An ex-girlfriend of both the suspect and victim took the stand.
An ex-girlfriend of both the murder suspect and victim took to the witness stand Tuesday to share her account of a fatal stabbing in 2014.
But why, the defense asked, was it different from what she told authorities in the days after the death on her front lawn?
Daniel Lawrence, 29, is accused of murder and weapons offenses in the stabbing death 30-year-old Warren Moore, of Jersey City, on Sept. 2, 2014, outside of Melissa Woody's home at 276 E. Washington Ave. in the borough of Washington.
The prosecution says the death arose out of jealousy; the defense says it is a case of self-defense.
Tuesday was the second day of testimony in the trial, with the 14-member jury hearing testimony from the medical examiner who conducted the autopsy and from Woody herself.
Woody, called as a witness by Warren County Assistant Prosecutor Victor Jusino, lived at the Washington house of a family friend with her three children. Her relationship with Moore had ended a year or two prior, but they were still friends, she said on the stand.
Another yearlong relationship with Lawrence had ended a couple months prior to the day of the deadly encounter.
Moore came to pick up an old bag he had left at Woody's house, and Lawrence was there with Woody when he arrived, the woman said.
Warren Moore, 30, of Jersey City, is seen in an undated photo. (NJ Advance Media file photo)The two did not like each other, and Moore became upset when Woody found his bag outside and covered with roaches, she said. That set off back-and-forth comments that escalated, stopping when Woody's children and the homeowner came by.
The dispute continued after the children were set off to play with the homeowner, Woody testified. Eventually it turned to fisticuffs, and Woody said she saw Lawrence punching Moore, who was sitting chair on the front porch and had his hands up to defend himself while throwing some jabs in return.
"I was screaming. I was telling them to stop," Woody said. "(Lawrence) wouldn't stop so I ... pulled him off. He was focused more on Warren (than me)."
Woody said she saw blood on Lawrence's face, thought he was injured and went off to get him a towel. When should looked out her window, she saw Moore on the lawn, went outside and called the police.
Authorities investigate a fatal stabbing Sept. 2, 2014, at 276 E. Washington Ave. in the borough of Washington. (lehighvalleylive.com file photo)But that wasn't the story she gave to the state Department of Child Protection & Permanency, said Lawrence's attorney, Edward Hesketh, during cross examination.
Hesketh said that in a statement days after the stabbing, Woody related that Moore was the aggressor. He questioned her on aspects of the statement, including that Moore and been on top of Lawrence and that Lawrence had tried to get away.
Woody said DCP&P was lying, but that she also presented them some different details than she told of on the witness stand Tuesday. She said that at the time, she didn't want Lawrence to get in trouble with the state.
"I have kids and so does he," she said.
Hesketh concluded his questioning: "So today when you come and testify here, this is the truth, right? And everything that you said before, that's a lie."
Evidence from the autopsy
Jurors also heard testimony Tuesday morning regarding Moore's autopsy, which included photos of his wounds. The 5-foot-11-inch-tall, 165-pound man died of nine stab wounds, mostly on his left chest and side. One stab perforated his heart, another his diaphragm, and one in the back perforated a lung.
The defense on cross-examination also established that Moore had a blood-alcohol level of .131 (penalties for drivers begin at .08), as well as indications of PCP and methamphetamine in his system. However, it could not be established when he had taken the drugs or how the combination would have affected his behavior.
Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.