Court is back in session.
Jury is coming back now. Prosecutor Creighton Waters says a pathologist will be testifying later today. The testimony/exhibits will be graphic. Harpootlian and Waters agree they don't want those images seen by the public.
Defense attorney Phillip Barber is cross-examining Sara Zapata, the SLED DNA analyst.
Barber elicits testimony that Zapata found male DNA under Maggie’s fingernails that did not belong to Paul or Alex Murdaugh.
Zapata testifies there was a small amount of unidentified male DNA under Maggie’s fingernails. She says investigators did not test any other parts of Maggie and Paul’s bodies/clothes for DNA.
Zapata agrees with Barber that the blood on Murdaugh’s steering wheel is consistent with Alex possibly checking Maggie’s body and then driving the Suburban up to Moselle to retrieve a shotgun.
Barber establishes with Zapata that the only part of Alex’s shirt that included Paul’s DNA was on the bottom of the front.
Typically, evidence with no obvious point simply doesn't get introduced at trial. All the pieces matter, as they say.
The state hasn't said a word about high-impact blood spatter, so it looks like the defense is going to do it. Barber asks Zapata if she knows that SLED requested a blood spatter analysis. She said she didn't find out until the request had been made.
Zapata testifies she provided the HemaTrace test results - in which Alex's shirt tested negative for blood - on Nov. 10, 2021. Same day she provided the blue rain coat test results.
Barber asks Zapata if she was aware that in March 2022, SLED received a report claiming that Murdaugh’s shirt was speckled high-impact blood spatter, consistent with being nearby as Maggie and Paul were shot and their blood was discharged into the air.
Barber references a 4/11/22 meeting with the AG’s Office regarding blood spatter. He’s asking about the internal discussions between SLED and the AG’s office regarding purported blood spatter, given that Zapata’s test in November 2021 found no blood on the shirt at all.
Zapata testifies prosecutor Creighton Waters later asked her to research whether HemaTrace tests could come back with a false negative on shirts previously tested with LCV.
Barber is now trying to use Zapata’s own research to show how effective HemaTrace is. That’s the type of test that found no human blood on Alex’s white T-shirt.
Barber references one study in which HemaTrace - in nearly three dozen cases - found human blood even after previous LCV presumptive tests found no blood. Barber suggests that HemaTrace is even more sensitive than LCV in searching for human blood.
Barber asks about a Jan. 5, 2023, meeting about evidence in this case. He asks whether Tom Bevel’s blood spatter analysis was discussed. Or whether deputy Kenneth Kinsey’s report on the same topic was discussed. Zapata testifies she can’t remember. The meeting was a month ago.
Zapata testifies she could not recall any discussion of a blue button-down shirt at that meeting, either.
Prosecutor Savanna Goude doesn't touch the blood-spatter stuff on redirect. Under final questioning from Barber, Zapata testifies it would not be uncommon to find a wife’s DNA on a husband’s shirt. Zapata is done. She steps down.
