![]() The few books on the shelves were well aligned, and it had been agreed five years before that when all the work was done, he could read. So, the waste-bucket sat always empty, purged every day. Pencils and pens were all in the right places, though the office was so small that any extra things, any bits of trash in his own space would soon have overwhelmed him. The desk where he sat was neat, with no hint of disarray, as if in revolt against the chaos outside. When he wasn’t helping someone unload, or directing a truck to the correctpile, he sat in his office, at his desk, watching the mountain of garbage that rose every year, higher and higher. Bed-frames and plastic bags, tires and toy-chests, mirrors and dry-wall and everything small and large. ![]() ![]() They said Merritt could not have known Justiss did not need medical help because he never left the truck, and disputed the defense’s insinuation of responsibility for the Coca-Cola driver.The trash rose all around Caleb, who watched it with constant fascination. The state closed argumentation by stating firmly that evidence point towards Merritt’s guilt. They also said that a the markings on Justiss’s body did not match those on Merritt’s trash truck. They reminded the court that the driver was never brought in for an interview, nor were his tires examined for evidence or matching tread. The defense then said that the driver of the Coca-Cola truck was in the scene first, and admitted to seeing Justiss on the ground. They also pointed out that Merritt never admitted to running over Justiss, and that he drove around the shopping center several times because he was afraid of being accused of something he didn’t do. They reminded the court that the medical examiner testified that Justiss would have died instantly, and there was no need for medical treatment at that point. The defense then took the stand for their closing arguments. The defense then pointed out the the officer never directly asked Merritt if he ran over Justiss, and Merritt never stated that he had run the man over. The officer maintained that Merritt was not in trouble at the time. The officer also confirmed he was wearing a body cam during the incident, though there is no footage from his first encounter with Merritt.ĭefense then asked the officer why he told Merritt he was not in trouble despite the fact he had been identified as the prime suspect. Defense then said that tire marks were found under Justiss’ body, which the officer agreed should not have been the case given the nature of the incident. The officer said Merritt never stated why he didn’t call any authority figure about the body.ĭefense then questioned the officer, and showed photos of him standing on a cardboard box that Justiss had reportedly been sleeping on at the crime scene, which was considered evidence. According to the officer, Merritt said he didn’t notice Justiss’ body until after he had backed up. ![]() On Wednesday, the Mount Pleasant officer initially called Tuesday returned to the stand to be questioned by the state.
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