Jury Seated, Testimony Under Way In Thompson Trial

“I beat him”. Beadle County States Attorney Mike Moore quoted Edwin Thompson’s exact words during police interviews, to the six men and seven women, seated Tuesday in Thompson’s second degree murder trial. Moore told the jury in his opening statements that the defense’s witnesses, doctors specializing in mental illness did not perform proper forensic evaluations of Thompson, something their experts did. Moore also said Thompson ran from police when officers tried to hand cuff him, something an insane person would not do. Defense lawyer Ron Volesky told jurors Thompson has a long history of chronic persistent schizophrenic paranoia. He also said the defense’s witnesses used the same facts and methodology as the State’s experts. Volesky says on of their witnesses was the psychologist treating Thompson at the time and saw Thompson 72 hours after Ryan Treadway’s death. As testimony began, Huron police officer Cory Borg described what he saw as the first responding officer to a fight call at the Bradfield-Leary Center on November 1st 2009. Dr Brad Randall a forensic pathologist and former Minnehaha County Coroner testified with the aide of graphic autopsy photos, that Treadway’s injuries were consistent with the full force impact of kicking or stomping actions. He gave a bottom line estimate of four to five impacts at a minimum to cause the injuries noted on Treadway’ head. Randall’s report shows the cause of death was Blunt Force Trauma. Testimony resumes  Wednesday.