The Color of Law_ A Novel - Mark Gimenez [126]
“Did you conduct a luminol test to locate blood elsewhere in the room?”
“Yes, sir, we did.”
“And did you find blood elsewhere?”
“No, sir.”
“So the victim died where he was found?”
“Yes, sir. The body had not been moved.”
“Did you immediately run a check on the fingerprints?”
“Yes, sir, we did that in Dallas.”
“And did you get a match?”
“Yes, sir. The fingerprints on one of the drinking glasses and the pistol belonged to the defendant.”
“Shawanda Jones?”
“Yes, sir.”
“What did you do then?”
“We obtained an arrest warrant for Shawanda Jones.”
“Did you make the arrest?”
“No, sir. I sent Agent Edwards.”
“What did you do next?”
“I called next of kin.”
“Senator McCall?”
“Yes, sir. I informed the senator that his son had been murdered in their residence.”
“And what did Senator McCall say?”
“He asked how his son had been killed.”
“And did you tell him?”
“Yes, sir.”
“All right. Back to the crime scene, Agent Owen. Were photographs taken of the crime scene?”
“Yes, sir.”
Ray Burns stepped over to Scott and handed him the four photographs he would show the jury. The crime scene photos had been the subject of heated pretrial arguments over their prejudicial effect on the jury. Burns wanted to introduce two dozen photos, but the judge had approved only these four, one of which was particularly graphic. Scott handed the photos to Karen, who was sitting next to him. She inhaled sharply. He forgot she hadn’t seen the photos. Which reminded Scott; he twisted in his chair, caught the girls’ attention, and gestured that it was time for them to lower their eyes. He knew the photos were coming and had discussed it with them on the drive over that morning. He told them to stare down at their feet until the photo show was over.
“Agent Owen, would you look at your computer screen and identify the photo being displayed to the jury on the overhead screen?”
Agent Owen turned in the witness chair to view the computer screen. Scott kept an eye on the jury box.
“This is the view of the crime scene from the bedroom door, as I first observed the scene. The bed is directly in front of the door, the bathroom over to the right, and the body over to the left. Only the victim’s legs are visible in this photo.”
“This is an accurate representation of the crime scene?”
“Yes, sir, it is.”
The next photo came up on the overhead screen.
“Agent Owen, can you identify this photo?”
“This is a close shot of the bed, evidencing that it had recently been, uh, occupied.”
“And is this an accurate representation of what you saw?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And this photo?”
“The bathroom, and it is accurate.”
“And finally, this photo.”
A collective gasp went up in the courtroom. In the jury box, the two housewives averted their eyes, the bartender grimaced, and the car salesman stared. Ray Burns had displayed his climactic photo, a close-up of Clark McCall’s body, his eyes open and vacant, a hole in his forehead, his head in a pool of blood.
“This is a close shot of the victim’s body. He was naked, no wounds evident except about the head. There is apparent swelling around the right eye, some scratch marks on the face, and the entry wound in the left forehead.”
Scott turned to the girls. They were staring down at their feet as instructed, but Pajamae’s hat brim rose slightly; she was peeking. Scott snapped his fingers at her; she looked at him. Her expression said it was too late. She had seen the photo.
Ray allowed the gruesome image to sink into the jurors’ minds before saying, “No more questions.”
For the next thirty minutes, Bobby cross-examined Agent Owen about the toxicology reports, which showed alcohol and cocaine in Clark McCall’s blood, so that the jurors would leave the courtroom that day with something on their mind other than the crime scene photos. After he passed the witness, Judge Buford adjourned for the day. Scott, Bobby, Karen, and the girls returned home; Senator McCall held a press conference on the courthouse steps. The senator spoke