Trial begins for man accused of hiding missing baby's body
Once jurors were selected, the prosecution, led by Cristina Agee, opened by walking jurors through the details of the case.
She called eight witnesses to the stand throughout the day. The first to testify was a teary-eyed woman who said she was the baby's godmother. The woman claimed she saw the baby often in her short life, taking her on the weekends and even overnights at her house. The day Arieanna was reported missing, the woman said she took the baby and Jessica to the WIC office and grocery shopping. The godmother said when she dropped the two back off at the home on Hanover, she kissed the baby, told her she loved her, and prayed that the angels watched over her. She never saw her again.
Other witnesses included several Roanoke Police officers. Officers noted that Arieanna Day's mother, Jessica Day, said she called police to her home to report her daughter missing an hour after she noticed the baby was gone.
Officers also alluded to text conversations between Terry and Day that seemed to indicate a custody dispute, but most of the text messages were not read aloud in court. At least one of the officers reported that Day and Terry appeared calm and unemotional throughout most of the investigation.
Prosecutors noted through their examination of the witnesses that Terry was living "a double life." They confirmed that in addition to a long on-again off-again relationship with Day, Terry was living with his girlfriend of 16 years at a home in Blacksburg with their two children.
Terry at many times throughout the investigation also called into question whether he was actually Arieanna's father.
The night she was reported missing, Terry's clothes were muddy and wet. Originally he told police he slipped and fell while at work. Later his story changed.
Police searched the phones of Terry and Day. They searched the home, as well as Terry's car. Data included messages between Terry and Day, pings off his cell phone and GPS tracking of his car.
In initial interviews with Terry, he told officers he was at Day's on Hanover Avenue during his lunch break. In that time he said he slept with Day and then helped her put Arieanna to bed. During these interviews, he told police he didn't know what happened to the baby. But later, in a recorded interview, Terry can be heard telling police he did know what happened to the baby. He claimed he picked her up from Day's home. He said the baby looked swollen and bloody and wasn't breathing properly. Terry can be heard telling police he drove to Blacksburg with the baby on his lap. The baby stopped breathing along the drive. Then he told police he drove to an area in Blacksburg off Cedar Run Road, where he walked along the railroad tracks and dug a shallow grave for the baby.
Another later interview, recorded on film, was also played for jurors. The godmother of Arieanna buries her face in her hands.
At one point that night, Terry is seen on surveillance video stopping at a gas station in Blacksburg to buy cigarettes and a lighter. But the exact timeline of that night is still unclear.
Terry even led officers to the place he said he buried her. But no DNA or other forensic evidence was ever recovered from the scene.
