[TESTIMONY]
[What appears below are excerpts of the testimony of the witnesses. These excerpts do not include, for example, the oath given to each witness, or certain testimony which the Court ruled inadmissible or irrelevant.]
[PROSECUTION WITNESS #1-Kelly Xiong]
[PROSECUTION EXAMINATION]
James: Ms. Xiong, do you recognize this knife?
Xiong: Yes. That is the knife that we found as a match to the one that killed Dallas Gaines.
James: How do you know that?
Xiong: The contour of the blade combined with blade length and width matches the laceration to Gaines's throat.
James: Just to be clear, this knife is exactly the same, not merely similar to the one used to murder Dallas Gaines.
Xiong: Yes, that's correct.
James: Did you find fingerprints on the knife?
Xiong: Yes. We found many, very clear, prints.
James: Did you find Jonathan Ludarac's prints?
Harker: Objection, leading.
J: Overruled.
Xiong: Yes, twelve-point matches on all five digits from AFIS*.
James: Is it safe to assume that Jonathan Ludarac held this knife at one or more times?
Xiong: Yes.
James: Did Jack Sitersin's remains yield any clear clues as to who may have killed him?
Xiong: His genitals were forced back into his body. Whoever did kill him did not think that ending his life was enough. The person who killed Sitersin was very angry.
James: As angry as a grieving father?
Harker: Objection, Your Honor.
J: Sustained. Watch yourself, Ms. James.
James: What killed Cullen Krast?
Xiong: The CSI department believes he died from complications associated with his injuries.
James: And what were his injuries?
Xiong: Krast's head, hands and feet had all been turned around. The crime scene photos clearly show that. We at the CSI office believe this caused cardiac arrest.
James: The pathologist with the FBI stated that the injuries sustained by Mr. Krast did not play an identifiable role in his death.
Xiong: I don't think anyone can look at Cullen Krast's remains and legitimately claim that his injuries played no part in his death.
James: So you believe that Barton Mueller is incorrect in his assertions?
Xiong: Not quite. Mueller pointed out that Krast's body had elevated levels of norepinephrine. It is a logical assumption that he made because that particular hormone does raise the heart rate during stressful situations, but norepinephrine is also a hormone associated with concentration. There is no way of knowing why the body released such large amounts of it. Mr. Mueller also admits to ignoring the injuries completely. I don't believe that his investigation can be considered thorough.
James: So you believe that someone twisted his head, hands and feet around and that is what killed Cullen Krast?
Xiong: Yes.
James: According to the report filed by the CSI office, there were over three hundred gallons of blood in Vincent Bates home. Is that correct?
Xiong: Yes.
James: And you ran DNA tests on all of it?
Xiong: We ran DNA tests on random samples taken from various locations within Vincent Bates's home. Some from each surface in each room was tested.
James: And what did you find?
Xiong: The only DNA match we found for any of the samples was Vincent Bates.
James: So is it your opinion that all the blood in the home belonged to Vincent Bates?
Xiong: Yes.
James: How much blood is in the human body?
Xiong: On average, blood accounts for about seven percent of our body weight, so in the case of Vincent Bates, a rough estimate would be about two gallons.
James: So how did over three hundred gallons of blood get into his home, and how would all of it match him?
Xiong: I don't know. If someone had been saving it for a while, maybe they could store that much, but they would have to have infrastructure set up to keep the blood preserved. All the blood we found appeared to be fresh.
James: In your professional opinion, Ms. Xiong, was Vincent Bates murdered?
Xiong: Not only do I think he was murdered, I think he was liquefied.
James: Nothing further, Your Honor.
[CROSS EXAMINATION]
Harker: Do you recognize this document, Ms. Xiong?
Xiong: Yes, it's my follow-up report on the autopsy of Dallas Gaines.
Harker: Can you read the highlighted segment?
Xiong: The deceased's throat was slit from left to right indicating that the attacker was right-handed.
Harker: Thank you. Here is Jack Sitersin's autopsy report. Can you read the highlighted segment for the court?
Xiong: The genitals were ripped away to the left indicating the attacker is most likely left-handed.
Harker: Now, in your professional opinion, were Dallas Gaines and Jack Sitersin killed by the same person?
Xiong: Based on that specific piece of evidence, no, but-
Harker: Can you tell the court exactly how Cullen Krast's injuries caused cardiac arrest?
Xiong: Extreme pain can cause the body to go into shock which elevates the heart rate and-
Harker: They go into shock? That sounds stressful. Would you describe the act of being attacked and going into shock as stressful, Ms. Xiong?
Xiong: Yes.
Harker: Would you say that if you were being attacked, you might be afraid?
Xiong: Yes.
Harker: And fear produces norepinephrine, correct?
Xiong: Yes.
Harker: And Barton Mueller, who you adamantly disagree with, said that the norepinephrine was, in fact, produced by fear, correct?
Xiong: Yes, but-
Harker: So would it be a safe assumption, in your professional opinion, that you do, in fact, agree with Barton Mueller, but are simply not as well informed about your own opinions?
James: Objection, badgering the witness.
J: Sustained.
Harker: Did you find any fingerprints in Mr. Krast's apartment?
Xiong: Yes.
Harker: And whose were they?
Xiong: Lucy Ludarac.
Harker: When did Lucy Ludarac die, Ms. Xiong?
Xiong: November third, 2011.
Harker: Can you explain why her prints were in Cullen Krast's apartment?
Xiong: No.
Harker: Did you perhaps also find the fingerprints of, oh let's say, Elvis?
James: Your Honor.
J: If you are out of real questions to ask the witness, Mr. Harker, I will end your examination.
Harker: You said that Vincent Bates was liquefied. Did you check the blender at the Bates household for any recent heavy use?
James: Objection, relevance.
Harker: The witness stated that she believes the victim was liquefied. With all due respect, Your Honor, if I were to liquefy someone, I would use a blender, and I certainly wouldn't use my own blender. That would just be asking for trouble. I would use the blender of the victim. They aren't going to use it anytime soon.
J: There's no need to be cute, Mr. Harker. The objection is overruled. Answer the question, Ms. Xiong.
Xiong: No, we didn't check the blender.
Harker: Well, it sounds like there have been some mistakes made during this investigation. Are there any others we should know about?
James: Objection.
J: Sustained. Move on, Mr. Harker.
Harker: Nothing further.
*Automated Fingerprint Identification System.