Attorneys' Stories Differ as Warren Trial Begins
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Craig Brosman-
The trial of Bill E. Warren, 38, North Manchester, was almost postponed until this morning due to a lengthy jury selection.
After five hours of discussions for jury selection the jury was finally sworn in. The trial then began with opening statements from Kosciusko County Prosecuting Attorney Daniel H. Hampton.
Hampton to told a story of a man with multiple personalities.
“This is a story of Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde. Dual personality. One is friendly, outgoing and engaging. The other is erratic, violent and callous,” Hampton said.
Hampton categorized victim Kassondra (Wood) Weathers’ relationship with Warren as close. Weathers knew Warren from a temporary staffing agency in Wabash. She helped Warren find temporary work.
In May 2010 Hampton said that Weathers and Warren exchanged phone numbers and “Warren became Weathers’ best friend through manipulation.”
Hampton said over the next four months Weathers and Warren became very close, but the relationship was never romantic.
“Bill would always ask about Weathers’ sexual relations with her boyfriends. This was when Bill’s true motives came out,” Hampton said.
Hampton then went into the night when the alleged incident happened.
“On Aug. 29 she got a call from Warren to meet at the intersection of 13 and 14. Warren said he found a job for the both of them. He then held a box cutter to her stomach and forced her to drive,” Hampton said. “Cassie attempted to escape, but Bill caught and put them back in Weathers’ car. She and her child were put in the trunk of the car and he drove off.”
Hampton said that Warren took them to a path outside of Liberty Mills and handcuffed Weathers to a tree branch. Weathers begged Warren to move her closer to the car so she could see her daughter, and he allowed her to, but threatened to kill both of them if Weathers did not lock her child in the trunk.
Hampton continued to narrate the incident in front of the jury.
“Warren forced Weathers to take her clothes off and touched her inappropriately,” Hampton said. “All of the sudden he snapped out what was going on and said ‘what am I doing.’ He made her put her clothes back on. Then moments later forced her to take her clothes off.”
Hampton said that at one point Warren put on blue latex gloves and began to clean Weathers’ vehicle with rubbing alcohol to remove forensic evidence. Eventually Weathers drove Warren and her daughter back to Warren’s mother’s home in North Manchester and was allegedly locked in Warren’s room.
Sometime early in the morning on Aug. 30, Hampton said, Weathers went to the intersection of Ind. 13 and Ind. 14 and dropped Warren off at his vehicle and drove hers to Sidney, but Warren followed her. Eventually Weathers got to a friend’s house in Sidney and called 911.
Early on Aug. 30, Hampton continued, Weathers took detective Josh Spangle to the path in the woods near Liberty Mills and showed him the crime scene. Hampton then said that Spangle and detectives found evidence at the scene that would corroborate Weathers’ story.
Warren then drove past the scene, hampton said, and was persued and apprehended by Spangle.
Defense attorney Alan J. Zimmerman refuted the story that Hampton told the jury.
“That was a great story, I even found myself following it. You will get a chance to see what the evidence proves to you. I have a head start because I have seen the evidence,” Zimmerman said.
Zimmerman began by attacking what he called a lack of evidence for Hampton and how that is detrimental to the state’s case against Warren.
“Wouldn’t you like to have the handcuffs, you’re not going to have them. You will not have any fingerprint evidence, no DNA evidence, you heard the story on how they were put in the trunk. How terrible that would have been,” Zimmerman said. “There will be no allegation that anybody attempted to rub alcohol on the inside of the car. No DNA or fingerprint evidence that proves anyone had ever been in the trunk of that car.”
Zimmerman continued to hammer at the alleged lack of forensic evidence that the prosecutor will present to the jury.
“There is no evidence that anyone was ever handcuffed to a tree,” Zimmerman said. “Without CSI evidence, DNA evidence, fingerprint evidence, you are left with a very riveting story from a woman with motive to give a riveting story. You are not going to have any scientific evidence that you think you deserve for 26 counts.”
Zimmerman also remarked on Weathers’ sexuality.
“There will be evidence that they slept in the same bed together. Spent a lot of time together but had no sex,” Zimmerman said. “Ms. Wood (Weathers) said that is something she did with friends. There was no sex. That is hard to understand but that is what will be said.”
Zimmerman then told his own story on what happened Aug. 29 and 30, one in stark contrast to what Hampton told the jury.
Zimmerman said that Weathers told Warren her ex-husband was getting out of jail and she needed help. Warren then got in Weathers’ car and she drove to the path near Liberty Mills. Zimmerman said there was a box cutter but no evidence Warren threatened Weathers with it.
Once Warren and Weathers were at the path, Zimmerman said that Weathers took a pop bottle out of the trunk and walked into the woods to make methamphetamine. Warren then heard a loud scream and found out that Weathers burnt herself while cooking meth. When she returned she got naked, changed clothes and got in the car and began to smoke meth, according to Zimmerman.
Zimmerman told the jury that Weathers’ daughter wanted to go to Warren’s home, but Weathers couldn’t deal with her daughter and stuffed her in the trunk of the car. After the incident Zimmerman said that Weathers went back to Warren’s home and slept in Warren’s bedroom with the door open.
Zimmerman said that there were witnesses in the home that will testify that they made Weathers an egg sandwich and she was there on her own free will.
In Zimmerman’s story Weathers took Warren back to the intersection of Ind. 13 and Ind. 14 where he said goodbye to Weathers’ daughter and took the black bag full of meth-making materials.
“Warren follows Weathers and waves the bag full of meth products that he took out of Ms. (Woods) Weathers’ car. Afterwards, confused, he drives all over. He drives to a pawn shop in Logansport. He cuts out an amplifier and pawns it at the pawnshop,” Zimmerman said. “Gets enough money for gas, drives to South Whitley and drives to the Collamer Dam and throws the black bag into the river. Follows the river road, which takes you back towards the path.”
Later that morning after driving by the path where Spangle and Weathers are, Zimmerman said that Warren feared for his life and ran from Spangle.
“Warren sees an unmarked car. Fearing for his life he takes off at a high rate of speed. We believe that will be the evidence that comes before you,” Zimmerman said, claiming that Warren surrendered willingly. “There’s a lot more to this case, I don’t want to give everything away in my opening statements. We believe the evidence will show this was a drug deal gone very, very, bad. I believe by the end of this case you won’t like anyone that is connected with this case.”
The testimony of Weathers’ began Tuesday and continued this morning.[[In-content Ad]]
The trial of Bill E. Warren, 38, North Manchester, was almost postponed until this morning due to a lengthy jury selection.
After five hours of discussions for jury selection the jury was finally sworn in. The trial then began with opening statements from Kosciusko County Prosecuting Attorney Daniel H. Hampton.
Hampton to told a story of a man with multiple personalities.
“This is a story of Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde. Dual personality. One is friendly, outgoing and engaging. The other is erratic, violent and callous,” Hampton said.
Hampton categorized victim Kassondra (Wood) Weathers’ relationship with Warren as close. Weathers knew Warren from a temporary staffing agency in Wabash. She helped Warren find temporary work.
In May 2010 Hampton said that Weathers and Warren exchanged phone numbers and “Warren became Weathers’ best friend through manipulation.”
Hampton said over the next four months Weathers and Warren became very close, but the relationship was never romantic.
“Bill would always ask about Weathers’ sexual relations with her boyfriends. This was when Bill’s true motives came out,” Hampton said.
Hampton then went into the night when the alleged incident happened.
“On Aug. 29 she got a call from Warren to meet at the intersection of 13 and 14. Warren said he found a job for the both of them. He then held a box cutter to her stomach and forced her to drive,” Hampton said. “Cassie attempted to escape, but Bill caught and put them back in Weathers’ car. She and her child were put in the trunk of the car and he drove off.”
Hampton said that Warren took them to a path outside of Liberty Mills and handcuffed Weathers to a tree branch. Weathers begged Warren to move her closer to the car so she could see her daughter, and he allowed her to, but threatened to kill both of them if Weathers did not lock her child in the trunk.
Hampton continued to narrate the incident in front of the jury.
“Warren forced Weathers to take her clothes off and touched her inappropriately,” Hampton said. “All of the sudden he snapped out what was going on and said ‘what am I doing.’ He made her put her clothes back on. Then moments later forced her to take her clothes off.”
Hampton said that at one point Warren put on blue latex gloves and began to clean Weathers’ vehicle with rubbing alcohol to remove forensic evidence. Eventually Weathers drove Warren and her daughter back to Warren’s mother’s home in North Manchester and was allegedly locked in Warren’s room.
Sometime early in the morning on Aug. 30, Hampton said, Weathers went to the intersection of Ind. 13 and Ind. 14 and dropped Warren off at his vehicle and drove hers to Sidney, but Warren followed her. Eventually Weathers got to a friend’s house in Sidney and called 911.
Early on Aug. 30, Hampton continued, Weathers took detective Josh Spangle to the path in the woods near Liberty Mills and showed him the crime scene. Hampton then said that Spangle and detectives found evidence at the scene that would corroborate Weathers’ story.
Warren then drove past the scene, hampton said, and was persued and apprehended by Spangle.
Defense attorney Alan J. Zimmerman refuted the story that Hampton told the jury.
“That was a great story, I even found myself following it. You will get a chance to see what the evidence proves to you. I have a head start because I have seen the evidence,” Zimmerman said.
Zimmerman began by attacking what he called a lack of evidence for Hampton and how that is detrimental to the state’s case against Warren.
“Wouldn’t you like to have the handcuffs, you’re not going to have them. You will not have any fingerprint evidence, no DNA evidence, you heard the story on how they were put in the trunk. How terrible that would have been,” Zimmerman said. “There will be no allegation that anybody attempted to rub alcohol on the inside of the car. No DNA or fingerprint evidence that proves anyone had ever been in the trunk of that car.”
Zimmerman continued to hammer at the alleged lack of forensic evidence that the prosecutor will present to the jury.
“There is no evidence that anyone was ever handcuffed to a tree,” Zimmerman said. “Without CSI evidence, DNA evidence, fingerprint evidence, you are left with a very riveting story from a woman with motive to give a riveting story. You are not going to have any scientific evidence that you think you deserve for 26 counts.”
Zimmerman also remarked on Weathers’ sexuality.
“There will be evidence that they slept in the same bed together. Spent a lot of time together but had no sex,” Zimmerman said. “Ms. Wood (Weathers) said that is something she did with friends. There was no sex. That is hard to understand but that is what will be said.”
Zimmerman then told his own story on what happened Aug. 29 and 30, one in stark contrast to what Hampton told the jury.
Zimmerman said that Weathers told Warren her ex-husband was getting out of jail and she needed help. Warren then got in Weathers’ car and she drove to the path near Liberty Mills. Zimmerman said there was a box cutter but no evidence Warren threatened Weathers with it.
Once Warren and Weathers were at the path, Zimmerman said that Weathers took a pop bottle out of the trunk and walked into the woods to make methamphetamine. Warren then heard a loud scream and found out that Weathers burnt herself while cooking meth. When she returned she got naked, changed clothes and got in the car and began to smoke meth, according to Zimmerman.
Zimmerman told the jury that Weathers’ daughter wanted to go to Warren’s home, but Weathers couldn’t deal with her daughter and stuffed her in the trunk of the car. After the incident Zimmerman said that Weathers went back to Warren’s home and slept in Warren’s bedroom with the door open.
Zimmerman said that there were witnesses in the home that will testify that they made Weathers an egg sandwich and she was there on her own free will.
In Zimmerman’s story Weathers took Warren back to the intersection of Ind. 13 and Ind. 14 where he said goodbye to Weathers’ daughter and took the black bag full of meth-making materials.
“Warren follows Weathers and waves the bag full of meth products that he took out of Ms. (Woods) Weathers’ car. Afterwards, confused, he drives all over. He drives to a pawn shop in Logansport. He cuts out an amplifier and pawns it at the pawnshop,” Zimmerman said. “Gets enough money for gas, drives to South Whitley and drives to the Collamer Dam and throws the black bag into the river. Follows the river road, which takes you back towards the path.”
Later that morning after driving by the path where Spangle and Weathers are, Zimmerman said that Warren feared for his life and ran from Spangle.
“Warren sees an unmarked car. Fearing for his life he takes off at a high rate of speed. We believe that will be the evidence that comes before you,” Zimmerman said, claiming that Warren surrendered willingly. “There’s a lot more to this case, I don’t want to give everything away in my opening statements. We believe the evidence will show this was a drug deal gone very, very, bad. I believe by the end of this case you won’t like anyone that is connected with this case.”
The testimony of Weathers’ began Tuesday and continued this morning.[[In-content Ad]]
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