Okay - found a tweeter....
From Monday, May 20th - Day 1
Andrew Freeman
@AFreemanNews
May 20
Opening statements begin in the trial of Timothy Dean this morning. He is being tried for the double homicide of Joshua Niles and Amber Washburn last October in Sodus. I’ll be in the courtroom, so follow me and @SPECNewsROC for the latest.
His wife Charlene Childers accepted a plea deal last month for her role in the alleged homicides; reducing her charges from second-degree murder to first-degree manslaughter. Before then, she was going to be tried jointly with him.
Sunray, TX man Bron Bolhar was a third suspect who worked with Dean at the police department there. He also pleaded guilty earlier this year, to second-degree conspiracy for renting the car Dean used to get to Sodus from Texas.
Opening statements expected this morning in the murder trial of Timothy Dean, the former Texas police chief accused in the shooting deaths of two people in Sodus last October. Backstory here: #ROC
Dean has entered the courtroom with his lawyer. Family for both victims are present in the gallery.
The 16 jurors have been seated
Opening statements have begun.
Prosecution says they will prove to the jury how Dean conspired with Childers and Bohlar in Texas to kill Josh Niles, rented two cars to carry out the crime and drove to Sodus to kill Niles and Amber Washburn, who was there as a witness “that couldn’t survive.”
Defense has opted to give an opening statement. He says prosecution has the burden of proof- which he asks jury to hold to, “setting aside any sympathy.” He asks them to instead “just listen to the evidence.”
Defense continues by saying they can agree w/ state that Childers has a “tumultuous” relationship with Niles. But asks jury to remember and be cautious of “motivations” of Childers and other witnesses when they testify- referring to plea deals made.
The person responsible for those two murders is not in this courtroom today.” - Defense
First witness has been called. Sergeant Matt Carr [sic] w/ the Wayne County Sheriff Department.
Carr was the first on scene. He describes finding a woman slumped over the wheel of her car, with a gunshot wound to the head. An infant in the backseat.
The vehicle had rolled out of the driveway, and struck another. A photo shows this scene.
Family is emotional, seeing a graphic image of Amber Washburn taken at the scene.
Carr is now describing the scene of a photo shown, with victim Josh Niles deceased under a truck. He says they were able to identify casings as a 9mm, and began searching the area for a suspect.
*began searching the area with a canine
Carr says the dog found a black ski mask, while searching the area.
Now a neighbor is testifying. She says she heard shots from inside her home, saw Niles grab his chest, and Washburn reversing her car. She says she watched Washburn get shot. Her testimony is emotional
She described the suspect as someone wearing a dark hoodie, and says she saw his face when he shot into the car. She identified Dean in the courtroom as that face.
Defense is now questioning the neighbor. She admits that in her sworn statement that night, she told police she never saw the shooter’s face. The defense also asks how much attention she gave to the shooter, diving on top of her nearby child at the time of the shooting.
The prosecution and defense just finished with another witness, the neighbor who called 911.
Now another neighbor has taken the stand. She says she was leaving her home October 22nd, when she let a man in a dark hoodie walk past her car.
She admits to the defense, however, that she couldn’t make out anything about him other than his build
Prosecution calls another neighbor who was taking a walk. He also describes seeing an unfamiliar person in a dark hoodie standing on the corner before the murders happened
He admits to the defense that in his statement to police, he mentions seeing two different people that day in hoodies, before the time of the crime. One shorter than the other.
Another neighbor now, one who talked to @SPECNewsROC back in October after witnessing the murders.
He says he was coming home from work around 2p and was bringing in coffee, when he heard the shooting. He was right across the street. He saw a hooded man standing over Niles and shooting him.
He says he also saw the shooter shooting into Washburn’s car, before returning more fire to the downed Niles.
He says he saw the suspect flee between two house garages. He then went to the car that had rolled out from the driveway, where a young last was deceased. He says a child was in the backseat.
The neighbor tells the defense he couldn’t see the face of the shooter, or make out any features. He had told police he was either wearing black gloves or was African American.
The judge is breaking for lunch until after 1:30p
link:
Andrew Freeman (@AFreemanNews) | Twitter
KFDA NewsChannel10 @NewsChannel10
