Accused Cop Killer Made 25 Calls Day Of Officer's Murder
ST. CLOUD, Minn. (WCCO) -- Forensic scientists took the stand Tuesday at the Brian Fitch Sr. murder trial in Stearns County Court, explaining how they found and protected evidence linked to the crime.
This is day four of the trial for Fitch, who is accused of killing Mendota Heights police officer Scott Patrick on July 30, 2014. Eight hours after Patrick was shot and killed, Fitch got into a wild gun battle with police after they cornered him in a St. Paul parking lot.
This was largely a very technical day in court, with testimony ranging from how cell calls are tracked between towers to the processing of shell casings believed fired from Brian Fitch Sr.'s pistol.
When police finally cornered Brian Fitch Sr. in that St. Paul parking lot, a massive gun battle ensued. Tuesday in court, prosecutors produced six spent 9-millimeter shell casings found in and around Fitch's getaway vehicle.
Earlier, officers testified that Fitch shot at them first. Photos of his car show it riddled with bullet holes. Trajectory rods show the direction of Fitch's gunfire towards police.
BCA Forensic Scientist Lindsey Garfield processed the scene of the Patrick's shooting. She told jurors that a fired bullet was retrieved from the pavement not far from his squad. Later, she determined it had passed through the slain officer's leg.
Two other 9-millimeter bullets were recovered during the autopsy.
Jurors also heard from a Sprint employee, who explained how cell phone calls can be traced to the nearest tower. Fitch's 25 calls that morning and immediately after the shooting were routed by two specific towers.
Officer Jamie Sipes processed evidence from Fitch's apprehension and shootout with police. Besides the spent shell casings found in his car, she located some narcotics and two pistols.
Two guns were recovered from his car, the 9-millimeter pistol with a laser sight and a smaller two-shot shot .22-caliber pistol. Much of the questioning by defense Tuesday centered on the chain of custody, making sure the evidence in front of jurors is exactly as it was found at the scenes and uncontaminated or altered by anyone.
The trial is going faster than it was anticipated. The judge said it could wrap up as early as Thursday and go to the jury on Friday morning. A lot of that depends on how many witnesses the defense calls for Fitch, and at this point, Lori Traub isn't showing her cards.