On the first full day of testimony in Morin's murder trial, the witnesses who took the stand had heard the gunshots that allegedly claimed the life of Marlon Thomas -- known as Marlo to his friends – on May 14, 2011. Thomas' family was in the courtroom.
Morin sat largely expressionless. He's accused of first shooting, then dismembering his best friend and roommate in a dispute.
But testimony turned dramatic in the afternoon, when Nakia Allen took the stand. She tearfully told the jury she was visiting a neighbor the night Thomas was killed, and was standing right in front of the unit Morin and Thomas shared.
"I heard a shot," she testified. "It was really loud, like it was in my left ear."
Then later, under defense cross examination, Allen testified, "I heard Marlo say, 'My head. I've been hit.' Then I heard Noe say, 'What happened?' Then another gunshot."
Thomas' dismembered body was discovered in the backyard the next day -- a gruesome crime his family has trouble coming to terms with.
"Two and a half years later, we want justice to be served," said Thomas' sister Tonya Dangerfield. "We have mixed emotions."
If convicted, Morin could face five to 99 years in prison, or life.
Find Adela on Facebook at ABC13AdelaUchida or on Twitter at @adelauchida
Take ABC13 with you!
Download our free apps for iPhone, iPad and Android devices
