In opening statements Thursday afternoon, the prosecution sought to paint a gruesome picture of the torture death of Ian Maniske-Huff at the hands of the defendant. Baker said that the child was beaten from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, characterizing the alleged beating as overkill.
Drawing on medical examiners reports, he compared the injuries to a baby being in a high-speed car crash without wearing a seatbelt.
The defense however, said that investigators had hastily jumped to conclusions about their client.
They painted at target on him, and theyre forcing all their evidence to hit that target, accurately or inaccurately, they dont care. They decided that Dakota Miller was the doer here, to the exclusion of the other two, Codie (Baker the victims mother) and Louis (Baker Codie Bakers father). They wanted him more than they wanted to know what happened, Stahr said, summing up his opening statements.
The jury heard from four witnesses on day one of the trial, who largely set the stage for what happened at St. James Mercy Hospital on the night of the incident, and the questioning of persons of interest that followed.