NY - Jerica Rhodes, 7, stabbed to death, Highland Falls, 27 Jan 2005

[PrayersForMaura]

...

Defense attorney Sol Lesser also attempted to taint the witness’ character with claims that he is illegally in the United States. Vazquez responded by saying that he didn’t wish to answer that question without a lawyer.

At that point, Judge Jeffrey Berry ordered the jury out of the courtroom to avoid any formation of opinion of the witness by the jury.

Lesser then argued that the witness’ status proves to be pertinent information to the jury on the grounds that it develops character. Judge Berry limited Lesser’s questioning of the issue because he declared it somewhat invalid to the case.

Sacred Heart of Jesus first grade teacher Diane DiPalma and her assistant Theresa McBarron were also called to the stand yesterday afternoon to give testimony on the victim’s personality and academic efforts in the classroom. Although the focus of their testimony was Jerica’s social and educational standing in school, many of prosecutor Byrne’s questions were directed at their involvement of the January 27th incident at the school.

Both of them responded to the janitor’s calls for help after Jerica’s motionless body was found that day.

Lesser also continued to question the actions of crime scene units on that day in January. He pointed out that along with the first two witnesses the three called yesterday were also not required to give a cheek swab sample to investigators for DNA referencing...

Whole recap: http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/Rhodes_trial-02Nov05.htm

 

[PrayersForMaura]

School secretary places Christopher Rhodes alone outside boys’ bathroom

A secretary in the principal’s office at Sacred Heart of Jesus School in Highland Falls placed Christopher Rhodes outside the boy’s bathroom where the body of seven-year-old Jerica Rhodes was found with multiple stab wounds.



...

The secretary, Aleesa McCarthy, testified for the prosecution that she saw Rhodes and Jerica walking into school and about 15 minutes later, she noticed Rhodes walking down the hallway by the gymnasium and then stopping in front of the boys’ bathroom.

Rhodes’ attorney, Sol Lesser, contested, saying there was no mention of that in her grand jury testimony or in handwritten notes she made on the day of the murder.

Margaret Patrick, cafeteria worker, testified that she saw Christopher Rhodes come in with Jerica; however, she did not see him afterwards.

...

More: http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/Rhodes1-02Nov05.htm

 

[PrayersForMaura]

Jerica's mother testifies at daughter's murder trial

An extremely emotional Alisa Mason-Colone, the mother of slain Jerica Rhodes, took the witness stand this morning in the murder trial of Christopher Rhodes. Jerica’s body, riddled with 16 stab wounds, was found in a bathroom at the school she attended in Highland Falls last January. Police have charged Christopher Rhodes, the man who raised her, with her murder.

Mason-Colone testified to her relationship to the defendant and revealed to the jury that she has one other child with Christopher Rhodes. It was revealed months ago that while he raised Jerica, she was not his biological daughter.

The police investigator assigned to inform Christopher Rhodes of his daughter’s death back on January 27th was also called to the witness stand today to give his testimony of the timeline by which he and other New York State Police investigators pursued Rhodes and ultimately brought him to the Highland Falls Police Station for questioning. State Police Investigator Joseph Alma testified that shortly after interviewing neighbors on Mountain Avenue, the street where Rhodes lives, Rhodes showed up with a bloody bandage around his right hand.

Defense Attorney Sol Lesser claimed that the injury was from breaking into his apartment that morning, due to a fight with his fiancée Tammy Holmes.


More: http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/Rhodes1-03Nov05.htm

 

[PrayersForMaura]

...The prosecution in the Jerica Rhodes murder trial called two law enforcement officials to the witness stand... both of whose initial duties on the day of Jerica’s death were to track down Christopher Rhodes to tell him of his daughter’s death.

New York State Police Investigator Joseph Alma was called by prosecutor David Byrne to testify to his account of pursuing Rhodes that day in January. Alma, who is assigned to the Major Crimes Unit, spotted Rhodes heading toward Rhodes’ home on Mountain Avenue while police were interviewing several neighbors at around 12:10 p.m. He informed Rhodes of the incident at the school, then drove him to the Highland Falls Police Station for questioning.

During his interview with Rhodes, Alma claimed that Rhodes said he watched his daughter go into the gymnasium after he dropped her off at school on January 27 th.

Four previous witnesses have already testified that Jerica was nowhere to be found in the gym that day.

...

Defense attorney Sol Lesser ignored those claims during cross-examinations, and continued to sock away at police tactics both inside the interrogation room and on Mountain Avenue. Lesser claimed that his clients arrest was unnecessary, and that the police should not have been looking at Rhodes as a “person of interest,” but as a victim.

Lesser also claimed that the three-hour interrogation should not have been warranted if Rhodes wasn’t a suspect. Although Investigator Alma called Rhodes a “person of interest,” police still let him go free at around 3:30 p.m. that day.

More: http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/Rhodes_trial-04Nov05.htm

 

[PrayersForMaura]

Source of cut hands takes center stage in Rhodes murder trial

Two St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital medical staff members who treated Christopher Rhodes for cuts on his hands on the morning of his daughter’s murder and one of his neighbors on Mountain Avenue in the Village of Highland Falls testified today in Orange County Court in Goshen to their accounts of January 27th.

...

Registered Nurse Sheila West Goodell was the charge nurse, or head nurse, when Rhodes entered St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital that day. She treated him for wounds on his right hand, but had no recollection of any glass particles on his hand or the towels that he used to wrap it.

Prosecutor David Byrne intended to use this testimony to show that the wounds on his right hand didn’t come from punching the front door window of his apartment as Rhodes maintained, and that they had in turn evolved from a struggle with Jerica during the murder.

Hospital Doctor Daniel Coffey also examined the wounds and helped treat them. He said it was part of his responsibility to find the causes of the wounds, and when he asked Rhodes about them he was told that he put his hand through window in anger over his fiancé’s actions that morning. At the time, Coffey said that he concluded that Rhodes was telling the truth, but he said on the stand that his wounds could have come from a knife or another sharp object.

The testimonies of Nurse Goodell and Dr. Coffey both suggest that Rhodes could have lied about the cause of his injuries.

Defense attorney Sol Lesser showed during cross-examinations that there was no way for either of the health professionals to pinpoint an exact cause of the abrasions and lacerations on Rhodes’ right hand, “within the scope of their professional and doctoral knowledge.”

http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/Rhodes-PM-04Nov05.htm

 

[PrayersForMaura]

... Though Byrne last week began to show the jury that Rhodes’ alleged covered up efforts began with the injury to his right hand, he plans this week to introduce evidence that includes three letters mailed from the jail where Rhodes was incarcerated, which Byrne claimed furthered his attempts to deceive investigators and family members. The assistant DA claimed that Rhodes mailed letters under the name of another inmate, Edward Nash, claiming responsibility for the murder.

Testimony continues this morning at the Orange County Courthouse in Goshen. The case is being heard by County Court Judge Jeffrey Berry.

http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/Rhodes_trial-07Nov05.htm

 

[PrayersForMaura]

Bloody jacket entered as evidence at Rhodes trial

A slightly emotional Christopher Rhodes watched as prosecutors revealed to the jury yesterday the belongings Jerica Rhodes had with her on the morning she was murdered.

The little girl’s backpack and its contents were revealed to the jury during Assistant District Attorney David Byrne’s examination of New York State Investigator William Maloney. Her jacket, still containing blood stains from the murder, was also shown as part of Maloney’s testimony to the day’s incident.

Christopher Rhodes sat quietly with his left hand over his face, and at one point wiping his eyes, while the evidence was presented.

Maloney, part of the Forensic Identification Unit, helps process crime scenes for reconstruction. He spent most of his time the day of Jerica’s January 27 death securing the bathroom stall at the Sacred Heart of Jesus School where Jerica was killed.

He also testified about the search for fingerprints at the school. The black powder feather-dusting process didn’t turn up any viable prints from the school crime scene.

Defense attorney Sol Lesser argued that not only did his client’s fingerprints not show up in the bathroom, he claimed that no criminalists or scientists were present to properly work the crime scene at the school. He claimed that the crime scene wasn’t handled properly at all...

More: http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/Rhodes_trial-08Nov05.htm

 

[PrayersForMaura]

Rhodes murder case looks at 'forged' letters

The prosecution in the Christopher Rhodes murder trial continued its case to prove that Rhodes covered up his actions the morning of Jerica’ Rhodes’ killing by putting into evidence three letters that Rhodes wrote while in jail...

Three letters claiming responsibility for the murder were sent out from the Orange County Jail a few months after the murder, but not with Rhodes’ name on the return address. Instead, authorities alleged that he signed the name of another inmate, Edward Nash, as the assumed murderer in the letters....

Handwriting expert Dr. Gus Lesnevich took the stand this morning to give testimony based on the letters, which prosecutor David Byrne sent to him in May. He claimed that when compared to handwriting on documents written by Christopher Rhodes and Edward Nash, the handwriting on the letters was consistent with those of Rhodes.
Defense Attorney Sol Lesser conceded to the fact that Rhodes in deed wrote the letters, but Byrne insisted on continuing the doctor’s testimony to show the jury that in fact it was Rhodes’ handwriting on the letters.

The prosecution also wrapped up the testimony of State Police Investigator William Maloney, who examined the crime scene at the school on January 27, the date Jerica was killed. Byrne told the jury that the blood stains on the wall showed that the murder indeed took place in the bathroom stall. Lesser continued to question his professional capacity to draw such a conclusion based on the fact that he is not a scientist.



More: http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/Rhodes_trs-09Nov05.htm

 

[PrayersForMaura]

Prosecution continues to question witnesses in Rhodes murder trial

The Christopher Rhodes murder trial continued this morning with the testimony from another state investigator assigned to securing the Rhodes residence on Mountain Avenue in Highland Falls.

New York State Police Investigator Timothy Zeszutek was called to the stand by prosecutor David Byrne to give his account of January 27th, the day seven-year-old Jerica Rhodes was found stabbed to death... Zeszutek was assigned to preserving the exterior ... of the crime scene.

Consistent with witness testimony from other past Forensic Identification Unit investigators, Zeszutek also claimed that Rhodes showed up at his home around 12:10-12:15 p.m. and appeared very emotional and excited. Zeszutek said that he then handcuffed Rhodes, with his consent, to prevent him from entering the crime scene, which consisted of the house and the surrounding property.

Defense attorney Sol Lesser objected to the action of handcuffing his client that day in January. He asked why he had to be handcuffed if he had already consented to traveling to the Highland Falls Police Department.

Byrne attempted to show the jury that it was for Rhodes’ protection and that of the crime scene.

Byrne also called Highland Falls Fort Montgomery School District nurse Linda Wetzel to the stand to show medical records held by the school. She is one of four nurses assigned to the district, and helps maintain student medical records.

Byrne revisited the claim that much of the blood found on the clothes was from Jerica’s nosebleeds. A cumulative health record, one kept by the school district, shows that no nosebleeds, or any injuries for that matter, were recorded for Jerica Rhodes.

Lesser claimed that the school records aren’t properly kept; Wetzel agreed.

More: http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/Rhodes_PM1-10Nov05.htm

 

[PrayersForMaura]

Jerica’s clothes subject of testimony at her murder trial

It was an emotional courtroom yesterday as more personal belongings of little Jerica were shown to the jury during witness testimony.

Christopher Rhodes, the man who raised her as if he were her biological father, is accused of murdering the seven-year-old girl in a bathroom in the Sacred Heart of Jesus School in the village of Highland Falls last January.

The clothing Jerica was wearing the day of her murder, including her jean pants, a yellow shirt, and a pair of white underwear, were shown during the prosecution’s examination of New York State Police Investigator Paul Langowsky.

While Investigator Langowsky proceeded to unwrap the bag containing the little girl’s underwear, Christopher Rhodes began to whimper as he covered his eyes.




More: http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/Rhodes_trial-11Nov05.htm

 

[mysteriew]

I am confused. One article says the father was convicted, yet the trial is continuing?
And the father allegedly took the girl to the school, by himself, and then killed her, so why is the g/f afraid she will incriminate herself? Was she the one who actually killed the girl, or did she help it or what?

 

[PrayersForMaura]

I am confused. One article says the father was convicted, yet the trial is continuing?
And the father allegedly took the girl to the school, by himself, and then killed her, so why is the g/f afraid she will incriminate herself? Was she the one who actually killed the girl, or did she help it or what?

Sorry about that ...
Ok, the first post I posted was from today ... he was found guilty.
The second and third posts I posted (the ones under that) was some information from earlier in the trial. I just posted it to give a little background of some of the testimony ... but I went ahead and started a trial thread and posted a bunch of old testimony.

He isn't her biological father, and he has a girlfriend.
She apparently knew some things.
He apparently killed the little girl in the bathroom at the school.

The trial started on November first ... it just finished up.

 

[mysteriew]

Thanks PrayersforMaura. I understand now. Wonder what the g/f knows and when she found it out. I also have never understood why it happened. He was supposed to be devoted to this girl. Was considered to be a very loving and caring father. Of course I was never really clear why she was in his father's custody instead of with her mother, or with the man who was alleged to be her father's custody. Instead she lived with her grandfather.
Very heartbreaking.

 

[mysteriew]

Rhodes guilty on all counts
People will ask "why?" for years when they talk about the murder of 7-year-old Jerica Rhodes, but a jury yesterday left no doubt about the "who:" The killer was Christopher Rhodes, who called himself Jerica's father.
Rhodes, 28, of Highland Falls, was convicted of murder and seven lesser felonies yesterday in Orange County Court. The jury delivered its verdict at 2 p.m., after about eight hours of deliberations over two days. The verdict could send him to prison for 29 years to life.
Rhodes showed no emotion at the verdict, heeding a warning from his lawyer that the judge would not tolerate any outbursts. His parents and his younger brother were a daily presence during the trial, but they weren't in the courtroom for the verdict. When they got the news from Rhodes' lawyer, Sol Lesser, outside the courthouse, Rhodes family members quickly got into their cars and departed.
http://www.recordonline.com/archive/2005/11/23/verdict0.htm

 

[Belinda]

Christopher Rhodes
Offense: Murder 2nd
Offense: Criminal possession of a weapon 3rd sub
Offense: Criminal possession of marijuana 2nd
Offense: Tampering with physical evidence
Offense: Offer false instrument filing 1st

Sentence: 30 year 8 months 16 days to life
Earliest release date: 10/4/2035