Defense begins its testimony on day 11 of the Wlasiuk murder trial
NORWICH – Defense attorney in the murder trial of Peter Wlasiuk, Mark Loughran, called his first witnesses to the stand Tuesday as the proceeding entered its 11th day.
Testimony was briefly delayed prior to yesterday’s morning session due to the absence of one juror, who was reportedly ill and admitted to a local emergency room. The trial resumed at approximately 11 a.m.
Wlasiuk is charged with second degree murder – a class A-1 felony – accused of killing his wife, Patricia, on April 3 of 2002 at their Oxford home. The Chenango County District Attorney’s Office alleges that Wlasiuk later engineered a staged accident at Guilford Lake. According to Wlasiuk, he and Patricia were travelling east on County Road 35 in the Town of Guilford when she lost control of his 1998 GMC pick-up truck, veering into Guilford Lake after she swerved to miss a deer. Wlasiuk later changed his story, stating Patricia had purposely driven the truck into the lake as the couple argued.
He has twice been convicted, in 2003 and 2008, both times sentenced to 25 years to life in state prison. Both convictions have since been appealed, in 2006 and 2011, respectively.
First on the stand for the defense, Cornell University Professor of Plant Biology Dr. William Crepet, who testified it was possible burdocks found in Peter’s vehicle, his clothing and tangled in Patricia’s hair could be found in the area around Guilford Lake, despite the prosecution’s allegation that none were discovered thereabouts in 2002. Burdocks were found, however, at the Wlasiuks’ New Virginia Road home, including one stalk that appeared to have strands of Patricia’s hair tangled in it. Examining a number of photos focusing on the area along the shoreline where the vehicle entered the lake, Crepet could not definitively identify any burdocks, although he testified several specimens of flora pictured bore “similarities” with burdocks, while others were “consistent” with burdock growth.
During Chenango County District Attorney Joseph McBride’s cross-examination, Crepet stated that the burdocks found in Patricia’s hair was consistent with the type of plant found outside of Wlasiuk’s home. When shown a photo of the scene where Wlasiuk’s truck supposedly veered off the road and into the plants in that vicinity, Crepet admitted that no burdocks can be identified in the picture with complete certainty, but noted that there is an “ambiguous plant” present that is “not definitely burdock” but “not definitely not burdock.”
When McBride asked if he was able to identify burdock underneath the truck after the accident, Crepet said there was no evidence of it.
The defense also called Michael Sikirica, a pathologist who examined Patricia’s autopsy records in 2003 at the request of Thomas Wlasiuk, father of the alleged murderer. And while Sikirica testified the cause of Patricia’s death was asphyxiated drowning, he also admitted that “drowning is a difficult diagnosis,” as so many factors come in to play in determining a drown victim. He added that injuries found on Patricia’s neck – including the internal organs of the neck – and face during the autopsy could have occurred even after her death. Bruising around the mouth and the larynx may have been caused by a breathing tube or when water was vacuumed from Patricia’s lungs, testified Sikirica, while Patricia’s broken sternum could possibly have been the result of aggressive CPR. He also explained that even a person who is deceased is susceptible to bruising and broken bones; however, when asked if the marks on Patricia’s head, face and neck were also consistent with smothering during McBride’s cross-examination, Sikirica replied yes.
A final witness called by the defense, John Mullen Jr., claimed to have been near the swimming access of Guilford Lake, close to where Wlasiuk’s truck went into the water. In his testimony, Mullen claimed that he heard a “high pitch” scream he believed to have been that of a woman, although he couldn’t be entirely certain where it came from.
Within 5-6 minutes, he said emergency vehicles were at the scene.
The trial is expected to resume at 9 a.m. today in the Chenango County Courthouse.
Sun Staff writer Brian Golden contributed to this story.
Testimony was briefly delayed prior to yesterday’s morning session due to the absence of one juror, who was reportedly ill and admitted to a local emergency room. The trial resumed at approximately 11 a.m.
Wlasiuk is charged with second degree murder – a class A-1 felony – accused of killing his wife, Patricia, on April 3 of 2002 at their Oxford home. The Chenango County District Attorney’s Office alleges that Wlasiuk later engineered a staged accident at Guilford Lake. According to Wlasiuk, he and Patricia were travelling east on County Road 35 in the Town of Guilford when she lost control of his 1998 GMC pick-up truck, veering into Guilford Lake after she swerved to miss a deer. Wlasiuk later changed his story, stating Patricia had purposely driven the truck into the lake as the couple argued.
He has twice been convicted, in 2003 and 2008, both times sentenced to 25 years to life in state prison. Both convictions have since been appealed, in 2006 and 2011, respectively.
First on the stand for the defense, Cornell University Professor of Plant Biology Dr. William Crepet, who testified it was possible burdocks found in Peter’s vehicle, his clothing and tangled in Patricia’s hair could be found in the area around Guilford Lake, despite the prosecution’s allegation that none were discovered thereabouts in 2002. Burdocks were found, however, at the Wlasiuks’ New Virginia Road home, including one stalk that appeared to have strands of Patricia’s hair tangled in it. Examining a number of photos focusing on the area along the shoreline where the vehicle entered the lake, Crepet could not definitively identify any burdocks, although he testified several specimens of flora pictured bore “similarities” with burdocks, while others were “consistent” with burdock growth.
During Chenango County District Attorney Joseph McBride’s cross-examination, Crepet stated that the burdocks found in Patricia’s hair was consistent with the type of plant found outside of Wlasiuk’s home. When shown a photo of the scene where Wlasiuk’s truck supposedly veered off the road and into the plants in that vicinity, Crepet admitted that no burdocks can be identified in the picture with complete certainty, but noted that there is an “ambiguous plant” present that is “not definitely burdock” but “not definitely not burdock.”
When McBride asked if he was able to identify burdock underneath the truck after the accident, Crepet said there was no evidence of it.
The defense also called Michael Sikirica, a pathologist who examined Patricia’s autopsy records in 2003 at the request of Thomas Wlasiuk, father of the alleged murderer. And while Sikirica testified the cause of Patricia’s death was asphyxiated drowning, he also admitted that “drowning is a difficult diagnosis,” as so many factors come in to play in determining a drown victim. He added that injuries found on Patricia’s neck – including the internal organs of the neck – and face during the autopsy could have occurred even after her death. Bruising around the mouth and the larynx may have been caused by a breathing tube or when water was vacuumed from Patricia’s lungs, testified Sikirica, while Patricia’s broken sternum could possibly have been the result of aggressive CPR. He also explained that even a person who is deceased is susceptible to bruising and broken bones; however, when asked if the marks on Patricia’s head, face and neck were also consistent with smothering during McBride’s cross-examination, Sikirica replied yes.
A final witness called by the defense, John Mullen Jr., claimed to have been near the swimming access of Guilford Lake, close to where Wlasiuk’s truck went into the water. In his testimony, Mullen claimed that he heard a “high pitch” scream he believed to have been that of a woman, although he couldn’t be entirely certain where it came from.
Within 5-6 minutes, he said emergency vehicles were at the scene.
The trial is expected to resume at 9 a.m. today in the Chenango County Courthouse.
Sun Staff writer Brian Golden contributed to this story.
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