BREAKING TUESDAY 4:45
Medical Examiner Dr. Matrina Schmidt testified around 4:45 this afternoon that the infant died by Homicide as a result of multiple blunt force injuries”.
TUESDAY 4 pm TRIAL UPDATE
The jury hearing testimony in the first degree murder trial of Lavelle Scott watched video today of him admitting to causing injuries that could have led to the death of his daughter.
The interview by TBI Special agent Darby Wood began with Scott initially saying, as he had in earlier interviews, that after 31 day old Sophia Flora Fields fell from his bed, he tripped coming through the hall of his residence and dropped the girl causing her to strike her head. Scott showed remorse that could have led to her death.
But a video with Wood and Scott over a two day period including her updating him on autopsy results. It was an autopsy that showed 32 fractures to her ribs and 2 bite marks. Wood explained to Scott those injuries could not have been caused by her falling from his bed.
Wood continued to press on the matter as an emotional Scott then began to recant earlier comments. Joined by Detective Sgt. Hobbs and TBI Special Agent Farley, Scott would later sign a new statement admitting to hitting and punching the girl, even putting a pillow over her in an effort to stop her crying. Testifying later in the day, Fraley testified the infant died in the hands of her father.
Defense attorney T. Hunter Shelton has spent a lot of his cross examination today questioning why his client seemed to be the only suspect, including his mother Diana, who he told witnesses, has a history of neglect and other such charges. Chris Franklin with DCS later told the state there were 17 different cases attached to Diana Scott. Only two of those he said were substantiated, he said.
Medical Examiner Dr. Martrina Schmidt, who performed the autopsy on Sophia Flora Fields, took the witness stand trial could possibly head to the jury for consideration Wednesday.
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TUESDAY 6 AM UPDATE
The way too short life of a 31 day old girl was told in a Greene County Courtroom Monday, but details surrounding the time leading up to her death varied somewhat among those who testified in the first degree murder trial of her father, Lavelle Scott.
Day 1 of the trial began shortly before 9 am with the selection of a jury and broke for lunch shortly after Noon when eleven women and one man were seated to hear testimony in the death of Sophia Flora Fields.
After two other men were added as alternate jurors after the break, opening statements were made by Assistant District Attorney General Ritchie Collins for the prosecution and defense attorney T. Hunter Shelton.
The first to testify was the mother of the victim Brandi Fields. She recounted the day she left Sophia with her birth father Lavelle Scott and his mother Dianna Scott. Fields said Scott had stayed with her and their daughter the past three days at her home in Johnson City, and that she was not worried about leaving Sophia with her father. Fields testified however, she got a call the following morning from Lavelle saying the baby had fallen out of bed, was not breathing and his mother had her in her arms.
What took so long to call for emergency help was debated during testimony from the girls mother, as well as statements made during the investigation by both Lavelle and Diana Scott. There was also debate throughout much of the testimony about an alleged statement attributed to Lavelle Scott that his mother had told him not to call 9-1-1. 9-1-1 was only notified apparently after Sophia’s mother arrived back in Greeneville about 45 minutes after the call from Lavelle Scott.
The first responder on the scene was EMT paramedic Joshua Rodriquez, who testified he responded to an emergency call of an infant cardiac arrest. When he arrived at Crestview Apartment C7, he found the baby is his mothers arms and quickly began resuscitation efforts as she was transported to the EMS unit where those efforts continued until arrival at the now Greeneville Community Hospital. Rodriguez said there were no signs of life for the 23 minutes they worked with her until she was pronounced dead a short time later by the ER Doctor. The state questioned bruising on the child, as well as blood from her nose and a rash on her cheeks. Upon cross examination, Rodriquez said he could not speak to how the rash and bruising might have occurred.
A more informed opinion could come later today during the expected three day trial , as Medical Examiner Dr. Martrina Schmidt is expected to take the witness stand. She performed the autopsy on the infant.
The rest of the afternoon of testimony Monday came from the first responding officer on the scene, Burton Ellis with Greeneville Police and Greeneville PD Detective Sgt. Stacy Hobbs.
Officer Ellis took questions from the state and the defense about his initial investigation of the scene as he spoke to those at the apartment individually to get a baseline of what exactly happened. Ellis told the state Lavelle as he put it, “was all over the place” during their conversation, seeming more concerned the officer said about making breakfast, listening to music on his headphones and twitching. The officer compared Scotts actions of someone on meth. The only voiced defense objections of the day came from T. Hunter Shelton came as the officer was describing knives jabbed into the walls and a saw cut in the bedroom wall.
Part of the evidence gathered at the scene was the portion of the blood spotted mattress which had been turned over. Scott had attributed much of the disarray in the bedroom to his reaction to finding out his daughter had passed.
Hobbs spent the most time on the witness stand, but the majority of that was spent reviewing two videos entered into evidence. The first was his initial interview with Lavelle Scott at the Police Department after Scott had waived his Miranda Rights but had not yet been charged. He was released following that initial conversation with Detective Sgt. Hobbs, with the understanding between the two that Police might have more questions for him at a later time.
The second video showed police, assisted by Lavelle Scott, going through a reenactment in his bedroom at the apartment. Using a baby doll, he took investigators through the time when he and the infant were next to each other on the bed and the circumstances when Sophia was reported to have fallen off the bed, twenty two inches to the floor below. Scott reported she seemed fine after that, and he placed her on the other side of him to prevent her from falling again. His mother later in the morning noticed blood coming from Sophia’s nose. Scott says it was then that he called the little girls mother to inform her what had happened.
Avery Lavelle Scott, the defendants father and grandfather of the victim testified he come to the Crestview Apartment where his son and granddaughter were earlier in the day, and spent a few minutes holding the little girl before leaving after about 20 or 30 minutes later. His testimony Monday lasted just short of 15 minutes before he was excused.
Five witnesses were called before court recessed for the day around 5:40 Monday afternoon. Testimony will resume at 9 am Tuesday.
