Prosecution Wrapping Up Case Against Accused Cop Killer
ST. CLOUD, Minn. (WCCO) -- Prosecutors are closing in on the end of their case against the man accused of killing Mendota Heights police officer Scott Patrick last July during a traffic stop.
A firearms expert testified Wednesday in Stearns County Court that the bullets and shell casings fired from a 9-millimeter pistol match the gun police found when Brian Fitch Sr. was taken into custody.
Fitch is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Officer Patrick on July 30, 2014. The incident led to a day-long manhunt before he was arrested following a dramatic shootout with police.
Investigator Matt Swenke would be the first to testify on this fifth day of the Fitch murder trial. He led the investigation and later took a DNA swab from Fitch's mouth. That was matched to evidence taken from the Green Pontiac and the pistol Fitch used in his shootout with police.
Then came testimony from two BCA forensic scientists that started pulling the pieces together. Myha Lee found one spent 9-millimeter casing under the driver's seat of Fitch's Pontiac, after it was abandoned right after Officer Patrick was shot.
BCA firearms expert Kurt Moline test fired the pistol found when Fitch was arrested to compare with spent casings and three bullets fired into Officer Patrick. Moline told jurors. "firearms leave unique patterns of lines on a bullet" as well as "unique markings on the brass casings."
When compared to the test fired bullets and spent casings, Moline said, "It's my expert opinion the Smith and Wesson pistol fired that bullet."
Prosecutors then surprised jurors with the testimony of Claude Crockson. He was in the same medical unit at Oak Park Heights. There, he said Fitch asked him to arrange a hit on two witnesses, Taya Moran and Lori Pocock.
When asked why he would snitch on Fitch, an old acquaintance, Crockson said to clear his name.