Of course people's memories fade. If it is written repeatedly that a white car was seen at the house at 4 in the morning, some people re-write their memories and believe it was a white car. The fact is that it wasn't. It was a light colored car - which could mean many things. Some people may forget that there was a search warrant specifically for measuring the bathroom tiles because investigators made mistakes and neglected to put measurement markers in their photos. These things happen.
The witness was asked in court about the height of the man she dealt with at the gas station. I understand that this fact presents a problem in terms of arguing that her testimony is valid, but that's how it is.
"Though Dahms,
a woman with a history of drug abuse, pointed to Young in court today as the man she had encountered in November 2006, she told Judge Stephens [minutes] before that
she had difficulty describing the man she had seen in the store.
Dahms, 5-feet-3, said she remembered the customer as a white man, slightly taller than she is, who looked to be in his 30s.
But when asked whether she saw him in the courtroom today, she pointed at Jason Young without hesitation.
She said she remembered him because few people cussed her out as he did."
Read more here:
http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/05...ows-store-clerks-testimony.html#storylink=cpy
She was most likely only able to identify Jason because she was only shown his picture (not a photo lineup) and because he was sitting at the defendant's table. Given her drug history, one has to question whether she was somewhat motivated to do something good and help police.