Opening Statements In Bianca Jones Murder Trial
DETROIT (WWJ) - The mother of 2-year-old Bianca Jones again professed her faith and confidence in D'Andre Lane who is on trial for the first degree murder of their daughter.
On day one of the trial in Wayne County Circuit Court, Banika Jones said she believes Bianca is still alive and that Lane would never hurt one of his kids.
"I've never seen him do anything that would cause me to believe that he couldn't be a good father and parent to her. He'd done fine with his other children," she said.
Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Carin Goldfarb told jurors during opening statements that they will hear testimony that Lane was obsessed with potty training, discipline and control and that he beat Bianca to death after she soiled herself. "He believed that when 2-year-olds had accidents they should be physically punished," Goldfarb said.
Lane has maintained his innocence, saying Bianca was taken in a car-jacking in early December.
"I wish people would just focus on finding my daughter and not looking at me to be the bad guy or the villain in this situation; just, just look for my baby," Lane told WWJ Newsradio 950 in an interview earlier this year. "That's all that matters to me is that my baby comes home safely."
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy has said there was no car-jacking and that Lane's story was not consistent with the facts of the case.
Still, the child's body has not been found.
Defense attorney Terry Johnson on Wednesday attacked the police department's use of a cadaver dog to tie Lane to the child's alleged death.
"You're a demon, is what the police said ... let's bring these dogs over here," Johnson told the court. "The dogs came several days later, so we already made up our mind ... but that's OK, we're right .. that's what they want you to believe. And this is what the dog did: ruff! He barked."
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