Page 31 of The 1 Lawyer
Caro leaned toward me and said, his head inches away from mine, “You didn’t even make an argument for stopping the trial?”
“I didn’t have the opportunity.” I had an overwhelming urge to physically distance myself from him, to pick up my chair and move it away.
The DA called back to the stand Detective Stokes, who continued reading the text messages aloud.
I was acutely aware of my client’s presence beside me. With a cool demeanor, he listened to the evidence without showing any reaction. Though I was determined to suppress Jenny’s speculations, the detachment he displayed made me wonder: What if my client, a doctor who was responsible for protecting the health of his patients, had intentionally killed two of them?
The text messages kept on coming. They told an old story.
Why didn’t U call? Did U get my message?
U can’t just drop me like this. Y R U being so mean 2 me?
U R breaking my heart, U know that?
U know what??? UR AN ASSHOLE!!!
I’m not some dirty whore U can pick up & throw away. Maybe UR wife should know what U do when she’s not around.
U think I’m kidding??? Wait till U see me at UR house.
I’m gonna tell her about it, I’ll be doing her a favor.
The final text exchange occurred on June 12, the day before her death.
You’re right, we need to talk.
I KNOW, RIGHT???????
Can’t meet at my office. I’ll get a table tomorrow at the steak house at Lucky Sevens, 7:00.
Pick U up by UR office?
Sure.
There were no more texts. Stokes left the stand.
Gordon-James said, “The State calls Dr. Matthew Clark to the witness stand.”
At the announcement, I sat up straight, bracing myself for the testimony. Beside me, my client picked up a pen and coughed. Maybe the cough was a tell.
Clark raised his hand and swore to tell the truth. Once he sat in the chair, Gordon-James walked him through a recitation of his education, training, and qualifications.
“In regard to DNA testing, have you previously testified as an expert witness in the courts of Mississippi?”
“I have.”
“Approximately how many times?”
“A ballpark figure, I’d say twenty.”
From the bench, Judge Walker spoke up. “The court finds that the witness is qualified to render an expert opinion.”
The court had supplied materials for jurors to take notes, and one of the older male jurors retrieved his pen and notebook. He looked ready for a detailed lecture on the structure and function of DNA. That’s not what he got.
“In your expert capacity, what kind of DNA analysis do you conduct?”
“I conduct genetic testing, DNA tests to determine paternity.”