TITUSVILLE, Fla. — Jurors in Brevard County saw photos of a bloody crime scene in the trial of Jeremiah Williams, who is accused of killing his wife in 2009.
Prosecutors said Williams, 41, shot and killed his wife, Yolanda Garvin-Williams, in the parking lot of Parrish Medical Center.
Prosecutors told jurors on Tuesday that Garvin-Williams told her husband she was leaving him and he wasn't going to let that happen. They said Williams went to the medical center, where his wife worked, and shot her seven times, including twice in the head.
The defense is trying to make a point that there was no physical evidence collected at the scene of the shooting that directly ties Williams to the killing.
Two crime scene technicians from the Titusville Police Department took the stand Wednesday morning, showing jurors gory photos of the crime scene.
Williams’ defense attorneys raised issues with the number of photos prosecutors wanted to show, claiming it was unnecessary and was unfairly prejudicial against his client.The judge, however, allowed most of the images to be shown.
“I don't like bloody pictures any more than anybody else,” said Judge Charles Roberts. “I think the state's entitled to present them, because they have different evidentiary value."
Williams’ defense attorneys questioned the crime scene technicians about why they didn't swab different spots of blood on the parking lot near where the victim was shot.
The defense also questioned whether some of the blood could have come from a scratch on the gunman during the struggle and wasn't collected or tested.
The crime scene techs, though, said the blood droplets appeared to be connected to the victim.
Defense attorney's questioned crime scene technicians about a partial print found on the victim's car, which wasn't analyzed further.
"I evaluated the print to see if it was of value or not of value," said crime scene tech Amanda Landers. "You felt it was not of value?" asked defense attorney Mark Lanning.
"Correct," Landers said.
Prosecutors said they have other evidence. The car he was driving when he was caught in Marion County, matches the car in the surveillance video. Also, prosecutors said they have phone calls made just before Williams was caught that prosecutors said were incriminating.
Williams is on trial for the second time and faces life in prison. The first trial ended with a hung jury.
Prosecutors said after Williams was arrested in Marion County following a high-speed chase, he yelled, "Go ahead and shoot me! I don't want to live!"
"He killed her because he could no longer control her. He told her he would kill her, and he did. Instead of letting Yolanda Garvin-Williams move on with her life, the defendant ended it," prosecutor Sue Garrett said.
In the first trial, his defense attorneys argued there wasn't enough evidence to convict Williams, and that no eyewitnesses got a good look at the suspect in the video from surveillance.
However, on Tuesday, the video, which was enhanced by space shuttle imagery technicians, was played for jurors during the trial.
The video shows someone approaching Garvin-Williams before her body was discovered.
It also shows coworkers at the hospital rushing to her aid.
A phlebotomist, who was parking nearby, told jurors she saw the gunman before he took off.
"We made direct eye contact and I just watched him and he watched me," she said.
However, the defense's attorney questioned her recollection, noting that initially she couldn't tell police whether a two or four-door car sped away.
WFTV
