Prosecution rests in millionaire DUI homicide trial
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Prosecution rests in millionaire DUI homicide trial
Week two of testimony in the John Goodman DUI homicide trial began the way week one ended, with the Palm Beach County Sheriff traffic homicide detective to investigated the crash.
Defense attorney Mark Shapiro spent the morning trying to punch holes the state's claim that the Bentley Goodman was driving that night was not faulty and should bare no blame for the collision that killed 21 year old cent college graduate Scott Wilson.
Shapiro chided accident reconstruction Troy Snelgrove when he acknowledged he personally did not inspect the vehicles braking system for malfunctions.
"If you didn't remove the calipers from the wheels or check any of the brake lines for kinking, how can you say that the brakes were functional?", Shapiro asked.
"Because I know the brake pads themselves were actually collapsing onto the rotors because we had to brake those wheels loose, so I know there was fluid going to each one of those wheels", Snelgrove replied.
Snelgrove testified that Goodman was traveling 63 miles per hour when he barreled through that intersection in Wellington, blew the stop sign and slammed into Wilson's Hyundai. The impact knocked the smaller car into the canal where Wilson drowned.
Prosecutors say Goodman walked away from the crash, and waited nearly a hour to call 911from a neighbors home. Blood tests showed the wealthy Polo Club founder was drunk, more than twice the legal limit. Defense attorneys are doing their best to shift the focus of the cause of the crash to Goodman's car and their carefully criticizing every facet of the investigation that followed, even down to the temperature of the Bentley's tires at the time of the accident.
"From the players club he drove to the accident intersection and that was three miles alone so it wasn't just that short distance that he drove into the intersections, Mr. Goodman's tires were warmed up", Shapiro asked.
"I don't believe Mr. Goodman's tires were a factor in my equation, he wasn't skidding", Snelgrove replied.
The defense is now questioning the emergency room doctor who examined Goodman after the accident. Dr. Stephen Alex said Goodman suffered a broken wrist and a cut on his forehead.
The State's final witness was the Palm Beach County medical examiner who testified that 21 year Scott Wilson was still alive after the accident. He said he found black silt from the canal water in Wilson's lungs and stomach, indicating he drowned.
"So he was alive when he went into the canal?", the prosecutor asked.
"Yes", said Dr. Michael Bell.
That was a difficult for the victim's family to hear. They sat in the back row quietly wiping away tears.
Defense attorneys don't deny that Goodman was confused and disoriented after the crash but they claim it wasn't because he was drunk. Their first witness was Dr. Richard Hamilton, a clinical psychologist, who explained that Goodman's actions immediately after the collision could have been symptoms of a concussion.
"When I say 'confusion', I'm referring to the patient may not know what year it is, what month it is. He may be confused in terms of direction, he can't find his way home, doesn't know how to work his cell phone, those are the types of things with confusion", said Dr. Hamilton.
Hamilton also acknowledged that he never personally examined Goodman and hasn't reviewed any of Goodman's medical records. The defense said it will need all of Tuesday and possibly all day Wednesday to present it's case.
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