Defense witnesses disagree with North Strabane murder verdict

Two forensic pathologists hired by Scott Edmonds’ defense contradicted the official finding that the shooting of the defendant’s wife, Louise Weis-Edmonds, was a murder.

One witness testifying on the fourth day of Edmonds’ murder trial on Monday determined that Weis-Edmonds likely died by suicide, while the other pathologist said there were too many questions surrounding her death and he would have ruled the manner of death undetermined.

Edmonds, now 60, was arrested over a decade ago and accused of shooting his 49-year-old wife in the back of the head in their North Strabane terraced house on March 25, 2014.

Dr. John Hunsaker, a retired Kentucky medical examiner, said the bullet had an upward trajectory, entered the back of Weis-Edmonds’ head and lodged in the upper front part of her brain, suggesting “suicide” rather than other possibilities. In his report for the defense, he concluded that suicide was the cause of death “more likely than not.”

“It is unmistakable that the trajectory of the bullet was upward,” said Hunsaker.

Another defense witness, Dr. Adel Shaker, a pathologist based in Texas, said blood splatter on the wall near where Wise-Edmonds was lying on the ground suggested a person could not have fired the gun from behind her. He also said the bullet had an upward trajectory, but acknowledged there were so many other factors that he ruled the manner of death undetermined, meaning it could have been suicide or homicide.

Both pathologists reviewed the case files, including the autopsy report, crime scene photographs and other investigative materials. Defense attorney Mark Adams is trying to show the jury that their medical opinions about Weis-Edmonds’ manner of death conflict with the findings of the two prosecution pathologists who examined the case – the late Dr. Cyril Wecht and Dr. Jennifer Hammers – when they ruled the case a homicide.

The trial, which began Wednesday at the Washington County Courthouse, suffered some delays Monday due to technical issues as both Hunsaker and Shaker testified via videoconference and were seen on a large television in the courtroom.

Shaker repeatedly emphasized why he considered the manner of death to be unclear, “it must be beyond reasonable doubt,” which led to an objection by the prosecution and a warning from Judge John Disalle.

“The witness cannot provide an opinion on what constitutes a reasonable doubt and how the jury should decide the evidence,” DiSalle said.

When Shaker later accidentally said this again in his testimony, DiSalle instructed the jury that the final decision was theirs.

“Your job is to find out something beyond a doubt,” DiSalle explained to them about the high hurdles that the prosecution must overcome to prove guilt.

During cross-examination by First Assistant District Attorney Leslie Mylan, Shaker acknowledged that there were several unresolved aspects of the case. While he noted that there was no blood on Weis-Edmonds’ right palm, which he said indicated that she may have been holding the .380 pistol, he acknowledged that she may also have had a clenched fist when she was shot. He also acknowledged that the crime scene may have been disturbed and Weis-Edmonds’ body may have been moved, as Edmonds was seen lying on top of it when police arrived at the house.

Neither Hunsaker nor Shaker had any explanation for how the gun ended up in the pocket of a pool table in an adjacent room.

“That’s an open question,” said Hunsaker. “How did it get there? Someone must have put it there.”

Earlier, DiSalle read Edmonds his right to testify in his own defense or to remain silent, which the jury cannot use against him in its deliberations. However, it appears that Edmonds is seriously considering testifying as the trial resumes this morning.

DiSalle asked Edmonds if he had made a decision about testifying, and he indicated that he would tell his side of the story on the witness stand.

“Yes, I have made my decision,” Edmonds said. “I would like to testify, Your Honor.”

Edmonds, who has been held without bail in the Washington County Jail for more than a decade, is charged with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence.