POCATELLO - Prosecutors attempted to enter into evidence nearly 40 crime scene and autopsy related photos of Cassie Jo Stoddart's lifeless body during Brian Draper's murder trial Friday.
Jurors only saw a couple of crime scene photos, but it was enough to make a couple of them wipe a tears from their eyes.
Several of Stoddart's family members, who have attended the trial since Wednesday's opening arguments, were also overcome with emotion, sobbing softly.
With emotions heightening and the day coming to a close, Sixth District Judge Peter D. McDermott, did not allow additional photos of the crime scene to be shown to the jury, telling Bannock County Prosecutor Mark Hiedeman they could be shown Saturday.
The photos were introduced during the testimony of Bannock County Sheriff's Detective Alex Hamilton, who took the pictures of the crime scene on Sept. 24 and the autopsy on Sept. 25.
McDermott did not allow the jury to be shown any pictures from the autopsy. Defense attorneys objected on the grounds that Hamilton is not a medical expert and could not testify as to the contents.
McDermott ruled that Hiedeman could re-enter the photos of the autopsy when the pathologist who performed the procedure testifies.
The photo evidence came at the conclusion of a day that included the cross examination of Bannock County Sheriff's Detective Andy Thomas by defense attorneys. During that cross examination, a recording of the Sept. 27 police interrogation of Torey Adamcik was played for jurors.
Adamcik and Draper were both arrested Sept. 27, three days after Stoddart's body was found and five days after she was stabbed to death.
Both defendants were charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. Their legal defenses were severed earlier this year and Adamcik's trial is scheduled for May 29.
Draper's attorney, Bannock County Chief Deputy Public Defender David Martinez, played the video of Adamcik's second interrogation by police to illustrate his defense.
Martinez characterized Adamcik as a cold, calculating aggressor in the murder of Stoddart. He described Draper in his opening arguments Wednesday as a follower who did not know the murder was going to occur that night and ultimately felt threatened by Adamcik.
By the time of the Sept. 27 interrogation, Adamcik has given up on the story that he and Draper went to the movies the night Stoddart was killed. The video of the interrogation shows him telling police of how he and Draper allegedly burglarized cars in the neighborhood where Stoddart was house-sitting.
The interrogation happened several hours after Draper's Sept. 27 interview during which he told Thomas that he and Adamcik were involved in the murder of Stoddart.
Thomas and Idaho State Police Detective Lt. John Ganske allow Adamcik to tell them details about the cars he and Draper allegedly burglarized for roughly 45 minutes before the officers tell the teen they know he was involved in the Stoddart murder. They then placed Adamcik under arrest.
In questioning Thomas after the video was played, Martinez contrasts Adamcik's calm demeanor after police accused him of the crime with Draper's emotional confession.
Thomas later testified that both Adamcik and Draper each had the same calm manner during their second interrogations by police, during which each testified they burglarized cars the night Stoddart was killed.
Draper and Adamcik were arrested Sept. 27, just three days after Stoddart's body was found. They were both charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.
Stoddart was stabbed to death Sept. 22 while house-sitting for relatives and was found two days later when they returned home.
Both defendants and Stoddart were 16-year-old juniors at Pocatello High School when the murder occurred. Draper turned 17 last month.
Adamcik and Draper are facing life in prison if convicted. Prosecutors did not seek the death penalty for the teens.
By Jimmy Hancock