https://twitter.com/jamespilcher (photos at link)
Good morning from the Pike County trial - start of Week 8 of testimony. First up is the outside forensic expert Bill Bodziak, called the godfather of shoe print analysis. He is opting in for video so I'll be live tweeting from the media room today.
Next is expected to be BCI gun expert Matt White, who will talk about reconstructing the cut-up murder weapons, and then Julia Eveslage, who will introduce wiretapped conversations between Jake and George Wagner in truck cross country. Not sure on order yet.
For those of you counting, this is day 33 of the trial, 32 of testimony. We've had three days off - one for sickness the other day for Columbus and one for the judge being unavailable.
Bodziak identified as expert by judge - he testified in OJ trial and identified Bruno Mali prints at scene - later found that OJ had those shoes. Also testified in Timothy McVeigh Oklahoma City trial. Now going through how he does examinations and details.
Now going through how treads/outsoles are made and how they are different as they get bigger - using slides. Looking at the Walmart Athletic Works shoes at the heart of this case.
Says texture is key to identify each mold and shoes
He's been personally to 25 shoe factories. Been 4-5 where mold making involved.
He was asked to look at the prints from the scene and Walmart athletic works shoes in June 2018 - then did the analysis in August 2018.
Said solving the kind of shoes and brand was already solved. He went to local Walmart and compared pictures of prints to compare to that kind of shoe.
Found size 10.5 and 11 that matched, bought three pairs including a size 10.
Here are treads of shoes he bought
The size 10.5 and 11 have different tread patterns because the stippling is done by hand in a factory - as shown on previous video.
Says there are "tremendous variation" of patterns between 10.5 and 11 of that brand of shoes.
Here are shoe prints from the crime scenes
Compared to sites especially Chris Rhoden sr house where they were taken
Two prints - one corresponded to size 11 left shoe and one corresponded to 10.5 left shoe. Another was smudged/smeared and hard to compare.
Enlargement of Size 11 comparison
Compared and match of size 10.5
These were originally in blood but changed and covered by crystal violet by BCI crime scene agents, who then cut out pieces of the floor from Rhoden house.
Moving on to the prints found at Dana Rhoden's house - these weren't cut out but done with gel lifts.
Here are pictures of the gel lifts from Dana Rhodens
Says texture of one print in Dana house matched size 11 shoe
Another print matched the brand, but he couldn't determine size.
Size 10 excluded from all but one print. It could have been the last print, but also could have been sizes 10.5 or 11.
He says his conclusions within scientific degree of certainty. Prosecution done on direct - Richard Nash up for defense for cross examination
Bodziak got several reports including from BCI shoe print Suzanne Elliott expert (he had trained her). Never looked at her report for mistakes etc.
On cross, Nash asking about Bodziak's access to databases he doesn't have because he's no longer in law enforcement. He asks about how Bodziak would identify a brand especially nonproprietary soles.
Bodziak says he can't technically eliminate another shoe other than Walmart Athletic Works because the maker could have sold the pattern to someone else.
He can't say whether the sole mold was non-proprietary or not. Nash also presenting a Starter brand picture and asking if it matches the Athletic Works style.
Says he can't compare textures. But asking if other brands have this texture and this sole? Bodziak says yes.
No logos or impressions in what was left at crime scene. Starter had its brand in a blocked off area of the soles.
Also was given foot impressions of two individuals in this case from BCI Nash closes by asking if Bodziak is testifying George Wagner left those prints? "In summary no" just that prints matched shoes
Now on redirect - points out differences from Starter print (from a previous report of Bodziak's).
Reconfirms that Athletic Works sizes 10.5 or 11 matched prints in Chris Sr and Dana's house.
Now onto morning break. Will start a new thread for that
