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The Jessica Lunsford tragedy

Family friend will be first witness

By JOHN FRANK and MICHAEL KRUSE
Published March 1, 2007

MIAMI - The tragic story of Jessica Lunsford, the cute girl in the hat who loved cartwheels and the color pink, begins anew today as testimony begins in one of the most watched criminal trials in Florida history.

This morning prosecutors will give an opening statement describing how John Couey, a 48-year-old sex offender who lived across the street, allegedly kidnapped, raped and killed the 9-year-old Homosassa girl in 2005.

But it's the voice of Sharon Armstrong that will bring to life the girl whose disappearance made national headlines.

Prosecutors told Armstrong, a Lunsford family friend, that she would take the stand as the first witness to "set the mood," she told the Times.

Armstrong, who was like a mother to Jessica, was one of the last people to see her alive. She dropped her off at home after a church youth group about 8 p.m. Feb. 23, 2005. Jessica was reported missing early the next morning.

It took nearly three weeks to get to this point after pre-trial publicity and the weight of a death penalty trial made it difficult to select a jury, even with the 300-mile distance between the crime and the trial.

Circuit Judge Ric Howard will swear in the 12-member jury and three alternates at 10 a.m. today. Then come opening statements.

Assistant State Attorney Ric Ridgway plans to give a 30- to 40-minute opening statement using three images: an aerial photo of the crime scene, the physical layout of the nearby mobile home where Couey lived and a photo of a dark-stained mattress found in Couey's bedroom that tested positive for Jessica's blood and his semen.

Together, the props are the prosecution's strongest evidence, and show how Couey became a suspect.

Mark Rodriquez, an Inverness defense attorney not affiliated with the case, said the state doesn't need to try hard in the opening.

"I think they'll make it short and succinct," he said. "The facts speak for themselves. Just the nature of the crime itself is shocking enough."

The defense will have the opportunity to follow the prosecution with an opening statement of its own.

Assistant Public Defender Daniel Lewan could also delay his presentation for later in the trial after the state rests its case. But typically defense attorneys want to give their side of the story right away to mitigate the effects of the state's case.

Both statements will likely come before lunch, and after the break the first witness for the state will take the stand. Prosecutors said they plan to put on three to six witnesses today.

Armstrong is expected to lead off. "It was very easy to love" Jessica, she said last month.

The last night she saw Jessica she waited in her car, like she always did, until the girl went through the front door of her mobile home. "Because I wanted her to be safe," Armstrong said.

John Frank can be reached jfrank@sptimes.com or 352 860-7312. Michael Kruse can be reached at mkruse@sptimes.com or (352) 848-1434.

Key players

The judge

Richard "Ric" Howard, 54, was appointed by then-Gov. Jeb Bush in 2000. He was a prosecutor for 10 years in the 6th (Pasco and Pinellas counties) and 5th (Citrus, Hernando, Marion, Lake and Sumter counties) judicial circuits. He then entered private practice, handling criminal and family law cases. Howard graduated with honors from Stetson College of Law in 1978.

The prosecutors

Ric Ridgway, 55, is State Attorney Brad King's chief assistant. He got his law degree from the University of Miami in 1978 and has been a prosecutor ever since, except for one year he spent as a legal adviser for the Marion County Sheriff's Office. Ridgway worked five years in the 17th Judicial Circuit (Broward County) and the rest in the 5th circuit.

Pete Magrino, 54, has been a prosecutor in the 17th and then 5th judicial circuits since graduating from Nova Law Center in 1983. He also was a law officer in Dade County and Miami Shores in the mid 1970s.

The public defenders

Dan Lewan, 58, is a veteran assistant public defender in the 5th Judicial Circuit and is the chief assistant in the Citrus office. He also handled criminal defense work while in private practice. He graduated from Florida State University's law school in 1982.

Alan Fanter, 50, is also a veteran assistant public defender in the 5th circuit. He is chief assistant in the Hernando County office. Fanter was a prosecutor in the circuit for two years in the early 1980s. He graduated from Stetson College of Law in 1981.

Morris Carranza, 30, a new addition to the team, is an assistant public defender from the Lake County office. He is a Miami native and graduated from Tulane University's law school.

The defendant

John Couey, 48, is a laborer with a long criminal record. He lived in Homosassa.

[Last modified March 1, 2007, 06:03:03]