Day One - Opening Statements And Prosecution Witnesses

I'm writing as a blogger, and not a journalist, meaning some of my emotions will be tangled up in my coverage of this trial. I can't help it. Sitting so close to the family and friends of Erin Corwin and realizing how much this gentle, trusting, beautiful 19-year-old girl was treasured - it's just near impossible not to feel her loved ones' hearts breaking.

Opening statements started around 11 this morning, after some technical difficulties getting sound for Deputy District Attorney Sean Daugherty's power point presentation. Things finally clicked into place, and Daugherty methodically laid out the evidence to the jury he says he will present during the course of the trial.

In my opinion, the most damning evidence Daugherty told the jury to expect was DNA evidence tying defendant Christopher Brandon Lee to the mine shaft where Erin's body was discovered on Aug. 16, 2014, roughly seven weeks after she went missing on June 28, 2014.

That DNA evidence includes:

• An olive green t-shirt used to make a torch that was found in the mine shaft. Daugherty says Lee's DNA was found on this shirt.

• DNA from both Lee and Erin Corwin was found on a Sprite bottle dumped in the mine shaft. 

During most of his opening statement, and for several of the witnesses, Daugherty had the photo of the People magazine cover that featured Erin and Jon Corwin (see above) up on the overhead projector so it was visible to the entire courtroom. The photo was taken at the Marine Corps Ball the couple attended just hours before heading to Las Vegas to elope.

The defense opted not to give an opening statement, which isn't that unusual.

Erin's mother, Lore Heavilin, was the first witness. The most moving part of her testimony was when she described her last conversation via phone with Erin. Lore was planning to visit Erin the following week, and Erin described to her mom all the home-cooked dishes she wanted Lore to make for her. Lore told Erin the ingredients she would need to buy. When Lore did come out to Erin's apartment, not for the planned visit but because she went missing, Lore noticed Erin had already purchased all those ingredients.

Erin's husband, Jon Corwin, was the second witness to testify. Daugherty asked Jon about his relationship with Erin, Erin's relationship with the defendant, and Erin's relationship with the defendant's young daughter. The defense attorney cross-examined Jon, asking him about Erin's relationship with her younger sister, Trish, who passed away when she was a child. The defense attorney seemed to want to make some connection between Erin's feelings for her sister, and her feelings for the defendant's young daughter. Not sure what he's getting at there.

The last witness of the day was Erin's best friend Jessica Trentham, who relayed text messages from Erin that placed Erin with the defendant the day she went missing. Jessica spoke in a soft voice full of emotion, evident to this courtroom observer how much she loved, and still misses, her dear friend Erin.