GUILTY OH - Geauga's Child, newborn baby boy, found deceased, Geauga County 1993 *mother arrested in 2019*

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JerseyGirl said:
Geauga's Child murder trial begins for Gail Eastwood-Ritchey

Trial to begin for woman charged with murder of ‘Geauga’s Child’
Click to expand...

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I hate EU rules... I can not access either one of the links...

Can someone give a 10% synopsis - is this regarding the first day - jury selection maybe?
TIA!
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Tuesday, March 29th:
*Trial continues (Day 2) (@ 8:30m ET) – OH - Geauga’s Child (newborn) (found Mar. 25, 1993 at side of Sidley Road, Thompson Township) - *Gail M. Eastwood-Ritchey (23 @ time of crime/49/now 51) arrested (6/6/19), charged (6/7/19) & arraigned (6/10/19) with aggravated murder & special felony murder. Plead not guilty. $250K bond. Bonded out 6/10/19; GPS monitor & surrendered passport.
Trial began on 3/28/22.
Court info from 1/10/20 thru 3/23/22 reference post #59 here:
OH - Geauga's Child, newborn baby boy, found deceased, Geauga County 1993 *mother arrested in 2019*
3/28/22 Monday, Trial Day 1: Jury selection (?) no info available. Trial continues on 3/29/22.
 
Can't really tell if the trial has started - as the last entry for hearings is 3/28/22.

Docket update:

03/28/2022 DEFENDANT'S SECOND SUPPLEMENTAL DISCOVERY RESPONSE
Attorney: BRADLEY, STEVEN L (0046622)

03/28/2022 EFILING CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

03/28/2022 ORDER FILED. GRANT MOTION TO FILE MOTION IN LIMINE UNDER SEAL $3.00

03/29/2022 EFILING CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

03/29/2022 STATE'S WITNESS AND EXHIBIT LISTS
Attorney: STATE OF OHIO (00000)

03/29/2022 EFILING CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

link: https://web.geaugacourts.org/eservi...lhnewOtiYu-1DoCba4hpldp-pQlnw1y5wgHQJWGWL2HlQ
 
But I'll keep posting this until I find out for sure...

Wednesday, March 30th:
*Trial continues (Day 3) (@ 8:30m ET) – OH - Geauga’s Child (newborn) (found Mar. 25, 1993 at side of Sidley Road, Thompson Township) - *Gail M. Eastwood-Ritchey (23 @ time of crime/49/now 51) arrested (6/6/19), charged (6/7/19) & arraigned (6/10/19) with aggravated murder & special felony murder. Plead not guilty. $250K bond. Bonded out 6/10/19; GPS monitor & surrendered passport.
Trial began on 3/28/22.
Court info from 1/10/20 thru 3/23/22 reference post #59 here:
OH - Geauga's Child, newborn baby boy, found deceased, Geauga County 1993 *mother arrested in 2019*
3/28/22 Monday, Trial Day 1: Jury selection (?) no info available. Defendant's 2nd supplemental discovery response by Steven Bradley. Order filed. Granted-Motion to file Motion in Limine under seal. Trial continues on 3/29/22.
3/29/22 Tuesday, Trial Day 2: State's witness & exhibit lists. No other info available. Trial continues on 3/30/22.
 
Nothing new on the court site -

Thursday, March 31st:
*Trial continues (Day 4) (@ 8:30m ET) – OH - Geauga’s Child (newborn) (found Mar. 25, 1993 at side of Sidley Road, Thompson Township) - *Gail M. Eastwood-Ritchey (23 @ time of crime/49/now 51) arrested (6/6/19), charged (6/7/19) & arraigned (6/10/19) with aggravated murder & special felony murder. Plead not guilty. $250K bond. Bonded out 6/10/19; GPS monitor & surrendered passport.
Trial began on 3/28/22.
Court info from 1/10/20 thru 3/23/22 reference post #59 here:
OH - Geauga's Child, newborn baby boy, found deceased, Geauga County 1993 *mother arrested in 2019*
3/28/22 Monday, Trial Day 1: Jury selection (?) no info available. Defendant's 2nd supplemental discovery response by Steven Bradley. Order filed. Granted-Motion to file Motion in Limine under seal. Trial continues on 3/29/22.
3/29/22 Tuesday, Trial Day 2: State's witness & exhibit lists. No other info available. Trial continues on 3/30/22.
3/30/22 Wednesday, Trial Day 3: No info available. Trial continues on 3/31/22.
 
Friday, April 1st:
*Trial continues (Day 5) (@ 8:30m ET) – OH - Geauga’s Child (newborn) (found Mar. 25, 1993 at side of Sidley Road, Thompson Township) - *Gail M. Eastwood-Ritchey (23 @ time of crime/49/now 51) arrested (6/6/19), charged (6/7/19) & arraigned (6/10/19) with aggravated murder & special felony murder. Plead not guilty. $250K bond. Bonded out 6/10/19; GPS monitor & surrendered passport.
Trial began on 3/28/22.
Court info from 1/10/20 thru 3/23/22 & trial days 1-3 (3/28 to 3/30/22) reference post #66 here:
OH - Geauga's Child, newborn baby boy, found deceased, Geauga County 1993 *mother arrested in 2019*
3/29/22: State's witness & Exhibit lists.
3/31/22 Thursday, Trial Day 4: No info available. Trial continues on 4/1/22.
 
Niner said:
Here's a couple of articles I got in my alerts - but unfortunately, I can't access either one of them.
If someone could give a 10% synopsis - it would be very much appreciated. Looking for jurors (genders), who gave opening statements & witnesses' names - if the trial has gotten that far.

TIA! :)

Trial to begin for woman charged with murder of ‘Geauga’s Child’

Geauga's Child murder trial begins for Gail Eastwood-Ritchey | wkyc.com
Click to expand...

They are mostly a rehash of older articles, but the second one said that jury selection had started on Monday morning, and the media had been banned from the courthouse. (And complained about the ban, no reason had been given)
 
MARCH 31, 2022 | Day 1: Opening statements. Watch a portion of the opening statements (Warning: Video contains graphic content)

The decades-old case known as "Geauga's Child" is now on trial. We are streaming court proceedings live in the player at the top of this story.
...
APRIL 2, 2022 | Day 3: Trial expected to resume at 8:30 a.m.

APRIL 1, 2022 | Day 2: The hearing wrapped up around 11:30 a.m. Trial to resume at 8:30 a.m. Saturday. [note - this may be a misprint and means Monday??]
...
DNA initially retrieved from a tooth bud from the infant’s remains was able to be used as a sample for comparison with public genealogy database, GEDmatch. The initial closest match was a third or fourth generation cousin. Over a period of six to eight months, Seamon said detectives used public records to build a database of more than 1,400 people.

Investigators contacted select family members, asking them to submit their DNA to the public database.
...
In May of 2019, detectives made contact with Harvey and Nancy Eastwood in Lyndhurst, who they believed to be those grandparents, and took DNA samples from them. While they waited two weeks for those results, they were also able to connect Mark Ritchey to the infant.

On May 21, 2019, detectives served search warrants, requested the DNA of Gail Eastwood-Ritchey, Mark Ritchey and her sister.
Geauga's Child murder: The trial of Gail Eastwood-Ritchey | wkyc.com

Long article, more at link.
 
Docket update:
04/01/2022 APPROVED REPORTERS REQUEST FOR PERMISSION TO BROADCAST ETC

04/01/2022 APPROVED REPORTERS REQUEST FOR PERMISSION TO BROADCAST ETC WKYC TV-3

04/01/2022 APPROVED REPORTERS REQUEST FOR PERMISSION TO BROADCAST ETC CHANNEL 19 NEWS

04/01/2022 APPROVED REPORTERS REQUEST FOR PERMISSION TO BROADCAST ETC NEWS 5

04/01/2022 APPROVED REPORTERS REQUEST FOR PERMISSION TO BROADCAST ETC WKYC TV 3

04/01/2022 APPROVED REPORTERS REQUEST FOR PERMISSION TO BROADCAST ETC FOX 8 NEWS

04/01/2022 DEFENDANTS MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF DIRECTED ACQUITTAL FOR WANT OF PROOF OF VENUE
Attorney: BRADLEY, STEVEN L (0046622)

04/01/2022 EFILING CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

link: https://web.geaugacourts.org/eservi...aTRmVC9Yq-DTHhCzvqhn1sx6F6RvpCVy-vUSmW-JkaV0w
 
Wow, the trial actually is continuing today (Saturday):

Geauga's Child murder: 'Put it in the trunk': Mother on trial for killing baby

Watch live | 'Geauga's Child' murder trial: Day 3 | wkyc.com

Defense witness says evidence does not confirm ‘Geauga’s Child’ was born alive

First on the stand Saturday was Montgomery County Coroner Dr. Kent Harshbarger who says at this time he is not able to determine if the child was born alive or dead.

He says they look at certain markers when determining live birth, including lung function and expanded alveoli and also food in the stomach.

Other factors, including decomposition, could cause air to fill the lungs without a breath being taken, he said.

He says he can’t determine if the baby was born at full term but he says that’s most likely the case because the baby’s weight and other developmental factors were evidence of a full-term pregnancy.
...
Seamon had a hidden camera when he met Ritchey at her home. The video was shown to jurors.
...
Video showed him take a DNA swab from Ritchey.

Then they showed a video of Ritchey’s interview at the sheriff’s office.

She said she learned she was pregnant about 3 months before the baby was born. She was 22 at the time.

She didn’t remember the month or day the baby was born but later said she thought it was January of 1993.

“I was at work. I was at Nanny for a family in Shaker Heights.”

She said she had been feeling sick all morning.

“I knew I was giving birth to the baby in the toilet.“

“I didn’t know what to do,” she whispered.

“I put the baby in a bag,” she said.

“I had no idea what the sex was. I never looked at it.”

“I put it in the trunk,” she said in the interview.

“I wasn’t sure what to do. No one knew.”

She was with a youth group a short time later when she dumped the baby, she told detectives.

“I got in my car and just drove…I just ended up stopping on a road,” she said.

“I took the bag out of the trunk, and I laid it in the woods.”

“I don’t remember it making any noise,” Ritchey told detectives who told her that the baby had been born alive.

Ritchey said the baby may have been left in the car for a week.

The baby was found dead in the woods on March 25, 1993. He was mauled by animals.
 
Thanks you @MsMarple for the articles - unfortunately, I can not access the first 2. I was wondering "who" this is?

Seamon had a hidden camera when he met Ritchey at her home. The video was shown to jurors.

A police officer? And happened on Friday by the prosecutors?

Also - the 3rd article mentioned that the prosecution recalled a rebuttal witness - is that Dr. Felo? Do I have that name correct? Does it say what his name is in one of those articles I can't access? It was hard to hear on the video (3rd article).
TIA!
animated-smileys-waving-002.gif.pagespeed.ce.NgmNDJ18zj.gif
 
Niner said:
Thanks you @MsMarple for the articles - unfortunately, I can not access the first 2. I was wondering "who" this is?

Seamon had a hidden camera when he met Ritchey at her home. The video was shown to jurors.

A police officer? And happened on Friday by the prosecutors?

Also - the 3rd article mentioned that the prosecution recalled a rebuttal witness - is that Dr. Felo? Do I have that name correct? Does it say what his name is in one of those articles I can't access? It was hard to hear on the video (3rd article).
TIA!
animated-smileys-waving-002.gif.pagespeed.ce.NgmNDJ18zj.gif
Click to expand...

Seamon is a sheriffs deputy. I can't help you with Dr Felo, sorry.
 
Niner said:
Thanks you @MsMarple for the articles - unfortunately, I can not access the first 2. I was wondering "who" this is?

Seamon had a hidden camera when he met Ritchey at her home. The video was shown to jurors.

A police officer? And happened on Friday by the prosecutors?

Also - the 3rd article mentioned that the prosecution recalled a rebuttal witness - is that Dr. Felo? Do I have that name correct? Does it say what his name is in one of those articles I can't access? It was hard to hear on the video (3rd article).
TIA!
animated-smileys-waving-002.gif.pagespeed.ce.NgmNDJ18zj.gif
Click to expand...
Dr. Felo is Cuyahoga County Chief Deputy Medical Examiner:

The state say the baby was born alive and murdered, drawing attention to forensic evidence, and autopsy of the baby's lungs. “He was an otherwise healthy baby boy,” said prosecutors.

“These lungs breathed,” testified Dr. Joseph Felo. Felo did not perform the autopsy then, but as Cuyahoga County Chief Deputy Medical Examiner, has reviewed the case. “I don’t know how many breaths were taken, but there is indication that it breathed on its own. That’s why it’s a live birth, that given the opportunity may have lived a full life.”
Geauga's Child murder case: What's happening in the trial | wkyc.com
 
APRIL 2, 2022 | Day 3: Testimony wrapped up around 2 p.m. Closing arguments are set for Monday.

The defense rested without Gail Eastwood-Ritchey taking the stand. Instead, today's proceedings centered around Montgomery County Coroner Kent Harshbarger, who testified on behalf of the defense. Harshbarger challenged the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's assertions that "Geauga's Child" was born alive and breathing before being placed in a plastic bag along Sidley Road.

"In my opinion, you cannot make that determination to a reasonable degree of medical certainty," Harshbarger said.
Geauga's Child murder: The trial of Gail Eastwood-Ritchey | wkyc.com
 
I corrected on what happened from previous dates.

Monday, April 4th:
*Trial continues (Day 4)-CLOSING ARGUMENTS (@ 8:30m ET) – OH - Geauga’s Child (newborn) (found Mar. 25, 1993 at side of Sidley Road, Thompson Township) - *Gail M. Eastwood-Ritchey (23 @ time of crime/49/now 51) arrested (6/6/19), charged (6/7/19) & arraigned (6/10/19) with aggravated murder & special felony murder. Plead not guilty. $250K bond. Bonded out 6/10/19; GPS monitor & surrendered passport.
Trial began on 3/28/22 with jury selection. Trial began on 3/31/22 & ended on 4/2/22. Closing arguments on 4/4/22.
Court info from 1/10/20 thru 3/23/22 reference post #66 here:
OH - Geauga's Child, newborn baby boy, found deceased, Geauga County 1993 *mother arrested in 2019*
Corrections:
3/28/22 Monday, Jury selection Day 1: Jury selection began. Media was banned from courtroom, no explanation why. Jury selection continues on 3/29/22.
3/29/22 Tuesday, Jury selection Day 2: State's witness & Exhibit lists. Jury selection continues on 3/30/22.
3/30/22 Wednesday, Jury selection Day 3: Jury selection completed. Opening statements begin on 3/31/22.
3/31/22 Thursday, Trial Day 1: Opening statements. Defense attorney Steven Bradley. State witnesses: A woman named Cheryl who, along with her friend, found the baby near the side of the road while delivering papers on their paper route in 1993. Chardon Police Chief Scott Niehus who documented the scene in 1993 when he was working as a detective.
for more info see posts #72 & 72 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...-1993-mother-arrested-in-2019.450003/page-4No info available. Trial continues on 4/1/22.
4/1/22 Friday, Trial Day 2: Hearing wrapped up at 11:30am. The prosecution played a police interrogation video by Deputy Sheriff Seamon. 4/1/22: Approved reporters request for permission to broadcast: WKYC TV-3, Channel 19 News, News 5, Fox 8 News. Defendant's memorandum in support of directed acquittal for want of proof of venue filed by defense attorney Steven L. Bradley. Prosecutors rested their case. Trial continues on Saturday, 4/2/22.
4/2/22 Saturday, Trial Day 3: Defense witness: Montgomery County Coroner Dr. Kent Harshbarger. And defense rested their case.
for more info see post #74 here:
OH - Geauga's Child, newborn baby boy, found deceased, Geauga County 1993 *mother arrested in 2019*
The prosecution recalled rebuttal expert witness, Dr. Joseph Felo, Cuyahoga County Chief Deputy Medical Examiner. Judge David Ondrey allowed the jury to leave & asked them to return Monday morning, 4/4/22. The jury will then hear closing arguments from the defense & prosecution, ahead of verdict deliberations.
 
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