Medical, forensics experts testify in Huguely trial

In a day devoted entirely to technical witnesses for the prosecution, Tuesday’s testimony in the George Huguely murder trial involved a handful of important revelations and a litany of details.

The day started with three medical experts — two neuropathologists (brain experts) and the second round of testimony from the medical examiner. The testimony revealed information about internal brain injuries that experts said likely killed Yeardley Love, but the prosecution led all three through the examination of Love’s brain, which, combined with cross-examination by the defense, created hours of testimony.

After the medical medley had wrapped up, the prosecution introduced a series of forensic witnesses.

Forensic toxicologist Curt Harper testified that Love had in her system only one quarter of the dose of Adderall needed to begin producing toxic effects.

Trace evidence expert James Anthony Brown testified that he was asked to test a smudge from a wall for cosmetics. He was unable to identify any cosmetics in the sample he was given, or to conclusively identify the substance on the wall, he said. The only smudge on a wall mentioned so far in the trial is one found in Love’s bedroom.

Latent print expert Jennie Mouer confirmed that she went zero for three in attempts to find usable fingerprints on evidence submitted in relation to the case.

The largest piece of evidence she checked was the door from Love’s bedroom, which was in court again Tuesday.

“I processed the whole door from top to bottom,” she said.

She explained that it wasn’t necessarily that there weren’t any prints, so much as that there weren’t any prints she could use to identify someone.

She also didn’t find anything usable on the door frame from Love’s bedroom or on an empty Natural Light beer can.

Blood stain expert Marjorie Harris testified about which stains were transfer (that is, blood from direct contact with a bleeding person or bloody object), which were wipes or swipes and which were spatter.

Much of the testimony was predicated on pictures visible only to the judge, jury, witness and attorneys, but not the audience in the gallery.

In response to a cross-examination question by defense attorney Francis McQ. Lawrence, Harris testified that none of the blood above the “sheetline” on Love’s bed was spatter, which means blood that moves forcefully enough through the air to become tiny droplets.

Everything above the sheetline was transfer, she said. She had previously said that blood on the bed’s skirt was spatter. She also said that blood on a computer case was spatter.

The day rounded out with testimony from DNA expert Angie Rainey. Her testimony largely matched the narrative of Love’s death provided by both sides: that Huguely and Love struggled in her room and that Love died there.