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54-year old Steven Marshall of Wrangell is on trial the week of June 3-8 in Wrangell. There are seven felony charges.
Tuesday’s session began at 8:30 am with the final juror selections.
The honorable William Carey is presiding.
He swore in a full jury a few hours later.
Michael Heiser is the attorney for the defense. Attorney Jean Seaton is the prosecutor.
Both Heiser and Seaton presented their opening arguments in the late morning after which the prosecution called forth its first witness.
Nurse Beth Kuehn was called to the stand. She was the nurse on duty at Wrangell Medical Center the night in December 2011 the victim was brought in with injuries.
The second witness was Forensic Nurse Examiner Angelia Trujillo of Anchorage. She testified telephonically, or over the telephone.
Trujillo was brought in as an expert witness in the case—meaning she testified as an expert on a particular subject, rather than because she was directly involved in the incident.
Trujillo has specialized knowledge about strangulation, sexual assault, and trauma. When questioned by the prosecution, she said that after reading the reports and reviewing the photographs, she believes the victim was strangled during the alleged attack.
However, when questioned by the defense about injuries Marshall suffered that evening, she said it was possible that his injuries were sustained in self-defense.
The trial is scheduled to continue throughout the week.
The jury has yet to hear from Officer James Nelson of the police department, who responded to the call. It also expects to hear from the victim.
