By HOI ABC
BLOOMINGTON – On the fourth day of the trial for Christopher Harrison, two narratives battled it out. The defense painting their client as a robbery victim defending himself. The state cast him as a cold, callous drug dealer.
Harrison is accused of murdering Joseph Gardner and Reginald Hart after they attempted to rob him in April of 2018.
Our news partner HOI ABC reports the jury was shown videos of Harrison posing with cash, weed, even a video in which he can be seeing wearing a handgun around his neck. It was all part of the prosecution’s goal to portray Harrison as a drug dealer who as they have said, was proud to be one.
Also shown in court was a video from April 25, 2018, the same night Harrison killed Hart and Gardner. In the video a detective and Harrison seem to have a rather frank conversation about why he is in custody.”
Harrison: “Are you for real though?”
Detective Brad Underwood: “Yeah, um today you’re being charged with two counts of first degree murder, okay?”
Harrison: “But why?”
Detective Brad Underwood: “Because you shot two people in the entryway into your apartment there.”
Normal Police Department Recording
Defense Attorney Kevin Sanborn spent much of his day distancing his client from his history of dealing drugs. Rather, he painted Harrison as a victim of a coordinated robbery.
He did so by reading texts between Gardner and Hart leading up to the night they were killed. Texts between the two said things like “We can beat him” and “I’ll pull up on him with that sawed off,” referring to the sawed off shotgun they brought to Harrison’s home the night of April 25.
Dr. Scott Denton, the forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy on Gardner and Hart, also testified on Thursday. As the jury was shown pictures of the men’s corpses, Denton pointed to every single pullet wound that was found. Court resumes Friday morning when the defense will present their witnesses.
WJBC News can be reached at [email protected]
