Trial Discussion Thread #37 - 14.05.12 Day 30

[jay-jay]

Nel: The magazine rack is the only thing that could have given her height?
W: He agrees.
Nel: If she fell back, she cannot support her own body weight, but she's sitting on the magazine rack, leaning forward towards the door. That could give her the necessary height for C and D to hit her.
W: I'm not sure.

W is really making me cross is the way he is evading this .. he quite clearly conceded to it (i.e. that she was sat on the magazine rack) last week and then, after and adjournment, he came back and stated the opposite and he is still sticking with that and it seems too obvious to me that he realised his mistake when he conceded to it and is now being v.cagey and just won't give his real opinion about it because it goes against the DT version.


Edit: oh hang on, I think it was that he admitted to the magazine rack being in the postion where OP said it wasn't .. apologies, I got that slightly wrong

 

[Suthrnqt]

Hippity skippity day....

I am late to the party, as usual. But I am still gonna :dance:

 

[JudgeJudi]

Nel's being very gentle with Wollie.

 

[zwiebel]

W: I had my back operation on 24th Nov...I was in bed looking at all this stuff...I can't remember (in answer to Nel's questions about rack position).

 

[JudgeJudi]

W if you look at a specific photo you can see the feet of the magazine rack. The blood never went underneath the magazine rack.

 

[Trooper]

Woll. if you look at this specific one photo. you can see the feet of the magazine rack. you can clearly see the tile. . that was not there the blood has actually clotted around the feet of the rack, the blood never went under it. ..

Nel. that is very helpful, and you're right, that is Dixons conclusion too.

Woll. I am not a trained blood spatter expert, I do have a lot of experience though..

Nel. when you did the reconstruction. did you notice that , the blood clotted around the magazine rack?

Woll. no no. only after looking at photos over and over again ..

 

[Trotterly]

Anyone know why Nel is pursuing where the rack was when the defence have already said she was hit as she fell?

 

[LaLaw2000]

Morning everyone. I have brought an Amerikano bun? cake? with me this morning.

My little ipad keyboard's having a tantrum, so forgive all the typos today.

Thanks, zwiebel! Looks good whatever it is!


Good morning from Louisiana, USA!

 

[zwiebel]

W says he prefers Prof Saayman's first opinion more than his second, regarding the injuries to the back.

W: My opinion was, there was an abrasion there, does it really matter if it was caused by the mag rack or not?

 

[JudgeJudi]

W thinks everything is speculation regarding the reconstruction.

 

[ColonelMustard]

Quick detour back upthread:

Is there any chance that Nel might prosecute the Dewani case?

 

[jay-jay]

Nel really trying to pin W down on the magazine rack thing now .. he has got W to concede that the magazine rack didn't cause the back wound, and he has got him to concede that the magazine rack was where it was found because the blood pooled around the foot .. he can't quite get him to concede yet whether Reeva actually sat on it, but she must've done as the bullets would not have hit where they did if she was sat on the floor.

 

[Trooper]

nel. if you and your team all tried to reconstruct the scene.. why did you not concentrate on the magazine rack??


Woll. well. the reason was. there was an abrasion on her back. I well. my opinion was, does it really matter?? we know she was struck there, its only speculation.

Nel. I hear what you are saying, but I am testing something different. if you took details into account... I need to know why you didn't concentrate on the rack??

Woll. I had very lmited time at the crime scene. . photos, measurements, I just didn't have time, I might have considered it, but I had run out of time. the door, the tiles, the bullet holes. the time is unfair, really. to ask me a question like that. If I had a week to reconstruct a crime scene like that, it wouldn't be enough. .

 

[BritsKate]

Anyone know why Nel is pursuing where the rack was when the defence have already said she was hit as she fell?

I think, based on the rest of the testimony surrounding it, to cast question on how thorough or precise any reconstruction actually was.

Just a guess.

 

[JudgeJudi]

W doesn't want to make excuses but he had limited time at the crime scene. He only had a couple of hours. He would have wanted a week to reconstruct a crime like that.

 

[zwiebel]

Nel pursues why W did not pay more attention to the mag rack.

W: I only had a couple of hours....

he explains his time was very limited, hanging the door, reconstructing bullets thru door etc : 'To be honest, it's unfair Milady, asking me a question like that.'

W just revealed police never took the rack as an exhibit. They left it at the crime scene.

 

[Really?]

Morning all.......4:23 a.m......dark and breezy at the Jersey shore......NJ

 

[jay-jay]

Anyone know why Nel is pursuing where the rack was when the defence have already said she was hit as she fell?

It's quite important for Nel to establish where it was because OP testified that the magazine rack was not there and that Reeva was not sat on it .. he made quite a big thing of that, and the reason being was that was his reason for calling Stander first was because he couldn't pick Reeva up from the floor and needed help lifting her, when actually it appears that it's more likely she was sat on the magazine rack and leaning over onto the toilet bowl.

 

[zwiebel]

Nel asks why. put the rack in 'that' position, and W says because he didn't know where it was originally? 'You had Cpt Mangena's report, why didn't you pay attention to it?'

W: Milady, I've already given the only answer I can...

 

[JudgeJudi]

Quick detour back upthread:

Is there any chance that Nel might prosecute the Dewani case?

We'd all LOVE that.