The 10th day of the double-murder case against Jason Anthony Warren was a short one as a single witness was called to the stand before the jury was dismissed until after Thanksgiving.
Dr. Thomas Krenek, the medical director at the in-patient rehabilitation facility at St. Joseph Hospital, testified about the brain injuries suffered by Jessica Hunt and Terri Vroman Little, two of the three women struck by a Kia Spectra allegedly driven by Warren on Sept. 27, 2012. The third woman, Suzanne Seemann, died at the scene on Myrtle Ave. north of Eureka.
Warren stands accused of two counts of murder, including the stabbing death of Hoopa woman Dorothy Ulrich, and two counts of attempted murder with special allegations of lying in wait and torture, with regard to Ulrich.
Krenek said both Hunt and Vroman Little suffered traumatic brain injuries along with serious orthopedic injuries. Both were admitted to the in-patient rehab facility after a stay in St. Joe’s intensive care unit. Hunt suffered injuries to her brain’s temporal lobes and the left parietal occipital region, including a shearing of nerve fibers, an injury that can impair cognitive function and memory.
Vroman Little suffered shearing injuries to her corpus callosum, the fibers that join the brain’s two hemispheres. She reported having double vision, and Krenek noted nerve damage to her left eye. After her inpatient stay she underwent outpatient physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy.
With that — less than half an hour of testimony — the jury was released. Judge Timothy Cissna said the prosecution has one more witness to call, though that won’t happen until Monday, Nov. 30. The defense is expected to make its case in its entirety that same day.
PREVIOUSLY:
- Jury Hears Audio of Dorothy Ulrich’s Violent Death on First Day of Warren Trial
- Attorneys Spar Over Evidence Before Warren’s Health Forces Early Recess in Double-Murder Case
- Jury Sees Photos of Battered, Blood-Smeared Kia on Day Three of Warren Trial
- Warren Trial, Day Four: Security Footage, Samurai Swords and a Vanishing Witness
- Warren Trial, Day Five: ‘The Type of Scream You Hear in a Horror Movie’
- Warren Trial, Day Six: The Evidence Mounts
- Warren Trial, Day Seven: The Autopsies
- Warren Trial, Day Eight: The DNA Matches, But Warren’s Wife Stops Short of Positive ID
- Warren Trial, Day Nine: Murders Foreshadowed by Similar Crimes a Decade Earlier