On Feb. 13, 2013, a year-and-a-half after Lauren Astley’s murder, her ex-boyfriend Nathaniel Fujita’s test started.
“There’s two people that are different” buddy Genevieve Flynn stated. “there is, like, the Nate that has been in highschool with us, who had been, like, in my own homeroom, that would joke around beside me, who had been regarding the track group beside me. There is that Nate. Then there is, like, the Nate whom We have just actually observed in handcuffs as well as in a court room.”
Asked just exactly how he seemed in court, buddy Hannah Blahut told Smith, “He mostly kept their face down. As soon as he looked up, he seemed simply not like most Nate that I would ever understood.”
“This defendant is accountable just as charged,” McGovern addressed the court inside her opening declaration.
“Nathaniel Fujita had been harmed by Lauren Astley perhaps not finding its way back to him in which he killed her,” McGovern told “48 Hours”
Defense lawyer William Sullivan, in their opening declaration, admits Nathaniel killed Lauren.
“In most murder instances, the real question is who? Who achieved it? That is not this situation,” the told the court. “This case there’s– there is gonna be two concerns, why and exactly how. “
“How exactly does a child . there is not any proof of him ever laying a hand about this young woman . how can he make a move such as this?” Sullivan remarked to Tracy Smith. “we told the jury, ‘you’re gonna notice and find out some extremely annoying facts.'”
“. she passed away as a outcome of the blend for the strangulation as well as the wounds that are incised . to her throat,” health Examiner Henry Nields testified.
Nields stated after Lauren had been strangled with a bungee cable, she then suffered a true wide range of shallow wounds to her throat before her neck ended up being cut.
“Why these shallow, superficial wounds? He did that to harm her,” McGovern told “48 Hours”. “Why did he deliver the gaping, deep injury? He did that to kill her.”
The prosecution questioned Genevieve Flynn and Lauren’s other buddies about June 2011 — the thirty days between senior school graduation and Lauren’s murder.
“we saw Lauren select up her arms and push them down her part as if she had been saying, simply steer clear of me personally,” Hannah testified.
Hannah Blahut testified about this graduation celebration where Nathaniel punched a pole keeping up the celebration tent.
“Nate got aggravated that Lauren was not conversing 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 violence murder. This is perpetrated because of this relationship, that has been a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship,” McGovern told “48 Hours.”
“The prosecution is painting this as being a domestic violence that is violence-dating,” Smith noted to Sullivan. “Proper,” he responded.
However the protection disagrees.
“Nathaniel . did not stalk her. Don’t drive by her home. Was not calling her. Was not texting her. And none of this ended up being present,” Sullivan told Smith.
The protection wishes the jury to spotlight Nathaniel’s behavior https://datingmentor.org/gay-dating-san-antonio-texas/ after graduation prior to Lauren’s murder:
Bill Sullivan: throughout that time those three days, be fair to state you did not look at defendant after all.
R.J. Bolivar: I do not think therefore.
“their buddies have been saying they don’t wish to go out with him any longer because he previously been acting differently,” Chloe told “48 Hours”.
Bill Sullivan: he is perhaps perhaps not spending time with you dudes anymore, right?
Connor Murphy: Appropriate.
Friends Connor and R.J. testify Nathaniel had dropped from their social group.
Bill Sullivan: could it be reasonable to state that individuals were commenting that Nathaniel was not around?
R.J. Bolivar: some social individuals were, yeah.