The trial
On Feb. 13, 2013, a year-and-a-half after Lauren Astley’s murder, her ex-boyfriend Nathaniel Fujita’s test began.
“there is two people that are different” buddy Genevieve Flynn stated. “there is, like, the Nate that has been in senior high school with us, who was simply, like, within my homeroom, that would joke around beside me, who was simply in the track team with me. There is that Nate. Then there is, like, the Nate whom We have just actually noticed in handcuffs as well as in a court space.”
Expected kliknij zasobГіw just exactly how he seemed in court, buddy Hannah Blahut told Smith, “He mostly kept their face down. So when he looked up, he seemed simply not like any Nate that I would ever understood.”
Prosecutor Lisa McGovern wastes no right amount of time in spelling down why Lauren had been murdered.
“This defendant is responsible just as charged,” McGovern addressed the court inside her opening declaration.
“Nathaniel Fujita had been harmed by Lauren Astley maybe perhaps not finding its way back to him in which he killed her,” McGovern told “48 Hours”
Defense lawyer William Sullivan, in the opening declaration, admits Nathaniel killed Lauren.
“In many murder situations, the real question is whom? Whom achieved it? that is not this instance,” the told the court. “This case there’s– there is gonna be two concerns, why and just how. “
“How exactly does a man that is young . there is no actual proof of him ever laying a hand with this girl that is young . so how exactly does he take action similar to this?” Sullivan remarked to Tracy Smith. “we told the jury, ‘you’re gonna notice and determine some really distressing facts.'”
“. she passed away because of the mixture associated with strangulation and also the incised wounds . to her throat,” health Examiner Henry Nields testified.
Nields stated after Lauren ended up being strangled having a bungee cable, she then suffered a true quantity of shallow wounds to her throat before her neck ended up being cut.
“Why these trivial, superficial wounds? He did that to harm her,” McGovern told “48 Hours”. “Why did he deliver the gaping, deep wound? He did that to destroy her.”
The prosecution questioned Genevieve Flynn and Lauren’s other buddies about June 2011 — the thirty days between senior high school graduation and Lauren’s murder.
“we saw Lauren select her hands up and push them down her part as if she ended up being saying, simply keep away from me personally,” Hannah testified.
Hannah Blahut testified about this graduation party where Nathaniel punched a pole keeping within the celebration tent.
“Nate got mad that Lauren was not speaking with him,” close friend Chloe Jacques told “48 Hours”. “He had been aggressive because he had been really drunk.”
McGovern thinks Nathaniel’s display of rage ended up being an ominous prelude to killing Lauren.
“this really is a domestic physical violence murder. This is perpetrated because of the relationship, that was a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship,” McGovern told “48 Hours.”
“The prosecution is painting this as a domestic violence that is violence-dating,” Smith noted to Sullivan. “Proper,” he responded.
However the protection disagrees.
“Nathaniel . did not stalk her. Did not drive by her household. Was not calling her. Wasn’t texting her. And none of this ended up being present,” Sullivan told Smith.
The protection wishes the jury to spotlight Nathaniel’s behavior after graduation prior to Lauren’s murder:
Bill Sullivan: through that time those three months, be reasonable to state you did not begin to see the defendant after all.
R.J. Bolivar: I don’t think therefore.
“His buddies was indeed saying they did not desire to go out because he had been acting differently,” Chloe told “48 Hours” with him anymore.
Bill Sullivan: he is perhaps perhaps not getting together with you dudes anymore, right?
Connor Murphy: Appropriate.
Friends Connor and R.J. testify Nathaniel had dropped from their social circle.
Bill Sullivan: will it be reasonable to state that individuals had been commenting that Nathaniel was not around?
R.J. Bolivar: some social individuals were, yeah.