Details given about Munro's body, murder scene

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EPHRATA - Footprints in the snow and the condition of Sage Munro's body were the focus of prosecution witnesses in David Nickels' trials.

The first degree murder trial of Nickels, 31, Helena, Mont. entered its third day of testimony with a former county coroner, a forensic pathologist and a chief deputy with the Grant County Sheriff's Office taking the stand.

Deputy Prosecutors Tyson Hill and Ed Owens asked questioned witnesses about the condition of the murder scene and Munro's body following his murder in December 2009. Defense attorneys Jackie Walsh and Mark Larrañaga questioned the amount of time it took for Munro to make it to his front door, and the police investigation procedures.

Former Grant County Coroner Dave Matney and Dr. Gina Fino testified about the condition of Munro's body when they examined the body. When Matney arrived at the scene he found Munro lying in the living room of Munro's E Street home.

"There were some leads that EMS had placed on him apparently to try and detect a heartbeat. There was a lot of blood," he said. "There was blood on his outer shirt. There was blood on his mouth and nose."

Fino testified it appeared Munro was shot in the front left of his chest with the bullet breaking two ribs and traveling through both lungs before exiting out of the right area of his back.

"The travel of the projectile through the body is left to right, front to back and downward," she said.

The bullet went through the ribs and exited the body. She explained both facts were consistent with a medium to large caliber weapon, saying since larger caliber bullets carry more gunpowder they have more energy to travel through the body.

"I don't like to give precise measurements because the skin is elastic, so I tend to confine myself to small, medium and large, and this (exit wound) would be in the medium to medium-large category," she said.

Fino said the gun was far enough away it didn't leave any burnt, partially burnt or unburned gunpowder on Munro. She explained the burnt gunpowder, or soot, travels a short distance and the unburned or partially burned gunpowder, or stippling, travels a longer distance.

"When I don't see soot or stippling there are two possibilities," she said. "One is that the muzzle of the weapon was far enough away that the soot and the powder grains that would have caused stippling fell away before they struck the target. The other possibility is that someone was shot through an intermediate. Sometimes bullets pass through cars and then enter bodies. Sometimes bullets pass through walls and enter bodies. Technically, clothing can be considered an intermediate, anything that is in between the muzzle of a weapon and the body."

Chief Deputy Ryan Rectenwald testified about taking photographs of the crime scene, detailing the location of shoe prints along the south side of Munro's house, into the backyard and through a gate into the alley behind the home.

The jury saw a series of photographs detailing the scene inside and outside of the home. Owens questioned how many shoe prints were found between the steps leading into the backyard and the walkway exiting the lawn.

"I don't know the exact number, but as a person would walk, you would find partial prints, a disturbance, prints, disturbance from the cinder block along the trampoline and then skirting to the walkway and then out the west gate," Rectenwald said.

The deputy didn't find any prints coming from the alley behind Munro's home to the front of the house, or any shoe prints near the back door of the residence, he said. Inside of the home, Rectenwald didn't notice any damage to the front door area, or any disarray around the home.

Rectenwald testified earlier he didn't notice anything amiss around Munro's truck.

Walsh questioned Matney about his experience, pointing out he doesn't have any medical training and it isn't required to be coroner.

Matney responded it isn't required, and the position is elected in most Washington state counties.

"You also noted that when you arrived at the residence ... that the lights were on inside of the home?" Walsh asked. "Did you notice whether the porch light was on?"

Matney said he did state the inside lights were on, but didn't recall whether the porch light was on outside of the home.

Walsh asked whether Matney believed the blood found on Munro's doorstep came when he coughed after being shot. Matney agreed it did come from Munro coughing.

Walsh questioned Matney and Fino about the amount of time it would take for the lungs to fill with blood.

"The lungs are a relatively low pressure system, so when the lungs become penetrated or perforated, they will start to bleed immediately," Fino said. "There are multiple airways and the lungs, especially in a young, healthy person, have a lot of reserve capacity, so there is no real way for me to get at (how long it would take for Munro to cough.)"

Larrañaga challenged Rectenwald about the time he arrived on the scene.

"You testified yesterday you began taking photographs at 8:30 in the morning?" Larrañaga asked.

When Rectenwald agreed, Larrañaga gave Rectenwald a copy of the deputy's field notes. The notes are a transcript of Rectenwald speaking into a recorder during his investigation.

"Isn't it true that you were actually at the sheriff's office at 8:40 (a.m.)?" Larrañaga asked. "So you weren't taking pictures at 8:30 (a.m.)?"

The deputy agreed, revising his testimony to say he arrived at the scene at about 10:20 a.m. Larrañaga asked about the time stamp on the photographs, pointing out the first one stated it was taken around 11 a.m.

Rectenwald agreed people had already arrived at the scene before he started taking photographs.

After asking a series of questions about whether Rectenwald would place placards and spray paint around items which he found important, Larrañaga asked about a shoe print found in the north corner of the backyard. The shoe print was photographed and paint was sprayed around it, but it was outside of the path detailed in Rectenwald's testimony for the prosecution.

"That's a shoe impression, is that not?" Larrañaga asked. "And that's why you took the picture? ... So we know it's heading out to the alley?"

Rectenwald agreed, as Larrañaga showed the photographs and asked Rectenwald about the paint around the shoe print.

Larrañaga also questioned whether the deputy would normally collect the 9-1-1 tape. The defense attorneys previously pointed out the lead detective didn't collect the recording from the Multi Agency Communication Center.

"Did you get the 9-1-1 tape?" he asked. When Rectenwald said he didn't, Larrañaga continued, "It was available to you, was it not?"

Rectenwald said it was available, and when he is a lead detective he normally collects the tape, and it's a policy for the sheriff's office.