“When she didn’t answer the door, I went around back and saw a body through a window, lying on the floor unconscious.Blood pooled from the back of her head and also from a gunshot to her chest,” he said.“Immediately, I called for backup and also an ambulance.Then I entered the house and found that she was deceased.”
She asked her expert to bring up photos.One: Bianca’s class yearbook, laughing, dreams in her eyes.
When that image filled the screen, Nicole’s vision tunneled.
It hurt because she knew that smile.
Tripp caught it too, fleeting recognition in his eyes:hersmile.
Nicole swallowed.
“Do you recognize this woman?”
“Yes, that’s Bianca Laurent,” he said.
“Was she the dead person on the floor?”
“Yes,” he said.
She paused, letting the jury feel the gravity.
A calmness came over her as she questioned the witness, and she felt confident that Reddick had killed her victim.
When she thought she was done, she walked toward her desk.“Your witness.”
Tripp stood and walked to the podium.“Thanks for coming in today, Officer.You said when you arrived, the victim was already deceased.Did anyone prevent you from searching other areas of the house?”
The officer blinked.“We were focused on securing the scene until forensics arrived.That’s protocol.”
Tripp nodded.“Did you secure the house?”
“Yes, sir.Officer Hill and I checked the rest of the house and secured it.”
Tripp questioned the officer quietly: “You found the body in the living room.But the back door, left ajar?”
The officer fumbled.
“Odd, right?”
Nicole’s stomach dropped.The crime scene was unraveling even within minutes.
She watched Tripp’s pen hover over evidence charts.
“Did you find a murder weapon?”
“No, sir,” he replied.
“No further questions, your honor,” he said and returned to his chair.
“Call your next witness,” the judge said.
“The prosecution calls Detective Larry Spencer,” Nicole said, her voice steady as she rose.
The detective took the stand, the oath echoing in the quiet chamber.Nicole approached the podium, heels clicking softly against the polished wood.For the first few minutes, she walked the jury through his credentials—twenty-five years on the force, homicide division veteran, certified in evidence collection.Solid.Reliable.Exactly what they needed to hear.She saw a few jurors nodding faintly, as though reassured this man knew his work.
“Detective, tell us what you observed when you arrived at the scene.”
“The deceased was lying on her side,” Spencer said, his voice even, practiced.“She appeared to be curled in on herself, as if trying to protect her stomach.”
