KAITLIN ARMSTRONG MURDER TRIAL THREAD
On Monday, the defense grilled a ballistics expert about just how scientific his conclusions were. We heard from Armstrong's friend who taught her how to shoot a gun. APD detectives said Armstrong was stalking Mo Wilson's IG account more than a week before Wilson was murdered. And we saw post-op photos of Kaitlin Armstrong's nose job from Costa Rica.Live tweeting continues below.
Kaitlin Armstrong has entered the courtroom wearing her grey pantsuit and Carolina Blue blouse. She takes her seat next to her defense team and quietly chats with them. Armstrong's parents are in the courtroom. The Wilson family is not in attendance yet. In fact, there is a sizable absence of Wilson supporters who normally occupy the first three rows behind the prosecution.
Steven Aston is back on the stand. He is forensic scientist who specializes in weapons testing. Defense continues its line of questioning.Aston says he doesn't agree with the Association of Firearm and Tool Mark Examiner verbiage, which helps guide professionals in their work.
Aston is standing up and pointing to a screen, showing jury members the individual characteristics of the magnified shell casings that lead him to believe there is agreement between the crime scene and test firings.
Aston is being quizzed on gun manufacturing. He admits he doesn't know how certain components of a gun are manufactured. Defense then wonders how he can say that certain characteristics are unique to a weapon if he doesn't know how it was manufactured.
Aston says he can't remember if he consulted any of his peers about this case. There is no written documentation if there were second opinions. He also admits he didn't look at written literature for extra guidance. Defense then reveals that those steps are apart of AFTE guidelines when a tool examiner is faced with the possibility of uncertain firearm origin.
Aston says that it is very rare for additional analysts to disagree with the findings of the initial examiner. But if it was to happen, the verifier will show the examiner what they are looking at and the examiner is able to rebut. If an agreement is reached, that is what goes into the report. The disagreement is also logged.
Defense asks, "doesn't that sound less like peer review and more like peer collaboration?"Aston says talking through the process is part of the industry standard. He says it all depends where the conclusion ends up. But Aston says no peer has ever disagreed with his findings.
"Being aware of our biases and how to mitigate the ability of letting those biases affect our opinions is a very big topic in firearm examination," Aston says.
Aston said yesterday that Detective Spitler asked him to eliminate the Springfield 9mm pistol, clearly indicating that he had been given a goal before the examination even began. Aston now clarifying that he misspoke, saying the he was asked to analyze both guns, and came to the conclusion that the Springfield should be eliminated.
Aston says that Detective Spitler mischaracterized his work in the probable cause affidavit. It's unclear to me what exactly what misrepresented. When asked if the jury is supposed to trust him, Aston says, "as the person who is trained to do this, I kinda know what I'm looking for..."
No further questions.
Witness dismissed.
Next witness: Dr. Bernadette Derussy, Deputy Medical Examiner, Travis County Medical Examiner's Office.Note before we continue: I will transcribe the things I hear, as always. Additionally, if pictures are shown, I will also be describing what I am seeing. Please use caution as the material may be considered graphic.
