The test

On Feb. 13, 2013, a year-and-a-half after Lauren Astley’s murder, her ex-boyfriend Nathaniel Fujita’s test started.

“there is two people that are different” buddy Genevieve Flynn stated. “there is, like, the Nate which was in twelfth grade with us, who had been, like, within my 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 present in handcuffs as well as in a court space.”

Expected just how he looked 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.”

Prosecutor Lisa McGovern wastes no right amount of time in spelling down why Lauren ended up being murdered.

“This defendant is bad just as charged,” McGovern addressed the court inside her opening declaration.

“Nathaniel Fujita had been harmed by Lauren Astley maybe maybe not finding its way back to him in which he killed her,” McGovern told “48 Hours”

Defense lawyer William Sullivan, inside the opening declaration, admits Nathaniel killed Lauren.

“In many murder instances, the real question is whom? Whom achieved it? that is not this full instance,” the told the court. “This case there’s– there is gonna be two concerns, why and exactly how. “

“How exactly does a man that is young . there is no actual proof of him ever laying a little finger about this young woman . how exactly does he take action similar to this?” Sullivan remarked to Tracy Smith. “I told the jury, ‘you’re gonna notice to check out some extremely troubling facts.'”

“. she passed away as a consequence of the mixture regarding the strangulation in addition to 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 amount of shallow wounds to her throat before her neck ended up being cut.

“Why these trivial, superficial wounds? He did that to harm her,” McGovern told “48 Hours”. “Why did he deliver the gaping, deep injury? He did that to destroy her.”

The prosecution questioned Genevieve Flynn and Lauren’s other buddies about June 2011 — the thirty days between senior high school graduation and Lauren’s murder.

“we saw Lauren select up her fingers and push them down her part as if she had been saying, simply steer clear of me,” Hannah testified.

Hannah Blahut testified about that graduation celebration where Nathaniel punched a pole holding up the celebration tent.

“Nate got aggravated that Lauren was not speaking with him,” close friend Chloe Jacques told “48 Hours”. “He had been aggressive because he had been extremely drunk.”

McGovern thinks Nathaniel’s display of rage had been a prelude that is ominous killing Lauren.

“this really is a domestic physical 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 being a domestic violence-dating violence situation,” Smith noted to Sullivan. “Proper,” he responded.

Nevertheless the protection disagrees.

“Nathaniel . did not stalk her. Don’t drive by her household. Was not calling her. Was not texting her. And none of this ended up being present,” Sullivan told Smith.

The defense wishes the jury to pay attention to Nathaniel’s behavior after graduation prior to Lauren’s murder:

Bill Sullivan: throughout that time those three days, be reasonable to state you did not start to see the defendant after all.

R.J. Bolivar: I do not think therefore.

“their buddies was in fact saying they did not desire to spend time with him any longer because he previously been acting differently,” Chloe told “48 Hours”.

Bill Sullivan: he is maybe perhaps perhaps not getting together with you dudes anymore, right?

Connor Murphy: Appropriate.

Friends Connor and R.J. testify Nathaniel had dropped out of their social group.

Bill Sullivan: could it be reasonable to state that individuals had been commenting that Nathaniel was not around?

R.J. Bolivar: some social https://datingmentor.org/gay-dating/ everyone was, yeah.