The Out-Lawyer's Blog

That Darned Post Again

This is the last critical stage in the murder trial of Hans Reiser.  Watch for the blood smudge on the entryway post in the Exeter house to come up again in the testimony of Hans’ mother.  As the record now stands, she had noticed the smudge on that darned post before and after Nina’s disappearance.  Yet the DA criminalist, Cavness, testified that the blood smear was pretty obvious.  Neither counsel will be able to leave this alone, in my opinion.

Here’s the DA’s best question: "Mrs. Palmer, after you realized that Nina was missing did you ever inspect the post in the entryway to your house?"


If the answer is “No’, then point made.  The jury knows from common experience that there is a difference between casually noticing something and paying close attention.

If the answer is “Yes”, then the obvious follow up question is ”What aroused your suspicion?" And the follow up: "Did you ever notice the blood smear on the post that OPD’s Shannon Cavness described and tested?"

Stay tuned.  This will be quite a week…

JBG