BUNNELL, Fla. – Crime scene investigators testified Tuesday about the violent death of a 66-year-old man killed in his Melrose home last year in the second day of the trial of 16-year-old Morgan Leppert.
Prosecutors also showed the jury photos of James Thomas Stewart's body and what they called the murder weapons: metal curtain rods, a kitchen knife and the plastic bag they said was used to suffocate Stewart.
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"After we removed the plastic bag, it was obvious there was extreme trauma to the head," said Steve Leary, a retired analyst with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, who was helped process the crime scene.
Leppert and her 23-year-old boyfriend, Toby Lowry, were accused killing the disabled man, then stealing his truck and taking off on a cross-country trip.
Robert Bruckner testified that he was hitchhiking when Leppert and Lowry picked him up and agreed to take him if he panhandled for gas money.
He said he didn't know the truck was stolen, and he said Leppert told him she was 18 and pregnant.
He said Leppert seemed to have control over Lowry.
"She smacked him several times while we were in the truck driving down the road," Bruckner said. "She seemed to be in control of him more than anything. He would do as she said, absolutely."
He said she once hit him for ordering her fast food burger wrong.
"It came back no pickles and tomatoes, and she opened it up and said, 'What was this?' and she smacked him for it," Bruckner said. "What was his reaction to that? 'I'm sorry. I'm sorry.' And he went back and ordered another one for her."
Bruckner admitted that he drinks a gallon of beer a day.
The defense attorney suggested Bruckner's drinking habit may have interfered with his memory.
Prosecutors said Leppert had run away from home and was living with Lowry in the woods behind Stewart's home. They said the pair got inside Stewart's home because she went to his door and asked to use the phone to call her mother.
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Stewart's body was found the same day that an Amber Alert was issued for Leppert, listing Lowry as a "companion adult." Days later, the couple was found driving Stewart's truck in Texas.
Lowry pleaded guilty in April and is currently serving a life sentence. In a videotaped confession, Lowry told detectives that he and his blond-haired, blue-eyed girlfriend hit Stewart with a pipe, stabbed him with a knife, then put a garbage bag over his head.
He is scheduled to testify against Leppert later this week.
In opening statements on Monday, defense attorneys told the jury that Leppert was only 15 and that her older boyfriend, Toby Lowry, was the mastermind, directing all her actions.
"At no time did a 15-year-old child who is not old enough to make a decision such as this and fell under the spell of a 22-year-old man make any any choice in this matter," attorney Christopher Smith said. "She acted totally under the direction of this individual and she lacked the intent to commit any of these offenses."
Due to pretrial publicity, Leppert's trial was moved to Flagler County, but Stewart's family told Channel 4 they feel it was still being held too close to Putnam County.
Not only is there regional interest in the case, but truTV (formerly CourtTV) is recording the trial for coverage on its national cable network.
If convicted, the state cannot seek the death penalty because Leppert is a juvenile.