Testimony and physical evidence presented in day eight of Pasquotank Correctional murder trial

Published 4:55 pm Thursday, October 17, 2019

The Wednesday, October 16 session of Dare County Superior Court opened with several minutes of video footage from the October 12, 2017, escape attempt at Pasquotank Correctional Institution in Elizabeth City.

According to SBI special agent Jennifer Matherly, there are many more hours of video, but the video shown focused on the movements of Mikel Edward Brady II.

Brady, along with Wisezah Buckman, Seth Frazier and Jonathan Monk, is facing multiple counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, assault and other charges related to alleged participation in a violent escape attempt that left two people dead, two with fatal wounds and a dozen others with serious injuries.

Get the latest headlines sent to you

Brady is the first of the four defendants to go on trial and, if convicted, each could face the death penalty.

Watching several minutes of silent action video, just as in previous videos, some family members were not able to watch it all.

In this case, however, even while knowing what was about to happen, the silence was broken by a gasp from someone in the audience when the footage showing officer George Midgett being attacked was shown.

Other parts of the video show the four gathering supplies and making preparations for their break attempt.

Testimony during the day indicated that several weapons and other unauthorized items were recovered. According to SBI crime scene investigator Robert Evans, he and other officers searching the scene turned up, among other things, hammers, scissors, a pipe and a 2×4 with  nails in it. Also found were two PCI shirts with reddish and brown stains.

Sorting through several boxes of physical evidence, several items were put on display so that jurors could view them without comments or questions.

Also displayed were more than 100 of the 650 photographs taken the day of the escape attempt.

Providing views of the loading dock area, storage room, sewing shop and elevator where the bodies of correctional officer Veronica Darden and maintenance mechanic Geoffrey Howe were found, several photos proved to be just as graphic as the videos. Unable to sit through them, several family members waited outside the courtroom.

READ ABOUT MORE NEWS AND EVENTS HERE.

RELATED:

Testimony continues in day seven of Brady murder trial

Testimony begins in Pasquotank Correctional murder trial

Panel of 12 jurors seated, alternate spots next to be filled in murder trial

Day three: Brady murder trial continues

Jury selection continues in Brady murder trial

Murder trial begins for inmate in fatal Pasquotank Correctional escape attempt

Pasquotank Correctional murder trial moved to Dare County