On the third day of trial for a woman accused of murdering a man in his house on Stewartstown Road, jurors heard from several forensic scientists from the West Virginia State Police Lab.
Elizabeth Chinn, 34, is charged with first-degree murder, grand larceny, burglary and two counts of conspiracy for breaking into 67-year-old Timothy Pahl’s home, shooting him and stealing his truck on April 22, 2018.
Two of the three hairs found on Pahl’s face exactly matched Chinn, Bailey Hill, a DNA scientist with the WVSP Lab told jurors.
A DNA sample taken from the mouth of a 20 oz. Mountain Dew bottle, found in the woods near Pahl’s house, was also consistent with Chinn’s DNA, Hill said.
The lab had samples of Chinn’s hair and saliva collected by the Pennsylvania State Police in the presence of Monongalia County Sheriff’s Detectives. The PSP also collected samples from Glenn Weaver Jr., Moriah Weaver and Elizabeth Hartley, all of whom were arrested with Chinn.
Fingernail clippings taken from both of Pahl’s hand were also tested by the WVSP lab. The right-hand clippings had Chinn’s DNA on them, Hill said.
Calissa Carper, who works in the firearms and toolmarks section of the State Police lab, walked jurors through the process she used in examining the gun police believe was used to kill Pahl, a Ruger .357.
A fired bullet jacket found on the window in the room where Pahl was killed matched the “class characteristics” of the Ruger, meaning, the bullet had five right-hand twisted grooves from the pistols rifling, Carper said.
She was not able to determine if that bullet was fired from Pahl’s specific revolver through individual characteristics — the small unique imperfections in each gun which appear between rifling grooves — because the bullet was too damaged.
The remaining fragments gathered were not suitable for testing.
Carper was also able to determine that the shots which killed Pahl occurred in “contact or near contact.” That determination was made after she found large irregular sized holes in the shirt Pahl was wearing that had soot around the edges, which is consistent with a contact shot.
Jurors also heard testimony from Hartley. She is charged with accessory after the fact, a felony, for her role following the events of April 22. She has not resolved that case and only testified after speaking with her attorney on Wednesday morning and getting permission to do so.
Defense Attorneys Scott Shough and Ryan Shreve objected to her testimony because her husband, Weaver, testified on Tuesday and he was not specifically ordered to not discuss his testimony. Shough also said he only received a transcript of Hartley’s interview with police on Wednesday morning.
Monongalia County Prosecutor Perri DeChristopher explained Hartley has been on the state’s witness list since the start but Hartley had been told to not watch the trial in case she testified. DeChristopher said her testimony would be similar to that given in the interview.
Judge Phillip Gaujot, presiding over Chinn’s trial, brought Hartley into the courtroom and asked if she discussed her husband’s testimony, she said no and was allowed to testify.
During testimony she specified Weaver told her that he was honest and she should be too.
Both the prosecution and defense rested their cases on Wednesday.
