During cross examination, Andrew Wilson, special prosecutor, focused on debunking Priest's findings, picking apart the draft report he'd put together; Priest had known he would testify Thursday for 10 days, he said, and he prepared his report in June based on the evidence he was sent in January. Wilson asked why, in an eight person homicide case, he'd only presented a draft report; Priest said typically after submitting that draft he has a back-and-forth discussion with defense attorneys, which didn't happen in this case.
In the report, Priest wrote he believed Chris Sr. was standing on the front porch of his home, not just inside the door as other witnesses testified earlier in the trial,
including the coroner.
Wilson pointed out there was no blood evidence on the porch, but Priest said he wouldn't have expected to see any because wounds take time before they begin bleeding; he said he believed Chris Sr. made it back inside the trailer before the bleeding began.
LIVE: Pike County murder trial: Testimony pivots to defense's case Thursday
Wilson showed him the ballistic evidence, revisiting photos the jury saw earlier in the trial of the outside of Chris Sr.'s home. In the multiple bullet holes found on the outside of the trailer, Wilson pointed out two were abnormal; Priest agreed and said the shape of the holes indicated the bullets had begun to tumble because they'd been disrupted by something. In his report, Priest said he thought that disruption was Chris Sr. himself; Wilson asked pointed out there was no blood spatter on the outside of the home.
Wilson asked whether something else could have caused that tumbling effect.
"What if the round had to punch through an oil filter?" he asked.
"Oh, absolutely," said Priest.
