Dan Talbot murder trial 27 Jan 2010: Wait a minute... How does that Soto casing wind up so precipitously poised on a bottle of Gatorade?

EVENING NEWS:
Not so much going on, really. Just Chief Reardon being grilled by Krupp on why he never wrote a report or took any notes in response to the things that Officer Soto was telling him about the suspects and the events. He also made issue of the fact that the Chief only recently changed his statement about who handed him Officer Talbot's gun. The Chief subsequently told me in the hallway "If they had asked me to write a report back then I would have done so... as I said, it was a hot crime scene at the time."

Prosecutor Zabin then elicited testimony from the Chief that his role as Chief is not to issues such reports but to monitor others, and to make sure that the State Police took over the investigation. That still leaves the issue of the fact that there wasn't much integrity at the crime scene in terms of accessibility. No one knows who entered or left the area and when, and I know Krupp is going to hammer that point in closing arguments tomorrow vis a vis the two 9mm casings that were found in plain view in an area that was arguable subject to prior line search.

Quote of the Day:

"I'm not the appointing authority. It was a different Mayor at the time, and I had to make a recipe but I didn't get to pick my ingredients."

.....In response to my question "How was it that Evan Franklin made it back to the force after he ran from a two-car accident and was expelled as a cadet?" I have it on information that it was because certain people aligned with Franklin and his fleeing cohort Todd Randall (read the comments) were contributors to the Mayor's campaign, so there was a quid pro quo thing going on.

MY SYNOPSIS: The case hinges on three key things, two specific and one general. Specifically there was credible testimony that a guy in the red sweatshirt -- who left and returned -- fired the first shot. Also I believe the only people to put the gun in Robert Iacoviello's hand were less-than-credible witnesses, one who even asked Krupp on X/E "Are you inferring that I read the paper and made up a story?" Interestingly, when watching that exchange on FOX I believe it was, they cut out the laughter from the Jury and the courtroom observers. Generally the Defense will carry the day with an Not Guilty Verdict if they can show that there were breaches in the standard of investigative care that were material to the investigation. If the Jury doesn't believe it, then the State will get a Guilty Verdict. In the hallway Chief Reardon stated to the Globe's Maria Cramer, "I think the evidence is overwhelming."

I'm sorry, but not to this observer it isn't. It could go either way but to me the Defense has a slight edge, particularly with the testimony from Paramedic Kraft. Vids to follow throughout the balance of the evening, including a most interesting proffer by Michael Racca, who told me in the elevator, "The thing is to me, you've got, what, 6 grown policemen there that night....."

LUNCHTIME SNACK:

That's a picture of Attorney Krupp before the tailgate of William Soto's pickup truck, where DNA was collected showing Soto positive on a Heineken, Franklin on a Miller Light, and Officer Talbot positive on a Snapple, a Bud Light and a Miller Light. Only one still camera in the courtroom is allowed, so I can take screen captures later or just rip them from the camera off the computer, whatever works. Anyway, earlier in testimony Soto said he had no idea how those empty beers got there.

I am somewhat relieved to discover that Michael Racca, life long friend of Derek Lodie, testify that it was Lodie who used the work "nigger" in response to the derogatory comments from the bleachers issued by Officer Talbot. "Fuck you crab-assed niggers" was the actual phrase as stated before the Grand Jury. I'm somewhat relieved because the actions of the officers on that night were bad enough without the added specter of racism.

As for Lodie, I don't know... and it's hard to know because LeAnn Kraft testified that Officer Soto straight up told her that it was the kid who passed through and returned who fired the gun. That kid would be Derek Lodie. Details, pictures and videos throughout the evening. NOTE: Kraft video is damaged on card and will not load to computer. Will have to play it through TV late night or first thing in the morning and capture it from a second camera.

Lastly, there was some interesting testimony on the line searches from Robert Murphy and State Trooper Edwards that indicated the search area extended all the way up to the parking lot, and was thorough.


MORNING MUSINGS:
Look closely. How does that Soto casing possibly land there? I ask the question in this Raw Footage Trial Video. Anybody who has shot a semi-automatic pistol has to look at that and say "whoa......." And the heat would have scored the face of that flimsy Gatorade bottle, shizzle. What a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Or is it more lies, the Same as it ever Was.