The defense attorney hoisted a poster board onto the witness box Wednesday, detailing three common traffic routes Jeremy Reynolds could have taken if he really did kill Wendell Washington on May 5, 2013.
During opening arguments Tuesday in Hamilton County Criminal Court, John McDougal said the state made numerous assumptions in the murder case of 30-year-old Reynolds. On the second day of his first-degree murder trial, McDougal set out to dispel them.
Authorities said Reynolds arrived at 3687 Northrop St. and launched into a massive firefight with 19-year-old Washington on his front porch. Moments later, when Washington’s girlfriend opened the door and saw him gasping on the ground, she called 911. That was 10:56 p.m. And though paramedics arrived shortly thereafter, Washington died from the seven gunshot wounds to the arms, chest and back.
Meanwhile, a white SUV rolled up to Erlanger hospital’s emergency room and two men jumped out. They carried a third injured man into the lobby, whom prosecutors identified as Reynolds. That was 11:03 p.m.
But that didn’t add up, McDougal told jurors.
“Now, this we got from Google Maps,” McDougal said. “If the court would go ahead and put on the projector.”
A large image shined on the screen hanging in Judge Barry Steelman’s courtroom. Three lines crisscrossed the imagined field of Chattanooga, one blue, two white. Each representing a drive of about 14 minutes.
Let’s assume Reynolds was involved in the shooting in Lupton City and somehow cut across town to Erlanger, McDougal said. “There’s about three ways to get there. One is Hixson Pike. And you said you checked the cameras on the S-curve and didn’t see a white SUV.”
“Correct,” said Chattanooga police officer Daniel Francis, who responded to the scene that night. When McDougal pointed out how difficult it would be to make that drive in seven minutes, Francis retorted that he was making assumptions.
“That’s assuming they left the scene after the first call was made,” Francis said. “They probably left before [Washington’s family] made the first call.”
McDougal pointed out other factors: It had rained that night, meaning Reynolds should have been driving slower. Conversely, one of his routes would have taken Reynolds down Amnicola Highway, meaning he would have been speeding past the police station if he had wanted to make it to Erlanger in seven minutes.
Prosecutors called several police officers and a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation forensic scientist on Wednesday. The day before, they cross-examined two family members who were inside the Northrop Street home that night. The trial continues today in Judge Steelman’s Criminal Court at 10 a.m.
Contact staff writer Zack Peterson at zpeterson@times freepress.com or 423-757-6347 with story ideas or tips. Follow @zackpeterson918.