“What about the murder weapon?”
“The knife had blood on both the blade and the handle. We found Alan Sanders’ blood mixed with the defendant’s blood.”
Rosalind turned slightly toward the jury.
“So to be clear, Dr. Wallace, both the victim’s blood and the defendant’s blood were on the murder weapon.”
“That’s correct.”
“And were there fingerprints were also on the handle?”
“Yes. Both the defendant’s and the victim’s fingerprints were found on the knife, as well as some partials that were too smudged to identify.”
“In your professional opinion, is this evidence consistent with someone who committed a violent stabbing?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you. No further questions.”
Tony stood again with a hint of a smile.
He walked toward Dr. Wallace with the same calm confidence, his hands loose at his sides.
“Dr. Wallace, you testified that my client’s fingerprints were on the knife. Is that correct?”
“Yes.”
“Can you describe the location and pattern of those fingerprints?”
“They were on the handle itself, indicating he had a firm grip on the knife.”
“A firm grip,” Tony repeated. “Consistent with someone actively wielding the weapon?”
“Yes.”
“Now, you also examined the victim’s wounds. Can you describe those for the court?”
Dr. Wallace nodded. “There were multiple stab wounds. The majority were located on the victim’s back and posterior torso.”
“Multiple wounds to the back,” Tony said. “How many wounds are we discussing?”
“Approximately eleven stab wounds to the back and sides.”
“Eleven,” Tony said, letting that settle. “In your professional experience, what does a pattern of multiple stab wounds to the back indicate about the sequence of events?”
“It indicates the victim was likely facing away from the attacker, or the attacker was behind the victim during the assault.”
“So the victim was not facing my client when these wounds were inflicted?”
“That’s correct. The wound pattern is consistent with the attacker being behind the victim.”
Tony paused. “Dr. Wallace, if someone arrived at a scene and found their sister being attacked, and the attacker was facing their sister, and they intervened by grabbing a knife and striking the attacker from behind repeatedly to stop the assault, would that create this wound pattern?”
Rosalind launched out of her chair. “Objection, leading and argumentative.”
“Overruled. The witness may answer.” Uncle Alex focused on Dr. Wallace, and Rosalind sat down, clearly unhappy with his ruling.
“Yes. That would be entirely consistent with this pattern.”
