BENTONVILLE -- A medical examiner clawed at his neck to show jurors how 6-year-old Jersey Bridgeman attempted to free herself while being strangled by her killer.
Zachary Holly, 30, of Bentonville constantly shook or trembled in his chair as Dr. Frank Peretti, an associate medical examiner for the state Crime Laboratory, testified Tuesday at Holly's murder trial.
Holly is charged with capital murder, kidnapping, rape and residential burglary. He's accused of abducting Jersey from her home on Nov. 20, 2012. The girl's body was found in a bedroom closet in an abandoned house next to Holly's home. Holly is being held without bail in the Benton County jail.
Holly and his then-wife lived next-door to Jersey's family.
Peretti performed the autopsy on Jersey. He testified that strangulation with a ligature was the cause of her death.
"I knew the cause of death as soon as I opened the body bag," Peretti said.
Mike Henson, a Bentonville police officer, testified Monday that he and another officer found Jersey's body facedown with pajama pants wrapped around her neck.
Nathan Smith, Benton County prosecuting attorney, introduced several photographs of the girl's body and had Peretti explain each image.
Her pajamas were wrapped tightly around her neck three times, Peretti said.
Peretti pointed out marks on her neck in one photograph. He explained that Jersey caused the marks.
"The first thing you want to do is pull if something is wrapped around your neck," Peretti said.
"She is trying to pull," Peretti said as he stood and used his hands as if he was pulling at the pajamas. "She is trying to get it off."
Jurors looked at the images as Peretti testified.
Peretti testified the pajamas were intertwined with her hair and a necklace that she had made at school, and that
Jersey had retinal hemorrhages caused by strangulation.
Smith asked Peretti how the body reacts to strangulation. Peretti said panic sets in. Then it takes 60 to 80 seconds for the bleeding in the eyes to begin.
"Maybe there's some pain and then you eventually black out," Peretti said.
Peretti also testified that Jersey had been raped, evidenced by sperm cells. There also was trauma to her body, Peretti said.
Lisa Channell, a serologist at the Crime Lab, testified earlier that she found sperm cells on swabs from Jersey's body. She also found the cells and blood on the girl's shirt.
Melissa Myhand, chief forensic DNA examiner for the Crime Lab, did the DNA testing on the items. She told jurors that Holly was the main source of the sperm cells found on Jersey's shirt. Myhand said it was within scientific certainty that the DNA is Holly's.
Myhand testified that DNA consistent with Holly's was found on both swabs.
"I cannot say with all scientific certainty that it is his DNA," Myhand said. "I can say he can't be excluded."
Prosecutors rested their case after Peretti's testimony.
Circuit Judge Brad Karren denied a request for a directed verdict on all the charges from Robby Golden, one of Holly's attorneys.
Closing arguments are today and jurors also could begin deliberations.
Metro on 05/20/2015