Opinion ID: 1444205
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Other evidence presented at trial

Text: Middleton first leased a storage unit in Sparks on June 30, 1994, under the name of Hal Data Research. This unit was five feet by ten feet in size. On the afternoon of August 8, 1994the day that Davila was last seen aliveMiddleton leased a unit which was ten feet by ten feet and moved out of the smaller unit. Tenants entered the storage unit facility using a computer code at the front gate, and records were kept of the entries. On Friday, February 3, 1995the last day that Powell was seen aliveMiddleton entered the facility at 2:13 a.m. and 8:06 p.m. For Saturday, February 4, the log showed entries by Middleton at 12:37 a.m., 5:47 a.m., 6:49 a.m., 8:45 a.m., 11:53 a.m., and 5:38 p.m. On Sunday, February 5, he entered the facility at 6:19 a.m., 11:09 a.m., and 3:30 p.m., and on Monday, February 6, he entered at 9:26 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. There were no entries for Tuesday, February 7; one entry at 6:49 p.m. on Wednesday, February 8; no entries on Thursday, February 9; and one entry on Friday, February 10, at 7:45 p.m. The log showed one entry on Saturday, February 11, at 7:26 p.m. Powell's body was found around 9:30 p.m. that same night. Middleton entered the facility again at 12:53 a.m. on Sunday, February 12, 1995. On June 7, 1995, at Middleton's request Detective Jenkins again interviewed Middleton. Jenkins asked questions regarding Davila. Middleton said he had been to Davila's apartment complex but did not know her. He denied that Davila's blanket could be in his storage unit. He said that he had moved from one storage unit to another on August 8, 1994. Middleton told Jenkins that Haley had never been to the storage unit and did not know about it. Jenkins spoke with Middleton again on June 20, 1995. Middleton continued to deny knowing Davila or having her blanket. Forensic analysis showed that fibers found in the refrigerator in Middleton's storage unit were indistinguishable from those found on Powell's body: both were cotton and blue-green in color. Two human head hairs found in the refrigerator and one found on a black restraint belt could have come from Powell. Rope found in Middleton's storage unit, the rope found around Powell's body, and the rope found with Davila's remains were all white, nylon, woven twelve-strand, and one-quarter inch in diameter. Analysis revealed no difference between the ropes; however, the rope was a common type. Five hairs found on a roll of duct tape and two hairs found on two blankets in the storage unit were consistent with those obtained from Davila's hairbrush. An expert in knot analysis testified that the ropes found with the remains of both Powell and Davila contained SS granny knots, but the granny knot is a very common knot. DNA analysis was also performed on various pieces of evidence. Cellular material was obtained from the foam ball found in the storage unit. DNA analysis of that material showed that it matched Powell's DNA; the match was rarer than one in 100 million people. The roots of various hairs found in the storage unit were tested. The DNA from two hairs found in a clamp and one hair on a blanket matched Powell's DNA; the match was about one in every 780,000 Caucasians. The DNA from one hair found on duct tape and one hair from another blanket matched Davila's DNA; the match was one in 690,000 among Hispanics. DNA obtained from a semen stain on the right thigh of Powell was consistent with Middleton's DNA and that of about one of every 100 African-Americans. At trial the state offered expert testimony that based on the volume of the refrigerator and the size of the two holes drilled in it, a person weighing 145 pounds enclosed in the refrigerator would have died from oxygen deprivation in about three and a half hours. Dr. Vincent Di Maio, a chief medical examiner in Texas, testified for the state to the following. Despite mild perivascular fibrosis, Powell's heart was healthy and normal. Although a person should have an EKG when she first begins taking lithium, studies in the 1990s showed that long-term users of lithium did not die from heart disease at a rate greater than the general population. The circumstances of Powell's disappearance and her body when found indicated that her death was a homicide. The lack of pathological findings indicated that she probably died of asphyxiation. The bruises on her elbows and knees were consistent with struggles to free herself from a confined space, such as the refrigerator. Petechiae were found in only about thirteen percent of suffocation homicides handled by Di Maio's office. The circumstances surrounding Davila's disappearance and skeletal remains also indicated that her death was a homicide, but the cause of death could not be determined. The defense presented the testimony of two physicians. Dr. Robert Bucklin, a deputy medical examiner for Clark County, stated that Powell suffered from heart disease, but he did not know if it caused her death. He did not believe that she died from asphyxiation. Dr. Jerry Howle, a psychiatrist, testified that taking lithium could cause cardiac arrhythmia and carried some risk of sudden death, but he did not know what effect it had on Powell. Outside the presence of the jury, the district court asked Middleton if he wished to testify. Middleton said that he wanted to testify on the Davila case part of it. But I guess I can't because the cases are joined. I cannot testify on one without looking bad on the other one. So I guess I can't testify. The jury found Middleton guilty of two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree kidnapping, one count of grand larceny, and one count of fraudulent use of a credit card. At a bench trial the next month, the district court found him guilty of two counts of ex-felon in possession of a firearm.