Crimeatorium
Part 2: Wisconsin vs Jacob Cayer | The Murders of Heesun and Sabrina Teague
Tue, 12 Nov 2024
Part 2: The following is a condensed version of the 2020 trial for the murders of Sabrina Teague and her mother, Heesun Teague. Jacob Cayer was out on bond for two crimes, one of the conditions of that bond was that he commit no other crimes.Part 2 includes testimony from Joel Kennedy and the medical examiner.Watch for subsequent parts in the next few days.Sarama Teague's blog:https://justiceforsabsandsunny.com/Music:Tim Kulig (timkulig.com)Titles: Crimeatorium IntroLicensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Support:Donations are appreciated, if you would like to help support the show, use the link below and buy me a burrito and a Diet Pepsi:http://Ko-fi.com/crimeatoriumFor $3 a month, you can support this show on Patreon, in return you will receive ad free, early, and bonus episodeshttps://www.patreon.com/crimeatoriumIf you like the podcast, please share it on social media and with friends, and take a minute to leave a review for Crimeatorium on Spotify, Podchaser or Apple Podcasts.Crimeatorium Blog for updates about the show:https://crimeatorium.com/blogContact:[email protected] you for listening!Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/crimeatorium9009/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
26.
And are you from the Green Bay area originally? No. Where are you from? Milwaukee. And do you live in that area now? Yes. At some point in time you were residing up in the Green Bay area, is that right? Yes. Can you tell us how that came about? An ex of mine. And that's not Sabrina? No. At some point in time did you meet a person by the name of Sabrina Teague? Yes, I did.
Can you tell us how that happened? Meet me. And did you start a relationship with her? Yes. Do you know about what time, what year you began that relationship with Sabrina? December 2015. And how did your relationship progress with Sabrina?
It went really well, and we were trying to get everything set up and start life together.
So you dated her? Yes. And at some point in time, did you live with Sabrina? Yes. When did that happen? About a month after we got together. And where did you live with her? With her in her house. And do you know the address of that house? 1368 Riverdale Drive. Who else lived there with you? Her mother. And what was her mother's name? He's son. Did she have a nickname? Sonny. Sonny?
Is that what everybody called her, Sonny? Yes. You too? Yes. And you said that shortly after you were dating, you were living with her, everything was going pretty well in your relationship? Yes. Joel, I'm going to show you what's been previously marked as Exhibit 1B1. Can you see it on this screen in front of you here? Mr. Kennedy, can you identify what's in that photograph? That is the house.
That's the house where you resided with Sabrina and Sunny Teague? Yes. And were you living there in June of 2016? Yes. Were you working at that time? Yes. Where were you working? Burger King. Do you know about the date range of your employment with that Burger King? January, I believe, until July or August. Is that January 2016? No, yes, 2016, sorry.
Did you start Burger King before or after you started dating Sabrina? After. So January of 2016. Is that correct? Yes. And how long had you resided at that 1368 residence? About six months. During your time living there, had you ever seen or known a person by the name of Jacob Kayer to be at that house? No. Joel, I'm going to direct your attention specifically to June 7th of 2016.
Do you remember that day? Yes. Were you living in the 1368 Riverdale Drive residence at that time? Yes. Had you moved out or lived in a different residence at all kind of immediately prior to that? Yes, I did. Where were you living immediately kind of prior to that? What's the timeframe? With a friend and for a couple months. So is that in like the spring of 2016?
No, that would be before winter 2015. Oh, okay, so this is before you moved into the residence entirely. Yes. And then once you moved into 1368, you were living there essentially continuously until June 7th of 2016? Yes. On June 7th of 2016, do you recall what time you left the house that day? I believe it was 12 or 1 p.m., And where were you headed at that time? Work.
And that is the Burger King? Yes. Where was that Burger King located? In Howard. And so when you went to work, 12 or 1, how long were you supposed to work that day? I believe I was supposed to be there until 9 or 10. How did you get to work?
Sabrina drove me.
Did you have a car at that time? No. Was it typical for Sabrina to bring you to and from work? Yes. And you think you were supposed to work until about 9 p.m. that night? Yes. Did you end up working until 9 p.m.? No, I was released early. Is that typical that you would occasionally get released early? No. Do you know what the reason was on that particular day? No.
Did you have plans after work that night?
Yes, we were going to have a friend come over and watch some TV and movies.
When you say we, you mean you and Sabrina? Yes. Do you know what either Sabrina and Sonny's plans were for that day? No, I do not. Was Sabrina working at that time? I believe so. Where was she working? Perkins. Do you know if Sonny had a job? I do not think so. So what time did you actually get off of work that day? I believe 7.30. And how did you leave work that day? Sabrina picked me up.
And what car was Sabrina driving? Her vehicle. And what kind of car was that, do you remember? Chevy Cobalt. I'm going to direct your attention back to Exhibit 1B1. Do you see that vehicle in the photograph? Yes. There's only one vehicle in the photograph, is that fair to say? Yes. So it's the vehicle parked in the driveway? Yes. Where did you go after Sabrina picked you up from work?
7.45.
And what happened after you left Walmart? We went home. And did you go anywhere else in between, from leaving work, Walmart, and then home? No. And do you know about what time you got back to 1368 Riverdale Drive? About 7.50. Eight. Fifty or eight? Yes. When you arrived home, where did she park the car? In the driveway, right in front of the garage door.
So is it consistent with the photograph that's being displayed that we previously addressed? Yes. Is that typically where Sabrina would park? Yes. Did Sonny have a vehicle? Yes. What kind of vehicle was that? A Chevy HHR. When you arrived home, was that vehicle at the residence? Yes. Where was it? In the garage. Do you know which stall of those three stalls? The middle stall.
And you think that vehicle was in the middle stall when you arrived? Yes. Were there any other vehicles on scene that you observed? No. May I ask you if you can recall specifically how you entered the home that night? He went in through the garage and the side door to the garage. So you walked in the garage door, and then is there an entryway from the garage into the home? Yes.
And that's the entryway that you took? Yes. Was that typical? Yes. Did you utilize the front door often? No. When you arrived through the garage, did you notice anything unusual upon entering the residence? Yes, there was a bottle of water spilled on the floor. Well, I'm going to show you what's been marked as Exhibit 1B2.
It's another photograph, and I'm going to ask you to identify that photograph. That is the garage entrance. You'll notice on that garage entrance there appears to be quite a lot of chaos, blood evidence, things of that nature. Is that there when you arrived at the residence? Objection.
Can you rephrase the question? Okay.
There appear to be a lot of stains on the floor. There's a shovel tipped over. There are stains on the wall. Did you observe those stains and the shovel on the floor when you first entered the residence? No. I'm showing you what's been marked as Exhibit 1B3. Can you identify that photograph? Yes, that is the kitchen and dining room. Of the residence at 1368? Yes.
And there's a door in the back in the middle of that. Can you identify what that door is? That leads to the laundry room. And then there's a door to the right of that. What is that door? That is the garage door. And is that the door that you entered when you came into the house that evening on June 7th? Yes. Do you recall if the door to the laundry room was open or closed when you arrived? Closed.
What kind of door is the door to the laundry room? Sliding door. Is it typical for that door to be closed? No. Did you notice it when you initially came in the residence that it was closed? No. You'll also see some staining on the floor and what appears to be some disruption throughout the kitchen. Do you know, was that staining present when you initially entered the residence that night? No.
So you did not see any staining on the floor when you first came in? No. Okay. So what happened then after you entered the residence? What do you mean? What happened? I think you said you observed some water spilled on the floor. So then what happened?
The shower was running, and Sabrina went to go check on her mother and found her in the bathroom, and there were stains all over the floor. And then that is when... He came out of the laundry room and attacked.
Did you go over to the bathroom to look to see what was in there at that time? No, I did not. Drawing your attention back to this photograph, that appears to be a kitchen island. Is that accurate? Yes. When you came in, where did you go? I was on the other side of the island. When you say the other side of the island, are you talking about the side where the table and chairs are or the other side?
The other side. And where did Sabrina go oriented on this photograph? The side with the table and chairs. I'm showing you what's been marked as Exhibit 1B4. Can you describe what's in that photograph? That is the fridge and the laundry room at the house. There appears to be staining on the floor and the wall and on the refrigerator. Was that staining present when you entered the residence? No.
Joel, I'm going to show you what's been marked as Exhibit 1B5. Can you identify that photograph and what it depicts? That is the kitchen and the island. Can you see the bathroom where his son was located in this photograph? Yes. And where is it on the photograph? By the stairwell. And which direction from the stairwell is it? Towards the right. Towards the right.
So can you see into the bathroom very well in this photograph? No. So when you say that Sabrina went to go check on her mom, where did she go? Were you able to see the area where Sabrina went on this photograph? Yes. Can you describe that for the jury in a little more detail?
She went back towards the back of the house on the stairwell, and then right there in the bathroom was right in front of it.
After Sabrina looked into that bathroom, what did Sabrina do? She said, oh, my God, Mom, and then opened her phone to call 911. And did she stay in that area or did she move at all? She started walking back towards the door. Towards the door that you had entered? Yes. And where are you while that is happening? Standing by the island still. On this photograph, the left or the right of the island?
Left. There is some, what appears to be staining on the floor on the left side of the island. Was that staining present when you entered the home that day? No. So what happened after Sabrina said, oh my God, pulled out her phone and then started walking toward your direction? And... He walked out of the laundry room and proceeded to attack us. When you say he, who are you talking about? Kaya.
And do you know his first name? Jacob. At this point, Your Honor, I'm going to ask if Mr. Kennedy can identify the individual who he knows as Jacob Kaya. Before Mr. Kennedy makes any identification, I'm going to ask that... All of the members at council table and people in the first row remove their masks.
Once everyone's mask is removed, Joel, I'm going to ask you if you see the person who you know as Jacob in court here today. Yes, I do. I'm sorry, I interrupted you. Do you see him? Yes, I do. Could you indicate for the record where he is seated and what he is wearing? There and a gray shirt. I would ask the record reflect that he has identified the defendant. The record will so reflect.
Do you recall who Mr. Kayer attacked first, you or Sabrina? Sabrina. And where was she located when Mr. Kayer attacked her? On the other side of the island, by the chairs. Do you know what he used to attack either of you? A kitchen knife. Could you see the knife in his hand? Yes. Do you know what hand it was in? Right, I believe. Did you actually see Mr. Kair stab Sabrina? Yes.
And you indicated that he attacked you as well. Do you know when that happened in relation to when he attacked Sabrina?
I believe he went after her first and then came over to attack me.
When he attacked you, where were you? I was still standing on the other side of the island. Were you standing roughly in the location where the staining is located? Yes. You said Sabrina had her phone out. What happened with the phone? I believe he slapped it out of her hand. And do you know if she actually successfully called 911? I do not think so. When Mr. Akayer attacked you, what happened?
I was standing by the island and he walked up and went to stab me and then I put my arm up and the blade went through my arm and into my chest. And then I fell back And started kicking at him and punching.
And what did he do at that point when you started kicking at him and punching him?
I believe he kind of walked away and started going after Sabrina again. What did you do?
I went out into the garage. Through the same door that you had entered? Yes. What did you do when you got to the garage? I went and I grabbed a shovel. And once you grabbed the shovel, where did you go to grab the shovel in the garage? On the other side of the garage. That garage, when we looked in exhibit, 1B1, we could see that the garage has three stalls. Yes.
Orienting from that photograph, what location of the garage was the shovel found in? I'll bring that photograph back up for you here. The furthest right stall. So the shovel was near there? Yes. So you ran across the entire garage to get it? Yes. When you grabbed that shovel, what did you do then? They were...
following me out into the garage, fighting the entire time. And then I struck him here with the shovel. Where did you strike him? I believe in the face. And what happened then? They fell down, and I ran inside the house and locked the doors and called 911.
And when you called 911, where were Jacob and Sabrina? In the garage still. Do you know if they were standing or if they were on the ground or where they were? I don't recall. Do you know if Mr. Kerr still had the knife? I believe so. What were your emotions like at that time? Fear. Terrified. I'm going to show you what's been marked as Exhibit 1B6. Can you identify what that photograph depicts?
That is the hallway leading to the bathroom and the bedrooms. Is that where you headed after you closed the door to the garage? Yes. There is a railing on the left. Where does that staircase go? That leads to the basement. What's in the basement? That was mine and Sabrina's room and storage. There's a door on the right in this photograph. What is in the door on the right?
That would be the bathroom. Did you look in that bathroom on your way back to Eson's bedroom? Yes. What did you see? I saw a body wrapped in a blanket and stains all over the floor. Did you spend much time going in that bathroom and looking with any specificity? Could you see who it was? No. Did you make an assumption in your mind about who it was? Yes. Who did you believe it to be? Hison.
So the doorway all the way at the end of the hall, what is that doorway? That is the door to Hison's room. Is that where you went? Yes. I'm showing you what's been marked as 1B7. What is depicted in this photograph? Hison's room. There's a door immediately to the right. Do you know what that door is? I believe that is a closet.
And then there's a door in the back on the right, a doorway that you can see. Where does that doorway lead to? That is the bathroom. And is that where you went? Yes. When you came in through the garage, do you remember if you locked the garage door? I don't believe I did. When you came into Hisan's bedroom, do you remember if you locked that door? Yes, I did. And when you came into the...
He's on the bathroom. Did you lock that door as well? Yes. What did you do when you got into the bathroom? I grabbed a towel to wrap up my arm and called 911. And did you just stay in the bathroom then, Ken, while you were on the phone with 911? Yes. Do you recall where in that bathroom you were standing? Up against the door. How was your body positioned?
I had my back up against the door and I was standing. While you were in the bathroom, do you recall if anybody else came into the house? Yes. What do you recall?
I believe that Kayer came back inside and tried to get into the bathroom. How do you know that? Because I could hear him outside of the door.
You know for sure it was him? No. But you suspected it was him? Yes. I'm showing you what's been marked as exhibit 1B8. Can you identify what's depicted in that photograph? Yes, that is the bathroom. There is what appears to be some staining on the floor of the bathroom. Did you observe that staining on the floor of the bathroom before you entered the room? No.
Based on where you were standing and the nature of your injury, do you believe that staining came from your injury? Yes. And is that standing consistent with where you were standing in the bathroom? Yes. Do you recall making that phone call to 911? Yes, I do. And you recall talking to the dispatcher and remaining on the line until officers arrived? Yes. Did officers eventually arrive unseen? Yes.
When they arrived, do you recall dispatch telling you to leave the residence? Yes. And what did you do? I walked through the house and out of the front door. Did you walk back out the garage door where you came in, or did you walk out a different door? I walked out a different door. And that was the front door to the house? Yes. Were officers waiting there to meet you? Yes.
And then what happened after you met with officers? I was put into an ambulance and rushed to the hospital. Do you recall which hospital you were at? Fallon. What was the nature of the injuries that you suffered?
There was a severed main artery, several severed tendons and nerves. And that is all that I know. What about the injury to your chest? Do you remember that? Yes, I do. And that was just a lesion. Do you recall what you were wearing that night? Yes, I was wearing my black khaki pants and my Burger King work shirt.
Joel, do you recall whether or not you had any weapons on your person that night? Yes. What did you have? I had a pocket knife. Is it typical for you to carry a pocket knife? Yes. Do you recall, did you use that knife at all during this incident? No, I did not. Do you recall dispatch having a conversation with you about that knife? Yes. What was the nature of that conversation?
They asked me if I had any weapons, and I told them that I had my pocket knife, and they told me to take it out of my pocket and leave it in the bathroom. Did you do that? Yes, I did.
I'm going to ask you to take a look at Exhibit 1B9. Can you see that knife in that photograph? Yes. Where is it located? Towards the front left of the drawer. And 1B10, can you identify what's present in that photograph? Yes, that is my pocket knife. It appears to be on a tissue. I don't mean to lead you. I don't know whether that's a tissue or not.
Was that white tissue-like object, was that yours or was that in the drawer? That was in the drawer. And again, did you utilize that knife at all during the course of this incident? No, I did not. And you did, in fact, leave it there to be recovered or photographed by law enforcement? Yes. Joel, I'm showing you what's been marked as Exhibit 1B11.
Can you indicate what's depicted in that photograph? That is mine and Sabrina's room. And which room of the home is that located in? That was downstairs in the basement, the first door on the right. And that's where the two of you stayed together? Yes. I don't mean any offense by this, but it's kind of messy. Is that sort of the normal state of affairs in that room? Yes.
Joel, I'm going to ask you to identify Exhibit 12. Can you indicate what's depicted in that photograph? That is one of our windows. I'm going to return to photograph number 11. The window in 12, is that photograph present on this photograph, photograph 11? Yes. And which window is it? That would be that one. I believe you were pointing to the top left-hand side of photograph 11. Is that accurate?
Yes. In number 11, that window is covered. Is that right? Yes. I'm going to return to photograph 12. It appears that there is some grass or plants on the bottom of that, and it appears that the window is broken. To the best of your recollection, prior to June 7, 2016, did the window area look like that? No. Was it broken to your knowledge at all? No.
Joel, you indicated that you were wearing your Burger King shirt that night. I'm going to ask you to take a look at photograph 1B13. What's depicted in that photograph? That is my work shirt. That's the shirt you were wearing on the night of this incident? Yes.
Now, Joel, I know this might be difficult, and ladies and gentlemen of the jury, this might be difficult, but I'm going to show you some photographs that depict your injury, okay? Yes. I'm showing you 1B14. Do you know what's depicted in that photograph? That is my arm. Is that what it looked like after the incident with Mr. Kayer on June 7th of 2016? Yes.
And I think you indicated that the knife went directly through your arm. Is that accurate? Yes. Is there a hole on the other side that's not depicted on this photograph? Yes. And that required surgical intervention? Yes. Joel, I'm showing you 1B15. What's depicted in that photograph? My chest and face. Does that photograph accurately depict the injury to your chest? Yes.
And in 1B16, can you describe what's in that photograph? The wound on my chest. And again, does that accurately depict the injury that you suffered in this incident? Yes. And you indicated what treatment was required for that injury?
I had to go under for surgery, and they sewed my arm back together, and I had three stitches in my chest.
Joel, as we were having our conversation here today, you were talking to the jury about what happened to you. You called the defendant Kayer. Did you know Jacob Kayer by first and last name on June 7th of 2016? No, I did not. Did you know his last name? No. You did know his first name, though? Yes. Had you met him previously? Once. Where did that occur? At Walmart.
Do you know about when that was? About a month prior to June 7th.
And what was the nature of that meeting? Him and Sabrina got into an argument about something, and then we left after that.
I presume at some point, based on that argument and your follow-up conversation with Sabrina, you learned that his name was Jake and that he was Sabrina's ex-boyfriend? Yes. When Mr. Kayer jumped out of that laundry room, did you immediately recognize him as Sabrina's ex-boyfriend? No, I did not. When did you come to recognize him more specifically that night? When she called his name out.
So Sabrina actually called him Jake during the incident? Yes. And then based on what she said and then your subsequent observations, you were able to determine that it was her ex-boyfriend Jake? Yes. Mr. Kerr say anything to you while this attack was happening? No. Anything at all? No. Could you see his face when he came out of the laundry room? Yes. And what was he wearing?
I believe a black t-shirt, a hat, and jeans. The hat, was it like a baseball cap or what was it? Like a stocking cap. And what color was the hat? Black. But his face was not covered? No. You were able to see it clearly? Yes. What did it look like? Plain. And again, to the best of your knowledge, Mr. Kerr had never been to that house while you were living there? No.
And the only time you ever met him was at that Walmart incident earlier? Yes. Joel, do you recall talking to law enforcement after you were brought to the hospital? Yes. Do you know about how many times you talked to law enforcement? I believe three different times. How soon after the incident did that occur?
About right before I went into the surgery, so about half an hour.
Half an hour after what? After the incident. Half an hour after the incident or half an hour after you got to the hospital? After the incident. And then did you talk to law enforcement subsequent times at the hospital again? Yes. In preparation for the court here today, did you have an opportunity to review any of the statements or the information that you had provided to law enforcement? Yes.
And did you know anything about that information that you provided to law enforcement that was consistent or inconsistent with what you said today? Yes, they were inconsistent. Were they substantially inconsistent? No. Do you recall some of the inconsistencies? No, I do not.
But certain wordings and certain sayings were different than other statements.
The information that you provided to the jury today, is that the information that you remember to the best of your ability? Yes. And do you recall emotionally what you were like when you got to the hospital? I was scared, in pain, still terrified. Do you remember what shoes you were wearing when you came to the residence that day? No, I do not.
Do you remember if you took your shoes off prior to going into the house? Yes, I did. You know where? On the porch leading to the door. Was that typical? Yes. Was it a no-shoes house generally? Yes. Okay. I'm going to show you just two last photographs, one B-17. I asked you to take a look at that photograph on B-17. There's a shoe, appears to be a shoe, in that photograph.
To the best of your recollection, is that your shoe? No. Do you know if that was Sabrina's shoe? Did you ever see her wearing that shoe? I do not think so. I'm just going to show you one B-18 that's close up of that same shoe. Does that change your opinion at all, whether that was yours or Sabrina's? No. Just a brief follow-up, Joel. Do you recall...
Were you able to have any specific recollection of where Mr. Kayers stabbed Sabrina? No, I believe all over. Did you see him stab him multiple times? Yes. Joel, I want to ask you one last question. It's probably a little bit uncomfortable, but have you ever been convicted of a crime before? Yes. How many times? Once. All right. I have no further questions at this time.
Thank you. Mr. Cotton?
Good morning, sir.
You were asked questions by the prosecutor about inconsistent statements. Do you remember that? Yes. And you said that your statements were inconsistent. Is that what you said? Yes. Meaning that you gave three different statements to the police. Is that what you said? Yes. And then we have a fourth statement here in court, right? Yes.
And actually more statements were made because you prepared with the district attorney's office for trial, right? Yes. In other words, you sat down with them and discussed what you would testify to. Yes. Okay. And you've talked to others about this over time as the years have gone by. Fair to say? Yes. Okay. People have wanted to know what happened, and you've shared what's happened, right? Yes.
Okay. Now, regarding the inconsistent statements, were you – I just want to explore that a little bit further. I'm holding up here something that – does this look familiar? Can you see from where you're sitting?
Yes.
What am I holding? What do I appear to be holding up?
That is the first statement.
Your first statement.
Yes.
Meaning... Okay. Okay.
Yes, that is my first statement.
Yes.
Yes. Yes. Yes. Now, you had a chance to look at this statement again when you were preparing for trial with the district attorney's office, fair to say? Yes. And that's when you noticed inconsistencies, right? Yes. Because you were rereading this and also thinking back on what you remember, right? Yes.
And it's fair to say four years, a little bit more than four years have gone by since the incident, right? Yes. Now, this statement was produced while you were at St. Vincent's Hospital, right? Yes. And when you had those wounds that we had seen in the pictures, right? Yes. So, and it's only one page, right? Yes. I'd like to talk to you about some of the inconsistencies, okay?
First of all, you've testified today about what happened, right? Yes. Yes. And it's your version that Jacob was responsible for this, right? Yes. And we agree you came in through the garage. At least that's your testimony. You came in through the garage, right? Yes. And if we orient ourselves with the pictures, I believe you'd come into the kitchen. Would that be fair to say? Yes. Okay.
And today you testified that... Sabrina walked, your recollection is that Sabrina walked down to the bathroom and noticed her mother, right? Yes. And in your written statement, you had indicated me and Sabrina entered the bathroom. Would you agree with that?
Yes.
I would just say if he doesn't, we'll refresh his recollection as we ordinarily would. I'm asking if he recalls. In your written statement, you said, when me and Sabrina entered the bathroom, we saw blood everywhere. Would you agree that you made that written statement? Yes, I do. And today you've testified that Sabrina was the one who entered the bathroom, not you. Fair to say? Yes.
So that's one inconsistency, right? Yes. Okay. And then in your written statement, you stated that Quote, Jake started attacking me with the knife. I fell to the floor. You remember that? Yes. And today you've testified that Sabrina was the first one who was attacked by Jake. Would you agree with that? Yes. That's another inconsistency, right? Yes.
And after Jake attacked in your written statement, you say that Sabrina was attacked second, right? Yes. Yes. Okay, but the way you're remembering it today is that Sabrina was attacked first and then you were attacked second. Yes. I want to try to understand a little bit more clearly what happened in this, or what you say happened.
You have been dating Sabrina since at least, I think, December-ish of 2015, right? Yes. And the two of you met however you met, and you moved into her house fairly quickly, right? Yes. Is that because you had no place else to live, or you just immediately had a very close relationship? We had a close relationship.
And the bedroom we saw the pictures of downstairs was where the two of you would reside, right? Yes. And you would agree that Sabrina's mother, he's son, did not want you living in the house. Would you agree with that? No. You don't agree with that? No. Well, she was upset that you were, when you moved into the house, wasn't she? No, she was not. Was she happy that you moved into the house?
She was indifferent. But you weren't working when you moved in, right? No. Meaning, correct, you didn't have a job when you first moved in, right? Yes. And no source of income when you moved into the house, right? Yes. Sabrina was working. She was at Perkins, right? Yes. So you're not working. Sabrina is working.
Yes.
And you're living in the house. Yes. And so to the extent you're eating and having shelter, that's because it's being provided to you within that home, right? Yes. But it's your testimony that he-son, or Sonny as we'll call her, was indifferent to that? Yes. Okay. You didn't have any conflict with her about moving in and eating their food and living off them? No.
Is it your testimony that Sonny liked you? Yes. Okay. Now, you did have a knife on you, right? Yes. Why did you carry a knife with you? I used them at work. You worked at Burger King? Yes. Okay. And we saw a picture of that knife. Looks like a black folding knife, fair to say? Yes. Is that a work-issued knife?
No.
So you would carry that at Burger King while you worked? Yes. And then you would carry it in your pocket after you left Burger King? Yes. What was your job at Burger King? I did everything. Cook burgers?
Cook burgers, take orders, make the food, take out the garbage.
And which of those jobs did you require the knife for? Breaking down boxes. Okay, so if you had to break down a box, you had a knife for that? Yeah. And would you agree that this knife has a blade, right? We can't see it in the picture, but there would be a blade in there, right? Yes. And would you agree you also carry that knife with you for protection if you need it?
Yes.
Okay. You didn't just get the knife for purposes of breaking down boxes at Burger King, right? Yeah. Right? The knife has other purposes if you need it, right? Yes. If someone attacks you, you have a knife available to repel the attack.
Yes.
Now, in the six months or so that you had been at this house, you never once saw Jake there, right? No, I did not. And it would be completely unexpected to see Jake in the house that night, right? Yes. There's no reason for him to be there. Yes. No conflict had happened earlier that day that would cause him to be there?
No.
Sabrina picked you up from work and you guys went to Walmart to get some food, right? Yes. So in terms of... In terms of what you were doing, it was as uneventful of an evening as you can imagine, right? Yes. Similarly, there had been no conflict between Jacob and Sonny.
Yes.
So you weren't aware of any conflict between the two of them where there was bad blood between him and Sonny?
No, there was none.
And again, during the six or seven months, you never once saw Jacob at house, right? Until you say the night of the stabbing. Correct. Now... And just so we're clear, you did have a cell phone at that time, right? Yes. And the police took that cell phone and did whatever they did with it, right? Yes. In fact, you gave permission for them to analyze it if they wanted, right? Yes. Okay.
And you had had that phone for maybe a month or so, or a month or two months before this incident, would that be fair to say? Yes. And that phone would contain text messages, phone call history, things like that? Yes. And you also had a Facebook account, right? Yes. Would you agree with me that in your phone, you would access YouTube from your phone? Yes.
Would you agree with me that the same day of this incident, you searched on YouTube? It's up to you. We can approach first, and if you want to excuse the jury, we can. All right.
So I think for purposes of the record, there's a relevance objection. I'm going to overrule the objection.
My question for you was whether you were able to access YouTube also from your phone, right? Yes. And you would do that periodically? Yes. And the same day of this stabbing, you had searched the phrase famous last words. Would you agree with that? Yes. In fact, that was the last thing you searched right before the stabbing? Yes.
And you were asked about that by the district attorney's office in preparation for this trial, weren't you? Yes. And you told them that it's a music video that you like. Yes. Called Famous Last Words. Yes, it is a musical group. What's the video about?
I don't recall.
Wait for a moment, sir.
He said he doesn't recall.
Well, I'm just going to sustain the objection, but is there any additional questions you intend to ask on that issue? No.
All right.
Then I don't think I need to worry about the answer. It's already in the record. All right.
Now, you were... So we've already talked about Exhibit 2, which is your written statement, right? Yes. Which was written by law enforcement because you weren't in a position to write this, right? Yes. And you were also interviewed... On video, you remember when they filmed you and interviewed you? I do not. Are you aware as you sit here today that you were video filmed as you made a statement?
Yes. You know that, right? Yes. And you know that because the state and the prosecutors have shown you your video to show you what you said, right? Or is that not accurate? That is not accurate. Okay. How do you know you were filmed? How do you know you were filmed? Did somebody provide you a copy of your tape?
No, but I was informed. By who? I believe Lieutenant Levin Lennon.
Okay. And he's here in court at the end of the prosecutor's table with the shaved head, right? Yes. Okay. Did you watch that tape with him in preparation for your testimony? No. No. No? He just told you that there was one, right? Yes. Okay. So you talked about an event at Walmart where you had run into Jacob at some point before this, right? Yes.
But Sabrina never told you that Jacob would want to hurt her, right?
No, she did not.
She never said Jacob was dangerous? No.
No, I don't believe so.
That's something you would have remembered if she had told you that, right? Yes. So she never says he's dangerous, never says he'd want to hurt her, but you did have conversations about him because you saw him at Walmart, right? Yes. And that was about a month or so before the incident? Yes. During this stabbing event, it's your testimony that Jacob... is the one who did this, right?
That's your testimony? Yes. And that he didn't say anything before or after the attack, right? Yes. No words?
No words at all.
And I thought, correct me if I'm wrong, I thought that you described how his face looked. Didn't they ask you how his face looked?
Yes.
And you said plain, right? Yes. Would another word for that be expressionless? Yes. Meaning... didn't look angry, you couldn't get any read out of it, could you? Correct. Nor are there any words being said, so that doesn't help you at all either, right? Correct. And let's go with what you remember today in your testimony, is that the initial confrontation happens in the kitchen area, right? Yes.
Which it's either Sabrina first or you first, depending on the written statement or today's testimony, right? Right. Yes. But eventually, all three of you make it to the garage, right? Yes. And you first, right? You were the first one to go in the garage. Yes. And it's your testimony. Jacob just jumped out of the laundry room unexpectedly and started attacking Sabrina, right? Yes.
You got into the garage. Yes. And then... Didn't keep running outside the home, right? Correct. Just stayed in the garage until Sabrina and Jake came out the door. Yes. And I'm trying to understand how it unfolded. You're watching as the two of them are struggling coming down those steps, right? Yes. And that's when you grabbed that shovel that we saw and you hit Jacob in the head with the shovel.
That's your testimony? Yes. And in fact... Jacob fell to the ground, isn't that true? Yes. And Sabrina got on top of him? I don't believe so. So Jacob's on the ground and Sabrina is standing? I believe she was on the ground as well. And it's your testimony that you've, at this point, already been stabbed through the arm, right? Yes. And which arm were you stabbed in? This one. Okay. So then...
You run into the kitchen and you lock Sabrina and Jacob in the garage?
No. I did not lock the door.
Okay. You ran in and just closed the door?
Yes.
And left them out there? Yes. Why, if you made it to the garage, why didn't you just keep running out of the house? I don't recall. You would have had to have run under this version... Jacob and Sabrina come down those stops. They're fighting right there in front of the stairs. You would have had to have run right past them to go back through the door into the kitchen. Is that correct?
Yes.
And that's what you believe you did? Yes. And in fact, the garage door was even open at that time, wasn't it? I do not believe it was. No. You go back inside, it's your testimony you don't lock that door, but you run down the hallway and you go into Heason's bedroom, right? Yes. And you lock that door? Yes. And then you lock the bathroom door also? Yes.
So now you've barricaded yourself behind two more locked doors, right? Yes. Now... You've identified Mr. Kerr here in court today when we all removed our masks, right? Yes. And you were close enough, you say, to see his face. You said he did the stabbing, right? Yes. You told the police that the person had shoulder-length hair. Do you agree with that? Yes.
And that the person was not wearing any mask at all, right? Yes. Okay. No attempt to conceal one's face whatsoever? Correct. And no facial hair, right? Correct. No, he had facial hair. Okay, do you remember facial hair? Yes. Were you present in court when your 911 call was played? No, I was not. Have you had a chance to listen to your 911 call prior to your testimony? Yes.
You would agree that in the 911 call, you were asked whether there was any facial hair and you said, not that I saw? I do not recall. And you don't remember what you said in that call, right? No. What do you mean? About facial hair. You don't recall what you said? No. But that 911 call is you trying to describe everything you're seeing at the time, right? Yes.
Is it your testimony that you believe you were stabbed in the kitchen area? That's where you remember being stabbed? Yes. Before you went into the garage area, right? Yes. And did you ever... You had your knife in your pocket this whole time, right? Yes. And it's your testimony you never utilized that knife in any way, right? Correct. Why didn't you pull the knife out to fend off the perpetrator?
I didn't think about it. When you were... One minute, please, Your Honor. I want to just ask a few more questions, touch on a couple other things with you, sir. Going back to Sonny, the mother, liking you... Are you aware that Sabrina had a sister, Sarah May? Yes. And did you have contact and interaction with Sarah May?
Not that I can recall.
Were you aware of the mother's boyfriend, Raymond? Is that somebody you were familiar with? Yes. Sonny had a boyfriend named Raymond, right? Yes. And were you... Were you aware of anything Sonny had said to Raymond about not liking you?
Going to the interview you did with the police at the hospital, you would agree that your written statement is a much shorter version than what was discussed over the 30 minutes or so that you talked to the officers, right? Yes. In other words, you were getting medical treatment and they were present talking to you during that time, right? Yes.
They were trying to understand what you believe happened, what you saw in the house, right? That was the whole point of the questioning? Yes. And do you remember an officer named Officer Ehrenstein? Is that somebody that you're familiar with? I do not recall, no. Do you know the names of the officers who were interviewing you? No.
Would you agree that you told the officers that the last time you saw Sabrina, she was in the garage on top of Jacob holding him down? Do you remember telling the officers that? No, I do not. As you sit here today, it's your recollection that she wasn't holding him down, he was just down on the ground, and that's when you ran from the garage? Correct. If he had a shovel...
and you had knocked him down to the ground, why would you just run into the house and not keep hitting the person? I don't know. That's all. Thank you.
Any redirects?
You were asked about the garage door and whether that garage door was open or closed. When you recall going out to the garage to get the shovel, do you believe the garage door was open or closed at that point? Closed. Do you recall actually closing it or someone closing the garage door when you came in? Yes. And do you know who did that? I believe I pushed the button to close it.
And the button to open and close the door, where is that located? Right next to the door to the kitchen from the garage. Did you think about opening that door and running out before you went and grabbed the shovel? No, I did not. What was your purpose in grabbing the shovel? To fight.
And this was sort of described by defense as, well, you've got the shovel and you're standing over there in the corner just watching them struggle. I mean, was this a long period of time that you're standing there with the shovel before they come out the door? No. Is it fair to say that, in fact, all of this is happening very quickly? Yes. Is it a chaotic scene? Yes.
So you do recall grabbing the shovel on the side of the garage, and then about how quickly after you went and grabbed the shovel, did Jacob and Sabrina come out of the garage? I'd say about five or ten seconds. So fairly quickly, they come right out? Yes. And then likewise, the physical struggle, the you striking Jacob and then running back in the house, does that happen fairly quickly? Yes.
It's just a general question. Are there things you would have done differently if you could do this all over again and you had the time to reason your way through how to respond to this attack? Absolutely. It's fair to say at that time this was just chaos and you just did what was on instinct? Yes. Again, Mr. Cotton showed you a brief written statement. It was one page, right? Yes.
Is it fair to say that everything that happened that night cannot really fairly be encapsulated in one page? Correct. Correct. And he talked to you about some of the inconsistencies, right? He talked to you about who got stabbed first, whether both of you went over to the bathroom to see his son in the bathroom.
In your mind, is the big picture, the vast majority of what happened, has that been relatively consistent throughout this? Yes. Any questions, Your Honor? I don't know that I let him. I asked if it was, and he could say yes or no.
I don't think that was a leading question. I'm going to overrule the objection.
Do you know if in every one of your statements you said Mr. K.R. jumped out of the laundry room and attacked you? I believe so, yes. The weapon that Mr. K.R. used, do you know if that was consistent in all of your statements? Yes, I believe so. Can you tell us a little bit about that knife? Do you remember the knife itself? Yes, I believe it was a chef's knife.
In terms of the size of the knife, do you remember any of the size of the knife? About that big. Are you familiar with a standard kitchen knife set? Yes. Would this be one of the small knives or one of the large knives? One of the large knives. As it compares to your folding knife, was it bigger or smaller?
Much bigger.
Do you recall if in every one of your statements you remember that you struck Mr. K with a shovel? Yes. Do you recall if in every one of your statements that... happened in the garage? Yes. Is it possible that in one of the statements that wasn't actually consistent? I do not believe so. As you sit here today, where did that contact take place? In the garage.
In every one of your statements, do you describe Mr. Kerr as the person who did this? Yes. Is there any doubt in your mind that Mr. Kerr is the person who stabbed you and Sabrina? No. And you saw him stab Sabrina with your own eyes? Correct. Multiple times? Correct.
Clearly you saw him stab yourself? Yes. Again, these are leading questions I'm objecting because he's giving the answer.
Can you rephrase the question?
I'll withdraw that question. At any point in time, did you see anyone else in the house other than Mr. Kher, Sabrina, and Issa? No. And to be clear, I'm talking about on the evening of June 7th, 2016. Correct. Before law enforcement arrived. Yes.
No further questions, right?
Any requests?
Are you aware that Sabrina's body was eventually found next to the house? Are you aware of that? Yes. Outside of the garage, right? Yes. So in terms of the garage doors, it must have been open for Sabrina to get out of the garage, right?
Yes. Okay. That's all. Do you know when that garage door became open? I do not know. It's your testimony here today that the garage door was... Do you recall when you were in the garage having contact with Mr. K or the shovel, do you believe it was open or closed? Closed. Nothing further.
Dr. Chankita is going to start off by asking you what is your current occupation?
I am a forensic anthropologist as my occupation. I am currently the chief medical examiner of Dane, Rock, Brown, Door in Oconto counties of Wisconsin.
Dr. Tranquita, I'm going to go back and ask you some questions then. I'm at the June 9th, 2016, during the morning hours. Did you have an opportunity to perform an autopsy on Sabrina Teague? Yes, I did. Approximate time of the autopsy, it looks like 8.46 AM. I believe that's when we started. When you do an autopsy, do you have a certain
a protocol, a way you like to go through it every time so you're consistent? I do. And... Could you tell the jury, is there a certain way that you perform Sabrina Teague's exam? For example, do you first look at the external part of the body and then move to internal? How kind of can you just tell them in general the procedure you used before we go into specifics?
Of course, very generally. We generally begin with an examination of the external aspect of the body within the body bag or the container to document whatever writing or whatever identification is present on the outside of the bag to make sure that the security seal that is sealing the bag is intact. and to make sure that any writing is identified and documented.
The bag is opened, and then we begin the external examination of the body. In forensic pathology, the external examination of the body is just as critical as the internal portion of the body. I'm looking at the external aspect of the body to document any injuries, any features of the body, any trauma. I'm also photographing, measuring, and documenting with scale. I collect external evidences
I do swabs for DNA. I collect specimens for toxicology. I try to see if there's any kind of residue that might give me an indicator of who may have committed this or who may have done this. We may also take x-rays as well at this point, especially if there's a kind of penetrating injury.
Once all that is done, I then proceed to the internal portion of the autopsy examination, which is what most people think about when they think about an autopsy. The internal portion of an autopsy examination is the surgical evaluation of the organ systems of the body to see what has been injured and what disease processes may be present.
After you went through step by step the autopsy of Sabrina Teague, do you eventually compile all the information you received, notes and your observations and put it into a report?
Yes, I do. The report is composed of not only the summary of the findings, but also the diagrams and the photographs that are created as, that accompany the report. Okay.
Did I ask the court's continuing permission to approach during his testimony?
Yes, you may.
Thank you for your documents labeled exhibit number 10. You just peruse the document as you're doing, Doctor, and then I have a couple questions for you. Exhibit number 10, could you indicate to the jury what is exhibit 10?
Exhibit number 10 is a copy of the report that was generated by our office on the death of Sabrina Teague. It includes the autopsy report, the notes that were generated during the process of making the report, the diagrams from the report, the toxicology report, about the people in attendance, and those sorts of documents.
Dr. Tranchitti, I'd like to then just begin to go through some of the items noted in your report of the autopsy of Sabrina Teague. What I'd like to do is to Start from the beginning. I'd like to go through the final diagnosis. It's listed on pages 1 and 2 of the autopsy report. And just chronologically go through this.
I'm going to start then by looking at the first one listed on your report, stab wounds. First, stab wounds, I want you to list the stab wounds you've noted to the head of Sabrina Teague.
I noted two stab wounds to the head of Sabrina Teague. The first was located on the left cheek. This went deeply into the left cheek. It went through the skin, soft tissues, and muscles of the left cheek. It hit the left parotid gland, which is one of the salivary glands in the cheek, and then went into the mouth and struck her tongue.
And could you... indicate the other stab wound to the head.
That's correct. There was another stab wound to the chin. This went into the skin and soft tissues of the chin and struck the mandible or the jaw.
Dr. Tranchito, what I'm showing you on the screen has been marked 1M, number 1, as far as exhibit. A particular photograph that's up on the screen, would you indicate, describe what it is, Dr.?
When I perform an autopsy, I try to document, in as many different ways as I can, the features that I'm seeing of the body, in order to convey to the reader what I'm seeing both in diagram form, in measurements, but also in photographs. In this case, this is an overhead view of the decedent Sabrina Antique.
She has a number of sharp force injuries, which are depicted in this photograph, and I've placed a small label next to each of the injuries to help categorize them or list them in sequence as we describe them. In this case... If I may? Yes. The stab wound that we first described, or stab wound A, is located on her left cheek.
This is the stab wound that went through the left cheek, went through the left parotid gland, and went into her tongue. Stab wound B, the next one going down, is located on her chin. This went through the skin, the soft tissues, and hit the mandible, or the jaw, of Sabrina Teague.
Okay, and I'd like to continue in your final diagnosis of injuries to Sabrina Teague, going through the injuries to her torso.
As we go down to the neck stab wound, there was a stab wound of the base of the anterior neck. This was stab wound C. This was a superficial stab wound. It went into the skin, the soft tissues, but it didn't go very deeply into the chest cavity. Stab wound D. Actually, I believe this was C. I believe this is stab wound D. This one went into the chest just below the left clavicle.
This is also a superficial stab wound. Okay. Superficial, yeah, stab wound E is going into the upper aspect of the right side of the chest below the right clavicle. And this was a very deep stab wound. The stab wound went through the right ribs, two and three, on the right side. The stab wound also went through the right lung.
The stab wound hit the pericardial sac, which is a membrane sac that surrounds the heart. And the stab wound hit the aorta, which is the largest artery in the body. This was a fairly deep and significant stab wound. The next stab wound going down is directly overlying the sternum. This baboon hits the sternum, the left rib number four. It hits the pericardial sac.
Again, that's the sac that surrounds and protects the heart. And then it hit the heart as well, striking the decedent in the right ventricle. This was also a very deep, very life-threatening stab wound. We had a stab wound. The last stab wound in the front of the body is stab wound G. This entered the midline of the upper aspect of the abdomen. This stab wound hit the decedent's diaphragm.
This hit the left lobe of her liver, and it hits the omentum, which is a structure which protects and covers the intestinal tract.
I can then show you another photograph, Doctor, and it's 1M2. It would be a little easier, I think, to see C and D, so I apologize for that.
This stab wound is a close-up of the area of the decedent's head and neck. You can see very nicely stab wound A, stab wound B, stab wound C, E, E, and F. Again, stab wounds C and D are very superficial. Stab wound A goes through the cheek into the mouth. Stab wound B hits your jaw. Stab wound E goes into the torso, hits ribs, hits the lung, hits the pericardial sac and the aorta.
Stab wound F goes through the sternum, through the ribs, through the pericardial sac, and into the heart.
I'm going to continue with going through different areas on her body. I'm going to go to stab wounds on the back area. So I'm going to show the next picture, which is 1M3.
Stab wound H, the higher up one, is described as a stab wound on the left side of the upper aspect of the back. This stab wound goes to the skin, soft tissues, and muscle, but doesn't penetrate into the chest cavity. Stab wound I also goes through the skin, soft tissues, and muscle of the right side of the middle aspect of the back.
So if you divide that back down the midline, and you divide in upper, middle, and lower back, this is the right side of the middle aspect of the back. This is the left side of the upper aspect of the back. So stab wound I goes through the skin, soft tissues, and muscle, but doesn't penetrate into the chest cavity.
Stab wound J is described as a stab wound of the left side of the lower aspect of the back. This is a fairly deep stab wound. This goes through the thick skin, soft tissues, and muscle. This goes through the left side of the diaphragm, and this stab wound injures the left kidney.
Because we're on this particular photograph, doctor, this 1M3, and of course we can see another injury to Ms. Teague's left side of her neck. Since the photo's up there, can we talk a little bit about that particular injury?
Of course. This is an incised wound here on the posterior and lateral aspect of Sabrina Teague's neck. This is cutting into the underlying subcutaneous soft tissue. So it's very long on the skin surface, but it's just going to the level of the subcutaneous fat. This is an incised wound, or a cut, into the back and side of Sabrina Teague's neck.
I believe, Dr. Tranquilla, that we've covered on your final diagnosis all the different stab wounds listed to the head and torso, the different injuries you noted to Sabrina Teague. I'd like to kind of go to page two of your complete report in exhibit 10, where you start to list some incised wounds. I know you described what an incised wound is, longer on the surface rather than deeper.
Could we list some of those for the jury that you observed on Sabrina T?
Of course. So again, we described incised wounds as longer on the skin surface and they are deep into the body. Another way to think about them as cuts as opposed to stabs. Sabrina Teague had about five incised wounds. And the first was on the right side of the underside of her chin.
And this was a superficial cut, but it was an evidence of sharp force trauma being applied, or an object with a sharp edge being applied to the right side of the underside of her chin. We showed one of the other ones earlier as well, the incised wound on the back and left side of Sabrina Teague's neck. This was a long incised wound or long cut that just penetrated to the level of the soft tissue.
In addition, Sabrina Teague had an incised wound. on the dorsal surface of her left forearm. She had a cut on the dorsal surface of the forearm from the elbow, the forearm we consider from the elbow to the wrist, and she had a cut on the dorsal surface of the forearm. Also, she had a cut on the volar or palmar aspect of the left thumb. That's A, B, C, and D. C and D are super
We also have the incised wound, that superficial inside of the wound of the underside of the chin is depicted in that diagram as well. Also there are abrasions or scrapes or scratches of the left side of the seat's forehead and the chin also. Also the incised wound of the posterior aspect of the left side of the neck, which we saw earlier in the other photograph as well.
These are diagrams of the decedent's hands, both the dorsal or knuckle side and the palmar sides as well, both the left and the right hands. The decedent had an abrasion on the dorsal aspect of the proximal phalange of the right index finger. This is the incised wound on the palmar aspect of the thumb of the left hand, or cut on the palmar aspect of the thumb of the left hand.
In addition, shed a small hematoma or blood blister on the palmar aspect of the ring finger of the left hand.
Again, continuing with your report, Exhibit 10, after you listed the incised wounds, you have a section that lists blunt force trauma, head, torso, and extremities. I'd like to see if we could just go through those injuries you observed on Sabrina Teague's body.
Of course, once again, blunt force trauma is trauma that is caused by impacting or being impacted by an object that doesn't have a sharp force, a sharp edge. In other words, a blunt surface. This can be as broad as anything from a fist, a foot, or a door, or a wall, or a tree. Basically, it's something that doesn't have a blunt force edge.
Sometimes these impacts can leave a pattern, but many times they don't. We try to categorize them in abrasions, superficial scrapes or scratches of the skin, contusions, where the skin is intact but we have bleeding underneath the skin surface, or a bruise, or lacerations. Laceration are tears or rips in the skin caused by the application of blood force.
In her case, she had abrasions and contusions, so scrapes and bruises. Starting with the head, We saw that she had a linear scrape or scratch on the upper aspect of the left side of the forehead. She also had another abrasion on the right side of the chin. And she had another abrasion on the underside of the chin as well.
On the torso, she had an abrasion on the midline of the upper aspect of the back. So the upper back at the middle of the back. And she had two abrasions of the posterior aspect or back of the left hip. Now, these abrasions had a possible pattern. They were crescent-shaped, or like the shape of a crescent moon. These are very consistent or suggestive of fingernail scratches into the skin.
She had a small contusion, or that blood blister, of the palmar aspect of her left hand. I'm sorry, the palmar aspect of the left index finger, left wing finger. She had an abrasion or scratch on the dorsal aspect of the proximal phalange of the right ring finger. And then she had a number of abrasions on the left thigh, left leg, and left ankle.
And then she had additional abrasions on the right thigh, right knee, right leg, and right foot.
Dr. Trinke, the only one I see we really didn't cover, and there's quite a few, are... Under the blunt force trauma section head, oh, there's one contusion. I apologize.
I'm sorry.
Could you please list that?
So in addition to the abrasions and the contusion described in the left hand, there was also another contusion on the left side of the frontal scalp. So the frontal scalp covers from just above the ear forward, and there was a contusion on the left side of the frontal scalp, or bruise.
Dr. Tranchita, after completing your autopsy of Sabrina Teague and putting together, starting to prepare your report, do you have an opinion to a reasonable degree of medical certainty it's a cause of death of Sabrina Teague?
I do.
What is that?
To a reasonable degree of medical certainty, I believe that the cause of death of Sabrina Teague is the stab wounds of the torso, as these penetrated deeply into the body, perforating her lung, her aorta, and her heart, her diaphragm, her liver. These were significant life-threatening injuries, causing collapse of her lung, significant internal hemorrhaging, and ultimately death.
Now to my final question then. Based on a reasonable degree of medical certainty, do you have an opinion as to the manner of death for Sabrina Teague?
I do.
What is that opinion, Doctor?
To a reasonable degree of medical certainty, I believe that the manner of death for Sabrina Teague is homicide.
Dr. Trinchita, on the same date that you completed Sabrina Teague's autopsy, did you have an opportunity to perform an autopsy in the body of his son Teague as well? Yes, I did. And on that date, June 9, 2016, do you believe it was in the afternoon hours that you completed the autopsy for Ms. Heesun Teague? Yes, I did.
I'm going to show you, Doctor, I'd like to go through the same procedure that we did for Suprena Teague's autopsy for Heesun Teague. I'll show you what's been marked instead of number 11. through that document. Dr. Trinchini, did you have a chance to look through Exhibit 11?
Yes, I did.
Is that a copy of your autopsy report involving Isantig?
Yes, it is.
I'd like to go through again the same procedure. I'm going to begin on page 1, where it lists the final diagnosis involving the autopsy of Isantig. The very first category lists stab wounds, lists two of them. I'd like to start with those and go through injury by injury.
Peace and Teague had a number of different modalities of injuries or types of injuries. The first they listed in the list of final diagnoses were her stab wounds. She had two stab wounds. The first was of her head. This struck the left temporal scalp. It went through the left temporal muscle or the muscle that sits on the left temporal scalp. And it went into the left temporal bone.
It did not penetrate through the temporal bone, however. The second stab wound was of her torso. This stab wound struck her in her left breast. This went through the left fourth rib. This went through the pericardial sac, that fibrous sac that protects the heart. And then it went into the heart, stabbing her in the heart, specifically the right ventricle.
And Dr. Trinkita, I'm going to take a couple steps back. Did you... Do the same protocol or procedure that you did with Sabrina Teague's autopsy with his son. By that, I mean going to an external exam after you opened up the bag where her body was located, and then also go to an internal exam as well.
That is correct.
Now, again, doctor, those are the two injuries you listed for stab wounds. The next section is Roman numeral number two. endless incised wounds to Hisantig. Is that correct? That is correct. Could we go through those and indicate to the jury the incised wounds that you located on Hisantig's body?
Of course. So once again, incised wounds are cuts. They're sharp force injuries that are longer on the skin surface than deep into the body. Hisantig had five incised wounds or five cuts. The first was of her left ear. This incised wound amputated or cut off the superior aspect of her left ear or the upper part of her left ear. She had another incised wound or cut on the left side of the forehead.
She had another incised wound or cut on the left cheek. And then she had another incised wound or cut on the right jawline.
Doctor, I would like to... continue and just go through the different injuries before I start to show pictures because I think when I start to show the photographs, there's going to be a combination of the different injuries, whether they're incised wounds or stab wounds, kind of together in blunt force trauma.
So I'm going to ask if we could just continue as in your report, the final diagnosis after incised wounds where it says compression of neck.
Yes, sir. He, Santee, had injuries of the neck consistent with compression of the neck. I believe that there was both ligature, or using a cord, and manual compression of the neck, or using of the hands. A ligature was recovered from around Heeson Teague's neck, and there was a ligature furrow that was imprinted upon the skin of Heeson Teague's neck.
In addition to these external injuries, this ligature furrow that was present on the neck There were also abrasions as well. But deeper into the neck structures, there were areas of muscular hemorrhage deep into the neck. This is very consistent with compression by fingertips or application of blunt force trauma to cause bruising and hemorrhage of the deep structures of the neck.
So there was both ligature and manual strangulation of the neck. As a consequence of this, there were hemorrhages in the decedent's eyes, or petechial hemorrhages and vulvar hemorrhages.
Essentially, when you apply pressure to the blood vessels in the neck, this causes the blood vessels in the eyes and the conjunctiva around the eyes to burst, causing hemorrhages in the soft tissues around the eyes.
Dr. Tranchita, I'd like to see if you'd just define a couple of terms, a couple of words. Ligature and furrow.
A ligature furrow, a ligature is a rope or cord. You want to think of a ligature as, from the Latin word ligare, something to tie. So anything that is a cord or a rope can be a ligature. A furrow is an indentation or impression or crushing injury of the neck such that a furrow is left behind in the skin after you remove the ligature.
The next section in your final diagnosis lists blunt force trauma of the head, torso, and extremities. I'd like to see if we can go through those injuries one by one.
Sabrina, I'm sorry, Heeson Teague had abrasions. contusions and lacerations of her head, torso, and extremities, very many of them. In addition, many of these were patterned injuries. In other words, impacts to the tissues of the body that left an imprint behind that we could describe to give some indication as to what instrument may have caused these injuries.
In addition to these external injuries, she had diffuse subgalial hemorrhage of her head. The galia is the soft tissue that sits on your head, under your scalp, but over your skull. This was diffusely hemorrhagic. In other words, it was all full of blood. She had subarachnoid hemorrhage over the brain. The surface of the brain is called the arachnoid membrane.
When the brain is injured, it can bleed. And this is called subarachnoid hemorrhage. So there was hemorrhage all over the surface of the brain on this membrane that surrounds and protects the brain. In addition, there was injury to the brain surface itself, the brain itself, not just the membrane covering the brain, but there were contusions of the cerebral surface.
or cerebral contusions, contusions of the brain. There were lacerations and contusions, in other words, tears and bruising of the oral mucosa, or the inner aspects of both lips, indicative of blows of the lips. She had a number of fractures, including the frontal bone, including the left parietal bone, the nasal bones, and the mandible, or jaw. She had fractures of the sternum.
She had fractures of multiple ribs on both sides. She had a fracture of the cervical spine, or the neck was fractured. She had a fracture of the left radius bone, so one of the bones in her forearm. She had fractures of bones in her metacarpal bones, or the bones of the hands, of the left and right hands.
And she had fractures of the phalangeal bones, or the first section of each finger, of the left ring finger, left thumb, and right little finger. She also had a subbundle hematoma, or bleeding underneath the toenail, of the left third toe.
One of the items listed, it says in item H, hemoaspiration. What does that term mean?
Hemoaspiration comes from hemo for blood and aspiration, aspirating or inhaling. Essentially, as a result of all these injuries to her head, she was bleeding into her airway, bleeding into the nose, bleeding to the sinuses, bleeding into the mouth. And she was inhaling this blood, so the blood was going into her airway.
So she was essentially aspirating or drowning in her own blood.
This is a document, an anatomical document diagram of the anterior and posterior surfaces of the female bodies. is that the majority of injuries are going to be depicted in another diagram, just because there are so many injuries in the head that I'm unable to put them all in the sense of this diagram.
However, in this diagram, I'm still able to show the two stab wounds, which are the first injuries that we described. The stab wound of the left pearl scalp, and this is located just behind the left ear. This is the one that's going through the ribs, through the pericardial sac, and into the heart.
In addition, in the remainder of the body and extremity diagrams, again, I put circles around the hands just to depict that there are so many injuries of the hands that I'm unable to include them in this diagram just for size and space. But elsewhere, I'm trying to show the injuries that are present on the torso, the injuries that are present on the arms.
bilateral upper extremities, and the injuries that are present in bilateral lower extremities as well.
Dr. Tranchita, when you go to your report, starting on page 6 of exhibit 11, It goes through, there's a lot of them, the abrasions from the head and neck. I wonder if you could just maybe list, doctor, the number of abrasions to the head or neck of He-San Teague that were observed.
There are almost two pages of injuries of the head and neck of He-San Teague. There are at least 14 separate abrasions. There are 14 separate contusions. There are at least 29 separate lacerations. Then we go into the internal injuries of his fatigue.
Dr. Tranchito, there are some places in your report, for example, on page 6, I'm going to pick one here, Under blunt force trauma, under head and neck, you'll have like number three, you'll say crescentic abrasion. And I think you told the jury earlier, crescentic means like a crescent moon. Correct.
What did you indicate that that can help you determine when there's an injury like an abrasion that's crescentic?
When we examine injuries, as a forensic pathologist, I'm trying to determine if there's any patterns or features of the injuries that can help investigators possibly identify a weapon that could be at the scene or recovered subsequently that might match the pattern of the injury that's created.
So a crescent-shaped injury is often very helpful because it indicates an object with some sort of rounded edge or a surface with some sort of rounded edge. In this case, there were a number of injuries that were present that had this crescentic pattern or circular pattern of the body.
So I was able to give the investigators, you may want to look for an object or an instrument that has a rounded or crescent-shaped edge.
Doctor, I'd like to continue in your report to page 8, where you again discuss the torso. And I'm wondering if you could just list the number of abrasions to His Antiques' torso.
There were eight separate abrasions of His Antiques' torso. Again, many of these had patterned appearances, which I was able to relay to the investigators.
The same crescentic pattern?
Correct. And some had a more circular appearance, indicating an entire circular surface.
Contusions to the torso? Approximately how many can you see in your report to his body?
There were at least 16 separate contusions or bruises to the torso.
It does list in your report the different fractures of the ribs, but I think you already discussed those earlier. On page 9, at the very bottom, it says left upper extremity. Left upper extremity, is that just the left arm?
Absolutely. Going from the left shoulder to the left hand. Entire left upper extremity.
Would you indicate on Heeson Teague's body, on her left upper extremity, approximate number of abrasions?
She had seven separate abrasions on her left upper extremity.
And then contusions?
Contusions, there were... four separate contusions. However, one of them I want to emphasize is fairly extensive. It involves the entire posterior aspect of the left elbow, the dorsal aspect of the left arm, the left wrist, the left hand, and the left fingers. So it's not just one focal bruise. The entire area is diffusely bruised.
And Dr. Tranchito, why do you describe that one as significant? Just because of the area damage, the large area?
Correct. By the numbers, I don't want to convey. I think when most people think of a bruise, you tend to think of a small focus of bruising. By full bruising, I just mean number, not size. This bruise that was confluent or diffusely covering the left forearm, left elbow, left hand is one very large bruise.
And if we continue with the left upper extremity, the number of lacerations to the upper extremity or arm?
there were three separate lacerations or tears or rips of the skin of the left upper extremity.
Again, next in your report, I think you've already covered the fractures. Could you list on the right upper extremity the number of contusions observed?
There were eight separate contusions in the right upper extremity. Again, I want to emphasize that one of these contusions is a large contusion that covers the dorsal aspect of the right hand, the fingers of the right hand. It's a fairly extensive injury that involved the entirety of the right hand.
In addition, two of the contusions are paired, or they are closely approximated together, and they are opposing arcs. These contusions were suggested in a pattern of possible bite mark of the arm.
The number of lacerations to the right upper extremity?
There were four separate lacerations or tears of the skin of the right upper extremity. Okay.
The left lower extremity of the hyacinth is commonly referred to as the leg. What is that area? Am I correct, doctor?
The left lower extremity extends from pretty much the hip down to the foot.
The number of abrasions observed to hyacinth?
There are three separate abrasions, including, again, a possible pattern abrasion. That's that imprint that allows me to give a possible indication of the instrument used.
And that's, again, crescentic or kind of half-moon shape? Correct. This one was more circular. Circular. And then number of contusions on the left lower extremity? There were seven separate contusions on the left lower extremity. Let's move on finally to the right lower extremity of East Antique. A number of abrasions.
There were two abrasions of the right lower extremity.
And a number of contusions to that right lower extremity.
There were four separate contusions of the right lower extremity.
Page 2 of Incident 12, can you indicate what is depicted in the abrasion?
Of course. As we said earlier, I reasonably put a circle around the body diagram's heads. The earlier diagram was just because there were so many injuries of the head that there just wasn't enough room to depict them individually. Depicted in this diagram are the stab wounds, abrasions, contusions, and lacerations of He-San Teague's head. The stab wounds are visible.
Let's see if you can see them very well. Here's a depiction. I think I drew this manually. I apologize for my artwork. But this is the decedent's left ear. Stab wound A was located just behind the decedent's left ear. There are a number of incised wounds as well. The first one, of course, is the one that transects or cuts off the upper aspect of her left ear.
There's also an incised wound of the left cheek. and incised wounds of the right cheek as well, and I believe there was also an incised wound of the left side of the forehead. Then, in areas with hash marks, these are all different areas of bruising or contusions. These are all bruises that have been inflicted upon this antique's head.
Some of these have a pattern appearance, a circular appearance, or quiescentic sort of appearances. Then these jagged injuries, or lacerations, or tears, or rips in the deceased's tissues caused by application of workforce trauma. She also, in addition to the skin, she also had oral mucosal bruising and tears, or contusions and lacerations.
And then as we described earlier, there's a number of skull fractures as well, which are depicted in another diagram also. This is the diagram. Page three. In page 3, can everyone hear me okay? Thank you. Underneath some of the lacerations, there were fractures present. And these are crescent-shaped fractures.
Again, very helpful because they help me tell that this object that caused this must have a rounded edge. There were crescent-shaped divots or fractures of the frontal bone, or the bone of the front of the skull, and the left parietal bone, or the bone of the side of the skull. Now, these impacts were so hard that they also caused fractures of the base of the skull.
When you remove the skull cap and you remove the brain, this is the base of the skull where the brain sits. The spinal cord goes in here. Underneath both of these plates are the eyes, so these are referred to as the orbital plates. These are thin bones, and both of these were broken as well from impacts.
In addition, her nasal bone was broken, and she had a wedge-shaped fracture of her jaw right there. And these are the fractures depicted there. This is a side view from the left, depicting those fractures as well. There's another one there also. This is a lateral view of the decedent's body.
Again, I'm using the lateral diagrams to help depict some of the injuries that may not have been easy to show on the front and side views. These are depicting bruises to the side of the decedent's body. And these are also depicting some of the crescent-shaped impacts. In these cases, these are abrasions and confusions that are crescent-shaped or like a half moon on the side of the decedent's body.
So these are close-up diagrams of His Antiques hands, left and right, front and back. Again, the left hand contusion, or this hash mark, is going all the way up the forearm, all the way up to the elbow. This is extensive bruising going from the elbow to the hand. In addition, there are crescent-shaped lacerations of the dorsal aspects of our hand. This fingernail on the index finger is split.
There is a laceration on the palm of her hand as well, and there are also broken bones in the decedent's left hand. On the right hand as well, we have bruising of the back and the front, or the dorsal aspect and the palmar aspect of her left hand. There are lacerations of her hand as well, there and there, and she also has broken bones in her right hand as well.
At this time, I'd like to see if we could just approach the state in the defense for a brief sidebar.
So ladies and gentlemen, this thing looks like a good time for us to take about a 15-minute break. The jury has returned to the courtroom. Do we have Dr. Tranchita?
Okay. Dr. Tranchita, I'd like to, before we complete the direct examination, ask you to show you a couple, several photographs and see if you can identify these for the jury. The first photograph I'd like to show you is 1M4. And could you, Dr. Trankeita, identify what is depicted in 1M4 up on the screen?
This was the ligature, a rope that was recovered from around He-San Teague's neck, the body of He-San Teague. It appears to be a yellow woven nylon sort of rope that was looped around, or looped through, rather, a gray metal hook. has created a man-fixed simple noose around the deceased's neck.
Now, Dr. Chankita, you've already discussed numerous injuries on East Antiques' body in various places that either had a complete circle shape or half-circle or crescentic type of shape like a crescent moon. I want to show you one specific photo. It would be 1M12. See if you could identify that jury.
One M12 is depicting a crescent shaped abrasions. on the upper aspect of the left side of the scene's back, just on the medial aspect, or the closest part to the midline of the shoulder blade. In addition, there's a second, more circular, outlined circular abrasion. These are what we referred to earlier as our patterned abrasions.
In other words, these aren't just regular sort of shapes on the skin surface. there's a very kind of clearly defined shape to this injury, which might be helpful to indicate what sort of instrument or object caused, or surface caused these injuries.
Okay. Now, Dr. Trinkita, as part of your examination, a part of your autopsy in this case, did you have an opportunity to look at a tire iron that was displayed to you as part of this autopsy?
I did, and I referred to this tire iron on page 14 of the autopsy report. This was after the completion of the autopsy in a separate room. I examined a tire iron that was brought to me as a possible instrument.
I'd like to show you just several more photographs at this time, starting with 1M13. Can you identify that photograph for the jury?
This is the tire iron that was brought to me. This is a photograph that was taken by us. We have used a blue tray as a background. And this is our label from our medical examiner's office. It's a gray scale label that we can detect to see if there's an alteration to color. And it also has a scale on it as well.
The case number for this case is also included on the label, so we know which photograph goes with which case. This is the tire iron that was given. As you can see, it has a rounded edge. It has a chiseled edge, and the remainder of the tire iron is wrapped in what appears to be gray duct tape.
As you got to look at that tire iron depicted in this photograph, was there at least a red substance on portions of the duct tape as well? That is correct.
In particular, when there was dried red residue on the socket end of the tire iron as well as on the duct tape as well.
I'd like to go forward to 1M14. Can you just describe it? It's more of a close-up. Can you describe that for the jury?
This is some of that tacky red substance residue that was present, consistent with blood, on the duct tape of the tie rod.
And is this the end of it, or has the rounded area at the end of the tie rod? That is correct. Go to 1M15, or the close-up again.
This is more towards the middle portion between the socket end and the chisel end of the tire iron. Again, the duct tape that's wrapped around the handle, if you will. And again, red residue droplets present on the duct tape.
Go forward to photograph 1M16.
This is another close-up to, again, emphasize the presence of this red residue of droplets present on the duct tape. 1M17. This is the chisel portion of the tire iron. As you can see, it has a fairly sharper edge than the chisel portion, which is not covered with duct tape.
1M18.
This is a side view of the socket head of the tire wrench. Again, duct tape is covering the tire wrench almost all the way up to the socket head. And there's dried red residue on the socket head.
Final photograph, 1M19.
This is an on-foss or head-on view of the socket head. The one thing that I want to emphasize is the rounded edge of the socket head of the tire wrench. In addition, there's also a hexagonal pattern imprinted on the inner aspect of the socket head. of the injuries. The curvature of the socket head is consistent with some of the pattern abrasions caused on the body.
And in addition, the edge of the hexagon is also indicated in some of the injuries as well.
So based on your view of the, of Hisantik's body and also your view of this, this tire iron object we're looking at, you indicated, you believe this tire iron is consistent with causing some of those injuries on her body.
That's correct. I believe that during the assault of Hisantig, the ligature that was indicated earlier was used, and this tile iron is consistent with having been used as well.
I'd like to go back to photo 1M12, and I'd like to see if we can zoom in, if we can zoom in any further. Can we do that? Okay. Okay. Dr. Tranchita, do you see the injury? It's on the right side of the photograph, the right side of Hisantique's kind of torso on her back. You can see that's the circle, is that correct?
That's correct.
And can you actually see on the right side of the circle that hexagon or more of a straight edge? Absolutely. Well, then I'll just ask Dr. Tranchita, you describe what you see in that injury.
As we talked about earlier, we are seeing a pattern injury present on the seaman's body. Another part of the body is crescentic. In other words, only a portion of this rounded object has struck the seaman's body, so we're only seeing the crescent as opposed to the full moon or the full circle of the object.
In this injury, we can see that, again, one side is hit, causing a crescentic compression, but then a portion of the other side is present, creating a more complete circle. On the inner aspect of the circle, there appears to be a portion of a hexagonal image.
Just finally, a couple final questions, Dr. Tranchita. Based on your autopsy, your observations, your training experience, do you have a reasonable degree of medical certainty an opinion as the cause of death of .
I do.
And what is that opinion?
I listed her cause of death as homicidal violence, including stab wounds of the torso, blunt force trauma of the head, torso extremities, and compression of the neck.
Do you have, again, an opinion? You kind of already indicated homicidal. Do you have an opinion to a reasonable degree of medical certainty to the manner of death of Heath Santee based on everything that you place on the record today? I do. What is that opinion?
I believe that the manner of death of Heath Santee is homicide.
No further questions for Dr. Tranchita.
Thank you. Cross-examination, Mr. Cotton?
No questions. Thank you.