ND - Several bodies found at Mandan business, 1 April 2019 *Arrest* #2

[Niner]

Tuesday, August 10th:
*Trial continues (Day 5) (@ 8:30am CT) – ND – Lois Ann Cobbs (45), employee; William Dee “Bill” Cobbs, Jr. (50), employee; Adam Fuehrer (42), employee; Robert John Fakler (52) co-owner (April 1, 2019, at RJR Maint. & Mgmt business, Mandan) - *Chad Trolon Isaak (44/now 47) arrested (4/4/19), charged (4/5/19) & arraigned (5/9/19) with 4 counts of murder (Felony AA), 1 count of burglary (Felony B), 1 count of concealment within a vehicle (Felony C) & 1 count of unauthorized use of vehicle (misdemeanor A). Plead not guilty. $1M Cash only bond.
Trial began on 8/2/21 with jury selection & ended 8/3/21 & trial began on 8/4/21. (8/2/21 to 8/6 & 8/9 to 8/13 & 8/16 to 8/20/21). 12 jurors & 2 alternates. 6 men & 6 women make up the jury with 1 man & 1 woman serving as alternates. Judge David Reich does not intend to sequester jurors.
Court info from 4/5/19 thru 7/16/21 & Jury selection (Day 1-2) 8/2/21-8/3/21 & Trial (Day 1-3) 8/4/21-8/6/21 reference post #557 here:
ND - Several bodies found at Mandan business, 1 April 2019 *Arrest* #2
8/9/21 Monday, Trial Day 4: Discussion among attorneys and the judge related to photos that will be admitted into evidence today.
State witnesses: Dr. William Massello III, the former North Dakota Medical Examiner. Direct examination by prosecuting attorney Karlie Neufeld. Dr. Massello performed the autopsies on the four victims. Cross-examination of Dr. William Massello III by defense attorney Bruce Quick. Re-direct by prosecuting attorney Karlei Neufeld. Brent Wilmeth, Mandan Police Department Sergeant. Responded to the RJR crime scene on April 1, 2019. Was one of the people who had to be on hand for the autopsies of the four victims. Cross-examination by defense attorney Luke Heck. Re-direct by Karlie Neufeld. Testified there were hundreds of tips in the case, all followed up. Re-cross-examination by defense attorney Luke Heck. Bureau of Criminal Investigation special agent Joe Arenz. Arenz previously testified on August 5. Testifies to what information investigators hope to learn from an autopsy. Said they were looking for a knife & a handgun both before & after the autopsies. Cross-examination by defense attorney Bruce Quick. Re-direct by prosecuting attorney Karlie Neufeld. Angela Davis, Mandan McDonald’s employee. Direct examination by prosecuting attorney Gabrielle Joy Goter. Cross-examination by defense attorney Luke Heck. Re-direct by Gabrielle Joy Goter. Derek Bernier, Williams County Sheriff’s Office detective. He is trained in video forensics. His primary assignment was to extract data from a DVR surveillance system at the RJR Maintenance & Management building. Reviewed surveillance video from McDonald’s. Reviewed other businesses that had surveillance video following the white pick-up truck. Testified he believes they successfully tracked the suspect vehicle through the surveillance videos. Cross-examination by defense attorney Jesse Walstad. Re-direct by prosecuting attorney Gabrielle Joy Goter. Trial continues on 8/10/21.

 

[Seattle1]

Hmm so surveillance at RJR shows suspect in an ORANGE coat, ORANGE mask, and “shoes” while the McDonalds witness places the man she saw in a BLACK coat, BROWN camo mask, and boots. So did he change in that 40 secs behind the trees? If so, I’d have expected the video analyst to point out seeing the suspect entering the trees in outfit A and leaving in outfit B. It makes sense he’d change given the amount of blood that must be on him, yet no one is specifically stating the how/when. Also, if he left at 7:03, why still around at 7:30? Waiting on another victim? Watching to see how the scene plays out and spooked by sirens?

Yes, this was first being reported as some slick dude that intentionally changed his clothes -- entered wearing one outfit and left wearing something else to disguise himself -- carried the change in a bundle like a football. I'm hoping to learn these clothes accounted for in his washing machine, storage, or similar! I'm still waiting for the big pieces to drop and hope day 5 will finally take my breath away.

 

[Gardenista]

Yes, this was first being reported as some slick dude that intentionally changed his clothes -- entered wearing one outfit and left wearing something else to disguise himself -- carried the change in a bundle like a football. I'm hoping to learn these clothes accounted for in his washing machine, storage, or similar! I'm still waiting for the big pieces to drop and hope day 5 will finally take my breath away.

The knife with a damaged tip and all of the clothing was found in his home smelling like bleach. Orange fleece, reversible mask, dark clothing etc... It was in the arrest warrant.

 

[meanmaryjean]

Yes, this was first being reported as some slick dude that intentionally changed his clothes -- entered wearing one outfit and left wearing something else to disguise himself -- carried the change in a bundle like a football. I'm hoping to learn these clothes accounted for in his washing machine, storage, or similar! I'm still waiting for the big pieces to drop and hope day 5 will finally take my breath away.

The only thing I really want from this trial is WHY

 

[Seattle1]

The knife with a damaged tip and all of the clothing was found in his home smelling like bleach. Orange fleece, reversible mask, dark clothing etc... It was in the arrest warrant.

Thanks, @ Garenista. I recall the same -- but it's still not been presented at the trial!

 

[Terrib11]

I've been listening a good part of the day and it has all been entering items into evidence. Going over every detail of video footage, how the various photos were chosen and enhanced, etc. Yaaaaaawnnnn.

 

[Colorado303]

Thanks, @ Garenista. I recall the same -- but it's still not been presented at the trial!

Am I remembering correctly that the defense was arguing pre-trial that the items collected from the washing machine should be excluded as evidence? If so, do we know if the court ruled that evidence could be used at trial?

 

[ForensicToxicologist]

Am I remembering correctly that the defense was arguing pre-trial that the items collected from the washing machine should be excluded as evidence? If so, do we know if the court ruled that evidence could be used at trial?

10:34 a.m.: Attorney Quick says clothing taken from Chad Isaak’s residence did not match photos of clothing in photos and videos at the crime scene. No DNA evidence was found on the clothing. Says other people were walking on Memorial Highway around the time of the crime as were other white trucks. Quick also says investigators ignored other bits of evidence from around the crime scene. Says police ignored other potential suspects as well. Says given all this, Chad Isaak must be found not guilty.

10:21 a.m.: Attorney Quick notes no motive has been established. Interviews with RJR employees suggest few, if anyone, had heard of Chad Isaak or knew of him. Quick says analysis of DNA evidence from the crime scene excludes Chad Isaak. Says no DNA of Chad Isaak was found in samples taken from the victims. Says multiple weapons and ammunition seized from Isaak. Says evidence suggests testing could not show that any of the bullets at the scene matched any weapons seized from Isaak’s residence. Further, analysis suggests bullets fired at the scene could have come from any one of numerous types of weapons. Says authorities could not determine which, if any, of the shoe impressions at the crime scene came from the suspect.

10:05 a.m.: Attorney Quick suggests searches of Chad Isaak’s vehicle, home and business involved investigators not wearing protective coverings or gloves. Suggests investigators fell victim to “confirmation bias,” that is, ignoring other relevant information that might be contrary to the information that supports a particular view and only looking for information that reinforces their view.

Defendant Chad Isaak
9:55 a.m.: Attorney Quick notes how several suspects were identified by RJR employees, “disgruntled tenants” who at one time or another had made threats to employees. Other suspects outside RJR tenants were also identified. Says 3,325 white F-150 trucks 2004-2008 registered in ND with the ND Highway Department, with over 300 in several counties in western North Dakota. Says investigators did not check these out to identify owners and, thus, possible suspects.

9:40 a.m.: Attorney Quick says there are gaps in the surveillance videos from businesses along Memorial Highway of the white Ford truck supposedly involved in the crime, meaning it is not an uninterrupted linear video narrative, but one with gaps of several minutes and hours. Also says the description of the suspect varies in height and attire.

I vaguely remember hearing something along those lines (I’ve followed since the day it happened). Evidence improperly seized or similar. Also, in opening statements I believe defense stated that no clothing items matching the description were found? Yet I remember early on what Gardenista said about clothing that had been bleached being located in the laundry. Perhaps defense saying “nothing found” because evidence was ruled against? I think they found their guy, but I’m waiting for the shoe to drop in the trial. Without prior knowledge of the case I’d be very confused. Come on prosecution, you’ve got this!

ETA: I found the post I was thinking of re opening statements and evidence and wanted to add as reference

 

[Niner]

Wednesday, August 11th:
*Trial continues (Day 6) (@ 8:30am CT) – ND – Lois Ann Cobbs (45), employee; William Dee “Bill” Cobbs, Jr. (50), employee; Adam Fuehrer (42), employee; Robert John Fakler (52) co-owner (April 1, 2019, at RJR Maint. & Mgmt business, Mandan) - *Chad Trolon Isaak (44/now 47) arrested (4/4/19), charged (4/5/19) & arraigned (5/9/19) with 4 counts of murder (Felony AA), 1 count of burglary (Felony B), 1 count of concealment within a vehicle (Felony C) & 1 count of unauthorized use of vehicle (misdemeanor A). Plead not guilty. $1M Cash only bond.
Trial began on 8/2/21 with jury selection & ended 8/3/21 & trial began on 8/4/21. (8/2/21 to 8/6 & 8/9 to 8/13 & 8/16 to 8/20/21). 12 jurors & 2 alternates. 6 men & 6 women make up the jury with 1 man & 1 woman serving as alternates. Judge David Reich does not intend to sequester jurors.
Court info from 4/5/19 thru 7/16/21 & Jury selection (Day 1-2) 8/2/21-8/3/21 & Trial (Day 1-4) 8/4/21-8/9/21 reference post #565 here:
ND - Several bodies found at Mandan business, 1 April 2019 *Arrest* #2
8/10/21 Tuesday, Trial Day 5: State witnesses: Brittany Price, River Age employee at Washburn, ND. Provided the video to police. Direct examination by prosecuting attorney Gabrielle Joy Goter. Cross-examination by defense attorney Jesse Walstad. Ben Zachmeier, former Big O Tires co-owner, Mandan. Provided the video to police. Cross-examination by defense attorney Jesse Walstad. Re-direct by Gabrielle Joy Goter. Travis Barth, Bill Barth Ford, Mandan. Was asked for business surveillance footage. Cross-examination by defense attorney Jesse Walstad. Darin Helbling, manager of Midway Lanes, Mandan. Asked on April 1, 2019 to provide any surveillance video from Midway Lanes cameras. Cross-examination by defense attorney Jesse Walstad. Andrew Nikola, former Schmidt Auto Sales employee, Mandan. Schmidt Auto Sales was asked to provide any surveillance video of April 1, 2019. Cross-examination by defense attorney Jesse Walstad. And re-direct. Re-cross-examination. Terry Barnes, owner of Ron Lowman Motors, Mandan (now Barnes Auto Sales). On April 1, 2019, provided law enforcement with surveillance video from April 1, 2019 & later, March 25, 2019. Says the cameras run 24 hours. Cross-examination by defense attorney Jesse Walstad. Chris Isaak, Railway Credit Union, Mandan. Chris Isaak is not related to the defendant, Chad Isaak. The business was asked to provide surveillance video from the early morning hours of April 1, 2019. Says the business cameras are high definition color cameras & record 24 hours a day. Cross-examination by defense attorney Jesse Walstad. Re-direct by prosecuting attorney Gabrielle Joy Goter. Jodi Jangula, former manager of Tri-Energy Cenex on Main Street, Mandan. Says the business provided surveillance video from the morning of April 1, 2019. Cross-examination by defense attorney Jerry Walstad. Bobbi Clarke, Freeway 147 Flying J truck stop west of Mandan on I-94. The business can also be accessed by Old Highway 10. Says the business was asked by law enforcement to provide surveillance video from the morning of April 1, 2019. Cross-examination by defense attorney Jerry Walstad. JD William Bubel, vice-president & CIO at Security First Bank in Center, ND. Located outside Highway 25. The business was asked to provide surveillance video from the morning of April 1, 2019. The bank has 12 security cameras. They are always on. Cross-examination by defense attorney Jesse Walstad. Re-direct by Gabrielle Joy Goter. David Mees, owner of Heart River Storage in Mandan, ND. One of his storage units is located southwest of McDonald’s and another is near Bill Barth Ford. Says he was asked to provide surveillance videos from the two units for April 1, 2019 & March 25, 2019. Says the cameras are in color & are always on. Tyler Henry, North Dakota Patrol & Probation officer. Worked for the Mandan Police Dept on April 1, 2019. Helped with the investigation of the RJR killings on April 1, 2019. Henry assisted with searching, a “canvas search,” of Memorial Highway to look for potential evidence. Says nothing was recovered in that search. Says he did follow-up interviews with former tenants, witnesses. One of Henry’s tasks was to review surveillance videos provided to law enforcement. Estimates he reviewed 23 different business videos provided. Cross-examination by defense attorney Luke Heck. Re-direct by prosecuting attorney Gabrielle Joy Goter. Ben Nordsven, Tri-Energy Cenex systems administrator. Says he provided surveillance video from the Mandan Cenex from April 1, 2019 and March 25, 2019 to law enforcement. Alex Droske, Bureau of Criminal Investigation special agent. Droske previously testified on August 5. Says his job was to cut down, or “crop,” the length of the videos to the relevant portions.
Judge David Reich recesses the trial for the day. The trial will resume Wednesday morning, 8/11/21 at 8:30 a.m.

 

[Niner]

I guess @Seattle1 is busy today - I'll go ahead & post the article on what happened yesterday.
You have to read from the bottom up....


8:39 a.m.: Witness called — Ben Zachmeier, former Big O Tires co-owner, Mandan. On April 1, 2019, was asked by police to review the business’ surveillance cameras to see if anyone was in the area at the time of the killings. Videos are always in color, day or night. Testifies he reviewed the video and saw a truck come down Memorial Highway, go into the McDonald’s parking lot and saw an individual dressed in all black and wearing a face mask get out of the truck and that person walked toward the Big O Tires parking lot and headed toward the back of the property line and head east. Says it was about 5:30 a.m. Later, about an hour later, saw the person come back along the property line going west and back to the McDonald’s parking lot and the truck. testifies he arrived for work each day at 6:15 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. Recalls the truck being a white Ford F-150, early 2000s model. Says provided the video to police.
Says it seemed odd the individual walked over a snowpile rather than walk around the dry pavement next to the pile. Says it appeared it was someone who had walked the route before. Reviewed earlier surveillance and one week earlier, on March 25, saw on the Big O surveillance video the same or very similar truck pull into the McDonald’s parking lot and park in the same spot at nearly the same time as on April 1, 2019. Says the person was wearing the same black pants, black bomber jacket and face mask. Says the person got out and walked down the strip. Later, the person walked back in nearly the same manner as on April 1, 2019. Says, overall, the person’s movements and actions were very similar to what he saw of the person on April 1, 2019.

Says after the person sat at the truck a little bit, then drove east on Memorial Highway down to Ron Lowman Motors, turned around in that business’ parking lot, got back onto Memorial Highway and drove west.

8:37 a.m.: Cross-examination by defense attorney Jesse Walstad. Testifies she estimates the distance between the Highway 200 and the store is about a full football field. The camera is set to observe the parking lot

8:33 a.m.: Witness called — Brittany Price, River Age employee at Washburn, ND. Direct examination by prosecuting attorney Gabrielle Joy Goter. Testifies her business was asked for their surveillance video on April 1, 2019. The video captured the road in front of the business parking lot facing Highway 200. She has watched the video.

8:32 a.m.: The trial of Chad Isaak has resumed, Judge David Reich presiding.

8:00 a.m.: Day 5 of testimony in the Chad Isaak trial, Day 7 in the trial overall, is expected to start at 8:30 a.m. The trial started Monday, August 2. Jury selection took two days. Testimony began August 4.

 

[Niner]

Sorry - can't get the bold to go away....

9:34 a.m.: Re-cross-examination. Nikola says any kind of motion could trigger the cameras to record. Says doesn’t know if the gap was caused by an absence of motion or not.

9:33 a.m.: Re-direct. Nikola says the system starts when it detects motion. Says that could explain the 40-second gap.

9:30 a.m.: Cross-examination by defense attorney Jesse Walstad. Nikola says he did not personally provide the video to law enforcement. Says he has never removed video from the surveillance system. Walstad plays video from Schmidt Auto Sales surveillance camera from 7:05 a.m. April 1, 2019 and notes there is about a 40-second gap in the video.


9:23 a.m.: Witness called — Andrew Nikola, former Schmidt Auto Sales employee, Mandan. Schmidt Auto Sales was asked to provide any surveillance video of April 1, 2019. Nikola recalls the video was in black and white. Believes the time of day was early morning. Says the video was motion-activated, meaning the cameras start recording when there is movement detected. Says there was no gap in the particular video provided to law enforcement.

9:21 a.m.: Cross-examination by defense attorney Jesse Walstad. Asked for video from about 6:30 a.m. on, any video showing an individual walking to and from RJR. Testifies saw one person walking through Midway Lanes parking lot to and from RJR.

9:16 a.m.: Witness called – Darin Helbling, manager of Midway Lanes, Mandan. Asked on April 1, 2019 to provide any surveillance video from Midway Lanes cameras. Cameras face Memorial Highway and face the RJR building. Says was asked for video from 6:30 a.m. on through the day of April 1, 2019. Midway Lanes cameras are in color.

9:14 a.m.: Cross-examination by defense attorney Jesse Walstad. Says he honestly can’t remember what dates and times he provided to police. Says Bill Barh’s surveillance cameras cover most of the exterior of the lot.

9:06 a.m.: Witness called — Travis Barth, Bill Barth Ford, Mandan. Says the front of the business faces Memorial Highway. A few days after the April 1 RJR killings, was asked for business surveillance footage. Says he believes he was asked for video from April 1 and a few days earlier, but couldn’t remember the specific dates requested by police. Says he provided “hours and hours” of surveillance footage.

9:04 a.m.: Re-direct by Gabrielle Joy Goter. Zachmeier testifies April 1 was a nice day. Didn’t see snow on the vehicles in the April 1, 2019 video he reviewed. In the March 25, 2019 video, could see the person more clearly as he walked to the Big O parking lot.

9:00 a.m.: Cross-examination by defense attorney Jesse Walstad. Says police told him to look at the business’ surveillance video from the early morning of April 1, 2019. Testifies the distance between the Big O camera and McDonald’s was about 300 yards. Testifies he knew the person leaving McDonald’s and returning two hours later on March 25 was the same person by the solid black clothing that person was wearing. Could not make out any other detail of the individual.

 

[Niner]

10:34 a.m.: Cross-examination by defense attorney Jerry Walstad. Jangula testifies the camera was focused on the gas pumps and store and not on Main Street surveillance. Doesn’t recall if there are obstructions in the video to the view of Main Street, such as the gas pumps or road construction signage.

10:24 a.m.: Witness called — Jodi Jangula, former manager of Tri-Energy Cenex on Main Street, Mandan. Says the business provided surveillance video from the morning of April 1, 2019. Testifies the video is in color and runs about 5 minutes. The camera view shows the front of Cenex and facing Main Street. Some question as to whether the video contains footage from April 1 and March 25.

10:21 a.m.: The Chad Isaak trial has resumed, Judge David Reich presiding. Addresses some trial housekeeping matters.

9:59 a.m.: Judge David Reich calls a morning recess for 20 minutes. The trial will resume at 10:20 a.m.

9:57 a.m.: Re-direct by prosecuting attorney Gabrielle Joy Goter. Isaak says he drives a white Cadillac. Says he can identify his car by distinguishing characteristics. Says he wasn’t asked by defense attorney Walstad to count white trucks with specific characteristics, just to count any “white trucks.” He counted trucks with and without toppers, two-doors, four-doors, trucks traveling east and west on Main Street and others.

9:46 a.m.: Cross-examination by defense attorney Jesse Walstad. Isaak testifies he watched the video about three weeks ago. Testifies the video is about 8 minutes. Walstad plays the video for Isaak and asks him to count how many white trucks pass by in the video during those 8 minutes. After watching the video, Issak says he counted 24 white trucks pass by.

9:41 a.m.: Witness called — Chris Isaak, Railway Credit Union, Mandan. Chris Isaak is not related to the defendant, Chad Isaak. The credit union main entrance faces Main Street on Mandan. Located next to the Mandan Dairy Queen. The business was asked to provide surveillance video from the early morning hours of April 1, 2019. Isaak says he downloaded the video and provided it to law enforcement. Says the business cameras are high definition color cameras and record 24 hours a day.

9:40 a.m.: Cross-examination by defense attorney Jesse Walstad. Barnes says raw video was provided to law enforcement.

9:35 a.m.: Witness called — Terry Barnes, owner of Ron Lowman Motors, Mandan (now Barnes Auto Sales). On April 1, 2019, rovided law enforcement with surveillance video from April 1, 2019 and, later, March 25, 2019. Says the cameras run 24 hours.

 

[Niner]

11:01 a.m.: Judge David Reich allows the jury to take a short “stretch break;” that is, to simply stand up for a minute and stretch.

10:54 a.m.: Witness called — David Mees, owner of Heart River Storage in Mandan, ND. One of his storage units is located southwest of McDonald’s and another is near Bill Barth Ford. Says he was asked to provide surveillance videos from the two units for April 1, 2019 and March 25, 2019. Says the cameras are in color and are always on. The main focus by law enforcement was on the video from the location near McDonald’s.

10:53 a.m.: Re-direct by Gabrielle Joy Goter. Bubel says the road to Hensler could also go to Washburn.

10:51 a.m.: Cross-examination by defense attorney Jesse Walstad. Bubel testifies the video is synced with world time. The timestamps are based on world time. Says there are numerous roads that branch off between Highway 48 and Highway 200. Roads go not only to Washburn but to Stanon, Hazen, Beulah and other communities.

10:45 a.m.: Witness called — JD William Bubel, vice-president and CIO at Security First Bank in Center, ND. Located outside Highway 25. The business was asked to provide surveillance video from the morning of April 1, 2019. The bank has 12 security cameras. They are always on. Some of the cameras face Main Street, another faces Highway 48. The Highway 48 camera video is what was provided to law enforcement. Says the video shows a white truck passing by the bank.

10:43 a.m.: Cross-examination by defense attorney Jerry Walstad. Clarke testifies that some of the cameras scan and some don’t move. Cameras cover all around the business because people and activities take place all around. Says Old Highway 10 is about 300 yards from the business building.

10:36 a.m.: Witness called — Bobbi Clarke, Freeway 147 Flying J truck stop west of Mandan on I-94. The business can also be accessed by Old Highway 10. Says the business was asked by law enforcement to provide surveillance video from the morning of April 1, 2019. Flying J’s surveillance cameras show the business’ parking lots and the highway that goes by the business. The video is in color and the cameras are on 24 hours a day. Some of the cameras automatically pan side to side to provide a complete view of the business’ large parking lot.

 

[Niner]

2:07 p.m.: Witness called — Ben Nordsven, Tri-Energy Cenex systems administrator. Says he provided surveillance video from the Mandan Cenex from April 1, 2019 and March 25, 2019 to law enforcement.

1:58 p.m.: Re-direct by prosecuting attorney Gabrielle Joy Goter. Henry says it’s not accurate that the person in the April 1, 2019 and March 25, 2019 videos is not the same person. Says the person’s movements and walk and other elements were similar.

Henry says the timeline notes points of interest related to the investigation and is not a record of the full start and end times of particular videos. The timeline notes at what time images of the suspect and the suspected vehicle appear. If the video continued on with nothing related to the investigation, those times were not on the timeline.

Henry says he does include in the affidavit the suspect is wearing orange-colored clothing and that he specifically mentioned to the judge the suspect was also seen wearing dark-colored clothing.

In the affidavit, there was a comparison between Chad Isaak’s height on his driver’s license, 6′ 1″, and a height determined from the surveillance videos of the subject.

Says videos from businesses that did not have any evidence were not included on the April 1, 2019 and March 25, 2019 linear timelines. They were not included because there was no relevance to the investigation

1:57 p.m.: Cross-examination of Tyler Henry by defense attorney Luke Heck continues. Henry says a number of former RJR tenant interviews occurred in August and October 2019.

1:56 p.m.: Judge David Reich calls for a one-minute stretch break.

1:18 p.m.: Cross-examination of Tyler Henry, North Dakota Patrol and Probation officer by defense attorney Luke Heck. Henry put together the linear timelines and maps tracking the movement of the suspect and route of the suspected white Ford F-150 pick-up truck using surveillance videos provided by businesses from Mandan to Washburn.

Witness Tyler Henry

Defense attorney Luke Heck
Henry says the first time the suspect is seen walking is about 5:22 a.m. on April 1, 2019. Says there is a 15-minute break in the timeline between some images in the timeline. Heck notes the time discrepancies between the video timestamps and the world time. Also points to time gaps between portions of the linear timeline. Henry testifies other people were in the area in the videos reviewed, but none matched the description of the suspect.

Attorney Heck points out other gaps in the linear timeline related to the white truck, noting there’s a 58-minute gap in the timeline at one point and other lengthy gaps in the timeline.

Reiterates he believes the person in the March 25 and April 1 videos is the same person. Heck asks, “What if you’re wrong?” Henry responds, “I believe it is the same person.”

Attorney Heck notes, in the timeline, there are four businesses in a row that did not have surveillance cameras. Henry says that is true. Heck then says that means there is not a continuous record of the suspect’s movements. Henry says, “Yes.”

Henry applied for search warrant affidavits of Chad Isaak’s person, residence and truck. Helped prepare four search warrant affidavits.

Heck asks if Henry failed to state in the affidavit requests that the person seen in the McDonald’s parking lot and on the videos of the person entering RJR was wearing different clothing. Henry replies that the affidavit request was based on the description provided.

Says he did not put in the search warrant affidavits that there were gaps in the linear timeline or that there were other people in the area of RJR on April 1, 2019. Henry says the facts relevant to the investigation were put in the search warrant affidavit requests.

Henry says he collected a number of videos from area businesses for March 25, 2019 and April 1, 2019. A number of the businesses where videos were collected were not included in the linear timeline.

Received the results of a search warrant for Chad Isaak’s cellphone records. Helps to identify location and incoming and outgoing calls. Says he did not review the results of that search warrant.

1:16 p.m.: The Chad Isaak trial is backing session, Judge David Reich presiding.

 

[Niner]

Tuesday, August 10

4:25 p.m.: Judge David Reich recesses the trial for the day. The trial will resume Wednesday morning, August 11 at 8:30 a.m.

4:12 p.m.: Direct examination of Alex Droske continues. (Prosecuting attorney Gabrielle Joy Goter continues to introduce exhibits into evidence featuring work-up videos, stills from videos and side-by-side comparison images worked on and created by Alex Droske).

Droske says his purpose in amassing all the component pieces was to make it easier for the jury to consider the evidence and comparisons of evidence.

Droske says the easiest way to present all the photo and video evidence to the jury was to compile it all into a PowerPoint presentation. He also printed out physical copies of all the slides used in the presentations.

4:11 p.m.: Judge David Reich calls for another stretch break for one minute.

3:44 p.m.: Continuation of direct examination of Alex Droske. (Prosecuting attorney Gabrielle Joy Goter continues to introduce exhibits into evidence featuring work-up videos and stills from videos worked on and created by Alex Droske).

3:43 p.m.: Judge David Reich calls for a stretch break for one minute.

3:10 p.m.: Continuation of direct examination of Alex Droske by prosecuting attorney Gabrielle Joy Goter. (Goter is continuing to introduce exhibits into the record for use at the trial. Witness Alex Droske is having to verify and validate the authenticity and accuracy of each of the documents being introduced as being exhibits he has either worked with or created. The defense is given an opportunity, if they so choose, to object to the admission of the exhibits. If objections are raised, the judge would then decide on the admissibility of the exhibit. Goter is introducing into evidence USBs containing Droske’s “work up” copies of the videos acquired from various surveillance cameras of businesses in Mandan, Center ad Washburn. They contain still shots, spotlighted videos, video enlargements and other work on the videos to highlight the relevant information. Goter is also introducing printed copies of still images that Droske created).

3:09 p.m.: The trial of Chad Isaak has resumed, Judge David Reich presiding.

2:44 p.m.: Judge David Reich has called a 20-minute afternoon recess. The trial will resume at 3:05 p.m.

2:14 p.m.: Witness recalled –– Alex Droske, Bureau of Criminal Investigation special agent. Droske previously testified on August 5. Says his job was to cut down, or “crop,” the length of the videos to the relevant portions. He also highlighted certain relevant objects in the videos to make them easier to see, a task called “spotlighting.” Testifies he did multi-view presentations of videos from April 1, 2019 and March 25, 2019 to create side-by-side views to highlight the similarities between the videos. The video content is not altered, just placed in a side-by-side presentation. Droske testifies he also created “still images” from the videos, single image snapshots from videos.

Witness Alex Droske
Droske says he created or help create “field of view” documents of the security cameras at RJR that show the visual areas covered by each security camera. Also created “field of view” documents for security cameras at businesses such as Big O Tires that provided relevant surveillance videos from April 1, 2019 and March 25, 2019.

Droske says he analyzed video from Big O Tires from April 1, 2019 and March 25, 2019 and prepared side-by-side comparisons of the videos to show the “astonishing similarities” between the actions depicted on the two videos.

(The prosecution is currently going through the process of entering into evidence a number of exhibits into the record so they can be used during the trial. Witness Alex Droske is having to verify and validate the authenticity and accuracy of each of the documents being introduced. The defense is given an opportunity, if they so choose, to object to the admission of the exhibits).

2:07 p.m.: Witness called — Ben Nordsven, Tri-Energy Cenex systems administrator. Says he provided surveillance video from the Mandan Cenex from April 1, 2019 and March 25, 2019 to law enforcement.

Witness Ben Nordsven
1:58 p.m.: Re-direct by prosecuting attorney Gabrielle Joy Goter. Henry says it’s not accurate that the person in the April 1, 2019 and March 25, 2019 videos is not the same person. Says the person’s movements and walk and other elements were similar.

Henry says the timeline notes points of interest related to the investigation and is not a record of the full start and end times of particular videos. The timeline notes at what time images of the suspect and the suspected vehicle appear. If the video continued on with nothing related to the investigation, those times were not on the timeline.

Henry says he does include in the affidavit the suspect is wearing orange-colored clothing and that he specifically mentioned to the judge the suspect was also seen wearing dark-colored clothing.

In the affidavit, there was a comparison between Chad Isaak’s height on his driver’s license, 6′ 1″, and a height determined from the surveillance videos of the subject.

Says videos from businesses that did not have any evidence were not included on the April 1, 2019 and March 25, 2019 linear timelines. They were not included because there was no relevance to the investigation

1:57 p.m.: Cross-examination of Tyler Henry by defense attorney Luke Heck continues. Henry says a number of former RJR tenant interviews occurred in August and October 2019.

1:56 p.m.: Judge David Reich calls for a one-minute stretch break.

 

[Terrib11]

Wow! He did a dry run on 3/25 - everything tracked on cameras along the route.

 

[Gardenista]

Wow! He did a dry run on 3/25 - everything tracked on cameras along the route.

It's crazy how that one guy figured it out! He was not even LE.

 

[KidonGadol]

Documents say surveillance video shows Isaak arriving at 6:47 a.m. on Monday. Isaak was wearing a bright colored top, dark pants and bright colored head gear.

Isaak can be seen leaving the building around 7a.m. now wearing all dark clothing. An RJR vehicle is then driven away and parked at Indigo Signs. Police say they found blood smears on the door handles along with bright orange fibers inside the vehicle.

Police then see Isaak walk westbound towards Bill Barth Ford and out of view of surveillance.

Court documents detail more information on Mandan, N.D. homicide

Wait a second this is an UNSUB.. this is Not Chad Issak this is what the authorities desperately want to prove.

 

[KidonGadol]

at the moment it appears the only link the police have is an F150 type pick up truck vehicle. White. They don't have a number plate because the cctv surveil ex either McDs or a fuel station (that part is unclear to me unless McDs sells fuel in smaller towns of the USA) was too poor. I'll load an image I captured from Court TV which is allegedly the truck the killer used. That association with the crime is based on testimony frm McDonald's cashier.

Now CTI owned a mobile home or caravan which lived in a caravan park about 55 km north of Mandan town. If he needed to move it he need to to have a tow bar on his truck . Have look at this magic truck photo as presented in court . Now his mobile home could be a self powered vehicle he lived in - I don't know. Is there anyone reading this from ND who can take a trip or make some enquiries. ?? I am not sure if the truck that CIT does own has been released back to his family or is still in the police pound. Moreover I have NEVER seen a photo of it. Esp of the rear end.

NB the original image was poor and of course capturing and conversion to JPG has done it no favours. It is clear there is no tow bar nor is there a tow bar fitting.

NB RJR Maintenance of Mandan had a hell of a not of enemies. they did bottom of market rentals for land lords they did Evictions they did maintenance , rent collection.. They apparently created a fair bit of hatred. They had a few ex staff who hated them too. On top of that the boss was having a long term affair and it is NOT clear when his wife found out. <modsnip: No link to support information stated as fact> - case is on going as of April 12th.

KIDON Gadol says - (this is simply a copy over from page 29 of this WS thread - the court reporting.)

KG :: Caution caution Angela Davis ID'd the vehicle as a one and a half door White Util vehicle [commonly called a crew cab vehicle in Oz and NZ.. I can't speak for the UK] as per this - note the details she gives as to the driver having to try the rear and front doors. WE have a MAJOR MAJOR issue with the the police details of the vehicle give on day four of the trial which shows a TWO door WHITE F150 vehicle (no tow bar) exiting a petrol station - presumably being the vehicle being traced north . Unfortunately the Court News Video series is pretty rough in terms of captioning their images from trials. get use to it....
====================================
cont.....

Says she thought he looked 5′ 9”, “kind of tall,” she testifies. Noticed the snow covering the back license plate. Thought it was odd to have snow since it was a 40-degree day. Says it was a Ford F-150, 4-door, “a cab and a half.” Says she knows her vehicles which is why she can be so specific.

Witness Angela Davis
Testifies he was trying to get into the pickup. Tried to get in the passenger side which was locked. Walked to the driver’s side which was locked. Went back to the passenger side, opened the front passenger side and then the back passenger door. Spent about 3-5 minutes before the person got into the pickup and left. Says he was still masked as he drove past her. Says he drove along a frontage road from McDonald’s and then onto Memorial Highway.

 

[KidonGadol]

Re Tow bar ISSUE.

IN case people are wondering , I have contacted Isaak's lawyer, one Bruce D Quick of Volgel Legal company in Fargo, ND. I pointed out that a tow bar could be highly exculpatory if indeed CTI did have one fitted (Basically the current trial would completely fall over ) . Who is to say ??

The only way that CTI was picked up is that the suspect vehicle had some rust above the rear guard , I think on driver side. It seems that CTI's also has rust but no photo was released of either vehicle in this area. - it is a very tenuous chain to haul someone in and charge them with murder on.

His lawyer said in open court that there is no DNA linkage and no Ballistic linkage, based on the charge sheet he has seen. So this trial is based on very very shaky evidence. THere is zero motive that can be seen. That's to say he had no significant dealings with RJR, paid his rent on time and when they took over the caravan park his black lab was on the list of approved breeds that were allowed to stay in the park without question.