up to and after Brendan died), I think the prosecution has met their burden. I think he was so overwhelmed with Julie's abuse, it was almost like an addition to her.

After Brendan died, his dad and Julie exchanged some 9,000 texts. None of them mentioned Brendan. That to me said a lot.

However, I wasn't in the courtroom. I was thinking of rewatching everything with headphones but I don't know.

 

[Vail]

I missed this when the Pace University person testified. Can you direct me to where in the direct or cross they mentioned the car? Or was there some other testimony about it? The trial's audio has been terrible.

Towards the middle of the trial, from what I'd ascertained through watching the trial (and the audio I was provided), I pretty confident I'd be acquitting but when day 8 and 9 came and DJ's phone, texts and it's entire activity was shown in court (leading up to and after Brendan died), I think the prosecution has met their burden. I think he was so overwhelmed with Julie's abuse, it was almost like an addition to her.

After Brendan died, his dad and Julie exchanged some 9,000 texts. None of them mentioned Brendan. That to me said a lot.

However, I wasn't in the courtroom. I was thinking of rewatching everything with headphones but I don't know.

There was no testimony about the car other than from her. ie no one testified to having any evidence that proves where her car was that night. They only have testimony that her phone was turned off around 10:30PM on the 12th and not turned on again until the morning when she swiped her badge around 8:30AM.

Defense Closing arguments are up on YouTube:
[video=youtube;T6eNKdVuW4M]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6eNKdVuW4M[/video]

MSM:
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/new_jersey/20170523_ap_484dce4a79c14cbe8a3d464dba81ce56.html
http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2017/05/23/david-creato-trial-closing-arguments/
https://patch.com/new-jersey/haddon/david-creato-murder-trial-jury-deliberations-begin-tuesday

[FONT=&quot]Defense lawyers argued Tuesday that prosecutors failed to show that 23-year-old David Creato was guilty, stressing that they had to prove their case "beyond a reasonable doubt, not probably, not could of, not might of."[/FONT]

 

[Jewels53]

I didn't listen to the Charges, I did listen to the closings though. I thought the DA did a pretty good job of tying everything together. She just needed to shorten it, was very long. I hope the juror's didn't fall asleep.

Now we are on Verdict Watch!

I see the jury is going home for the day now. So I guess deliberation is tomorrow.

 

[Vail]

Prosecution Closing statements:

[video=youtube;5fDy79oDzQU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fDy79oDzQU[/video]

I do appreciate her putting it all together in a timeline. It would be so hard for a jury if they had to put it together themselves just based on testimony. Maybe it was intentional, but the way evidence and testimony was presented in this case vs the closing arguments seemed really convoluted compared to other trials I've witnessed. In the end, it really exposes how much DJ lied vs just watching his interview by itself (and thanks to the subtitles we can actually tell what he is saying 100%).


Hearing the complete transcript of texts from Friday and Monday also adds quite a lot to both of their states of mind. I am not sure why those were not also read out in testimony unless the video of those days is not complete (which is probably isn't considering there is only a few hours of testimony for some of them). It is easier for me to imagine DJ losing his mind thinking she is cheating on him while her phone is off and killing Brendan, not just because he rationally thought it would fix everything, but because he blamed him. When you see the snapchat between Julie and Gio, it drives it all home. He clearly had a reason to be freaking out about their friendship.
I agree with the prosecution that he wasn't as loving a dad as he wanted to be or seem. He checked Julie's snapchat at 6:40am while everyone else is going crazy trying to find Brendan - that is a game-changer, as she said. So is DJ's first loud No! as he stands up after being told his son was found deceased. It sounds so incredibly rehearsed and fake and over-dramatized. I've watched that segment maybe 6 times and the last two times it just can't be unheard.

Ï had the apartment for him." he told Sam. What? No you didn't. Living at home would have made things 100000 times easier for everyone. "I have so many options now." he told her, referring to how things were different now that Brendan was gone.

So then I re-watched the defense argument to make sure I wasn't just being influenced too much by the prosecution. His grief still sounds fake. (and the defense made me roll my eyes a lot during this trial, even if I agree with some of their arguments that make Julie look complicit)

I would hate to be a juror. I would also hate to be a cameraman, but seriously the camera work didn't need to be as terrible as it was.

To clarify, jurors have been charged (they were not sent home) and must be sequestered until deliberations are done. They return to do that tomorrow morning.

http://www.phillyvoice.com/attorneys-sum-brendan-creato-case-and-jury-deliberations-begin/

[FONT=&quot]That means deliberations rest with nine women and three men.[/FONT]

 

[flourish]

I really appreciate all the updates y'all have provided here. Thanks! I'm very curious to see how it all ends up.

 

[Jewels53]

Prosecution Closing statements:

[video=youtube;5fDy79oDzQU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fDy79oDzQU[/video]

I do appreciate her putting it all together in a timeline. It would be so hard for a jury if they had to put it together themselves just based on testimony. Maybe it was intentional, but the way evidence and testimony was presented in this case vs the closing arguments seemed really convoluted compared to other trials I've witnessed. In the end, it really exposes how much DJ lied vs just watching his interview by itself (and thanks to the subtitles we can actually tell what he is saying 100%).


Hearing the complete transcript of texts from Friday and Monday also adds quite a lot to both of their states of mind. I am not sure why those were not also read out in testimony unless the video of those days is not complete (which is probably isn't considering there is only a few hours of testimony for some of them). It is easier for me to imagine DJ losing his mind thinking she is cheating on him while her phone is off and killing Brendan, not just because he rationally thought it would fix everything, but because he blamed him. When you see the snapchat between Julie and Gio, it drives it all home. He clearly had a reason to be freaking out about their friendship.
I agree with the prosecution that he wasn't as loving a dad as he wanted to be or seem. He checked Julie's snapchat at 6:40am while everyone else is going crazy trying to find Brendan - that is a game-changer, as she said. So is DJ's first loud No! as he stands up after being told his son was found deceased. It sounds so incredibly rehearsed and fake and over-dramatized. I've watched that segment maybe 6 times and the last two times it just can't be unheard.

Ï had the apartment for him." he told Sam. What? No you didn't. Living at home would have made things 100000 times easier for everyone. "I have so many options now." he told her, referring to how things were different now that Brendan was gone.

So then I re-watched the defense argument to make sure I wasn't just being influenced too much by the prosecution. His grief still sounds fake. (and the defense made me roll my eyes a lot during this trial, even if I agree with some of their arguments that make Julie look complicit)

I would hate to be a juror. I would also hate to be a cameraman, but seriously the camera work didn't need to be as terrible as it was.

To clarify, jurors have been charged (they were not sent home) and must be sequestered until deliberations are done. They return to do that tomorrow morning.

http://www.phillyvoice.com/attorneys-sum-brendan-creato-case-and-jury-deliberations-begin/

As usual Vail you have listened carefully and described the closing great. I noticed that after I posted the defense actually had a longer closing. After your description I will go back and re-listen to both.

Thanks again!

 

[Jewels53]

Part 2 of States Closing

[video=youtube;Q34_RXqj4LU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q34_RXqj4LU[/video]

 

[Vail]

http://6abc.com/news/jury-deliberations-start-in-david-creato-murder-trial/2027330/

Includes video of the interview snippet played during closing, better angle etc

I recommend everyone who is interested rewatch his entire PD interview because contrary to the prosecution's closing argument, he actually was crying and freaking out before they told him Brendan was found deceased and asked the detectives multiple times for someone to come sit with him. I don't know if the jury gets to rewatch evidence or go through transcripts but I hope someone took notes like I did and realizes she was feeding them spin where that is concerned.

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...iver-Park-13-Oct-2015&p=13341121#post13341121

ETA: His "No!" still sounds fake

 

[MayMay1123]

the jury asked for a replay of the audio and videos (not sure which ones, but it looked like the police interview and the 911 call). now they are on break until tomorrow. since they're sequestered, will they deliberate through the holiday weekend?

 

[TTF14]

the jury asked for a replay of the audio and videos (not sure which ones, but it looked like the police interview and the 911 call). now they are on break until tomorrow. since they're sequestered, will they deliberate through the holiday weekend?

They still have two full days to deliberate before the holiday weekend. Hopefully they'll come to a verdict by Friday.

 

[Jewels53]

I haven't watched this yet, but found this from todays jury request.

[video=youtube;9vVXl_iCxRE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vVXl_iCxRE[/video]

 

[Vail]

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/n...-evidence-in-creato-murder-case-20170524.html