Opinion ID: 2533163
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Testimony and Evidence Admitted at Trial

Text: ¶ 2. On March 1, 2007, the police and fire department responded to a house fire at 619 Silver Street in Greenville, Mississippi. Once the fire was extinguished, the responders discovered a body, later identified as that of Louis Harris, located in the kitchen. Expert testimony established that the fire was the result of six separate fires intentionally set in various locations of the house. ¶ 3. Harris's body was located under a pile of debris, and various surfaces of the body were charred. Dr. Steven Hayne, a pathologist, testified that the burns had occurred after death. The body also had puncture wounds at multiple sites, including the face and neck. Dr. Hayne stated that Harris's death was caused by a puncture wound to the neck, which led to massive external blood loss. ¶ 4. Ursula Fowler, Harris's neighbor, testified that she had seen Harris that morning, standing alone on the steps of his house. Later that evening, she heard a commotion, like fighting, that lasted about fifteen minutes. Approximately ten to twenty minutes later, a man knocked on her door to alert her that Harris's house was on fire. Fowler testified that she had witnessed violent arguments between Harris and his girlfriend, Laquanda Gilmore, but that she had not seen Gilmore at Harris's house that day or during the week prior. ¶ 5. Investigator Dondi Gibbs responded to the scene and took photographs showing blood splatters throughout the house. He also collected from the scene blood samples that he sent to the Mississippi Crime Laboratory for DNA testing. Gibbs testified that it appeared a struggle had occurred, since the home was in disarray, with furniture thrown about. Gibbs also testified that he had returned to the home on March 9 to collect more evidence, including two shirts stained with blood and a VCR box.