The murder trial of courtroom escapee Dayonte Resiles has moved into its second week. On Wednesday, jurors heard from crime scene technicians who described the horrors of what they encountered at the murder scene over seven years ago.
Jurors were also shown the knife used in the crime of Jill Halliburton Su, who was found stabbed and bound in the bathtub of her Davie home in 2014.
The defendant, Dayonte Resiles, paid close attention as crime scene technicians testified about fingerprints and other evidence found at the gruesome scene.
“Her legs were wrapped around with brown electrical cord,” Crime Scene Investigator Elisa Shaw of the Davie Police Department said.
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In their testimony, two crime scene investigators said evidence shows that Su tried to fight back before she was tied up and stabbed more than 20 times in her bath tub.
“There was a vase knocked over, there was blood stains on the carpet,” Shaw said. “There appeared to have been a struggle.”
Prosecutors say Resiles’ DNA was found on a knife and belt loop and other evidence that linked him to the crime.
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“What are the similarities in terms of brand between two of the socks found in the garbage can and the two socks found in the defendant’s car? They were the same color and the same brand and style,” Crime Scene Technician Christina Pitrelli of the Davie Police Department said.
The defense questioned law enforcement witnesses about the accuracy of BSO's DNA lab and how they collected their evidence.
“And there’s also unidentified DNA on that knife, correct? Right, so there is a primary contributor which is consistent with Dayonte Resiles. The DNA results are at least 1.77 octollion times more likely if they originated from Dayonte Resiles and one unknown unrelated individual,” DNA Lab Technician, Paula Ledezma said.
The case has been getting more attention after Resiles made headlines in 2016 for bolting past a bailiff during a pretrial hearing. He was recaptured less than a week later in Palm Beach county.
A BSO sergeant also testified how a wiretap of Resiles’ unauthorized cell phone in jail allegedly showed him speaking with co-conspirators to craft up an alibi.
Resiles and his family have maintained his innocence from the start. If convicted, Resiles could face the death penalty.
