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The Jessica Lunsford tragedy

Image gets to the jurors too

As testimony in John Couey's murder trial opens, prosecutors focus the panel on the victim.

By JOHN FRANK
Published March 2, 2007

Prosecutor Peter Magrino holds the now-famous image of Jessica Lunsford during opening statements Thursday. Live updates from the courtroom Watch video of defense Watch video of prosecution Complete coverage
	[Pool photo]

MIAMI - Attorneys spoke and witnesses testified. But it was a single image, not words, that visibly affected jurors Thursday.

Jessica wearing the pink hat and a broad smile.

The candid snapshot, taken by her father at the state fair just days before she disappeared, garnered national attention and spurred a massive cause in Jessica's name.

Now enlarged and pasted on white foam board, the picture was shown to the 12 people weighing the fate of John Couey during the first day of testimony in his murder trial.

Assistant State Attorney Peter Magrino showed Exhibit A to Sharon Armstrong, a motherlike figure to Jessica who took the stand as the first witness. He asked if she could identify the girl in the photo.

She tried to control her emotions. It was no use. After a long three seconds, she spoke. "Yes," she said in a quivering voice. "That's Jessie."

Almost collectively, jurors sat back in their chairs and took a deep breath. Juror No. 1187 even looked to the sky for a time to keep the tears welling in her eyes from streaming down her face.

The powerful moment capped a fast-paced and emotional day. Prosecutors continue their case today with an emphasis on the physical evidence gathered from the crime scene.

"It was very, very difficult for Mark," said Mark Gelman, the attorney for Jessica's father, Mark Lunsford. "There were tears and there are going to be more tears."

With television cameras and a horde of reporters watching, Assistant State Attorney Ric Ridgway walked over to the jury at 10:16 a.m. and began to present State of Florida vs. John Evander Couey.

In a matter-of-fact style, Ridgway gave jurors hints of what was to come in laying out the events surrounding the 9-year-old's disappearance and how authorities came to charge Couey with kidnap, rape and murder.

The defense offered few clues of an alternative theory but poked holes in the substance of the prosecution's story. Assistant Public Defender Daniel Lewan said appearances aren't always what they seem.

Couey, wearing an oversized gray suit, sat hunched over the defense table looking down and fidgeting as witnesses took the stand and jurors stole quick glances. He didn't color in children's books, as he did through most of jury selection, but he drew patterns with a pencil and ruler on a legal pad.

Armstrong led off, telling in heart-wrenching detail about the final time she saw Jessica alive. She had dropped her off at home at night after a church youth group and Jessica paused as she went in the front door.

"She turned around and signed, 'I love you,' " said Armstrong, a deaf interpreter in the Hernando County schools system.

Ruth Lunsford, Jessica's grandmother, followed. She ran down a typical day in the young girl's life, interjecting dialogue in Jessica's words. She also described the fateful call to 911 just after 6 a.m. Feb. 24, 2005.

Again the defense had no questions.

Next came the highly anticipated moment when father Mark Lunsford took the stand. Often emotional and outspoken, Lunsford was reserved, if not stoic, on the stand as he told his often-repeated story of coming home to find Jessica gone.

Also missing, he said, was a purple stuffed dolphin he won for her at the state fair. Jessica was holding it close to her chest when Couey is alleged to have buried her alive.

Amid questioning, Ridgway walked from the lectern to the prosecution's table and retrieved a bulky paper bag. He cut the seal and asked Lunsford to identify what was inside.

"It looks like the dolphin I had won," he replied.

But the jury never saw the evidence. Ridgway tantalized the panel but saved it as an exclamation point for later in the trial.

Lunsford spent most of his time on the stand - and later in the audience - glaring at Couey and rubbing a clear plastic stone with an angel figurine inside. He calls it his "worrying stone."

Before he stepped down from the stand, the defense had a couple brief questions. Lewan wants to know what he watched on TV the night Jessica went missing.

Lost.

John Frank can be reached at jfrank@sptimes.com or 352 860-7312.

Fast Facts:

Day 1

Prosecutors and defense attorneys gave snapshots of their cases during opening statements. The state said fingerprints and DNA evidence link John Couey to Jessica Lunsford's kidnap, rape and murder. Couey's defense attorney told jurors to question everything about the case. Testimony began with friends and relatives of Jessica, initial investigators and Couey's sister and niece.

Surprises: The dolphin Jessica was holding when she was buried alive appeared in court - in a paper bag. It was admitted into evidence but prosecutors kept it from jurors' eyes for now.

Quote: "The one man responsible for all of these acts is sitting right there." - Assistant State Attorney Ric Ridgway, pointing at Couey at the end of his opening statement.

What's next: Today prosecutors will introduce the bulk of the physical evidence from the initial investigation and take testimony from crime scene technicians.

[Last modified March 2, 2007, 05:49:09]