Lisa Trigg
The Tribune-Star
ROCKVILLE —
“My baby’s in that car,” a frantic woman’s voice said on a 911 dispatch recording that was played Wednesday in Parke Circuit Court.
“He killed my baby’s daddy,” the voice said again later.
Parke County dispatcher Cindy Peterson reviewed that recording — made last August while Peterson was talking to the woman caller — in front of a jury in the trial of Jeremy Musall.
Musall has been criminally charged with two counts of felony murder, two counts of burglary resulting in bodily injury, rape and kidnapping related to the Aug. 12 homicide of Joseph Snow at a mobile home at Rocky Fork Lake in southeastern Parke County.
The jury heard from several witnesses throughout the day, including forensic pathologist Dr. John Cavanaugh, who testified that Snow died of blunt force trauma to the head and also sustained manual strangulation. The jury saw graphic photos of Snow’s injuries, as well as copies of an autopsy and toxicology report.
Cavanaugh detailed numerous injuries to the jury, including what could be poke marks from a knife or other sharp object, possible cigarette burns, and a shoe print on his torso.
“Is it your opinion that Joseph Snow was tortured?” asked Prosecutor Steve Cvengros to Cavanaugh.
“Torture would certainly be a consideration, and at least a description in part, for these injuries,” Cavanaugh responded.
The 12 jurors also heard recordings of 911 calls to Putnam County Central Dispatch in which the woman, who identified herself as Musall’s former girlfriend, stated that Musall had the body of Joseph Snow in a car, which was traveling east into rural Putnam County west of Greencastle.
Putnam County deputy Thomas Helmer testified that he responded to a 911 dispatch and first sighted the black car Musall was driving near the Oakalla covered bridge, but he later lost sight of the vehicle in a cloud of road dust. Cloverdale Detective Charlie Hallam testified that he was dispatched to search for the vehicle, and was familiar with the car and driver due to a traffic stop just a week prior. Hallam stated that he anticipated where he would find the auto, and located it at a Cloverdale residence with Musall still in the driver’s seat, smoking a cigarette.
Hallam said he also saw a toddler child in a car seat inside the car. The child was unharmed.
Meanwhile, the testimony of a registered nurse from Putnam County Hospital was called into question after the nurse referred to her own documents containing information that the defense attorneys alleged was not released to them in a formal evidence request.
Judge Sam Swaim issued a new order for the hospital to comply with a complete copy of the Aug. 12 medical records of Musall’s former girlfriend, who claims she was beaten and raped by Musall during the early morning attack in which Snow was killed.
Musall’s trial began Monday and is expected to continue through Friday, but could extend to next week as several witnesses remain to testify on the state’s witness list, and the defense team has not yet presented its case.
Testimony resumes at 8:30 a.m. today.
