Evidence from the scene presented Tuesday in trial of teen charged with stabbing his cousin | Crime

The trial for the teen charged with stabbing his 13-year-old cousin continued Tuesday and in the courtroom, it was all about evidence. Dozens of items from the Monroe County Crime Lab were inspected and discussed.

16-year-old Faheem Abdul Jaleel admitted to stabbing his 13-year-old cousin, but in self defense.

To most people, and even admittedly the attorneys in this case, it was a pretty mundane day. The trial started again at 9:30am and wrapped up at 4:30pm. But it’s the mundane things that were discussed that could make a huge difference come Wednesday.

Dozens of items taken from the scene that will now be used in the trial and every single one of them needs to be verified by the people who analyzed them. So in courtroom 205, it was all about listening to witnesses, most of who were from the Monroe County Crime Lab.

Those forensic technicians were responsible for handling everything taken from the scene that day. They talked about everything from rolls and individuals pieces of duct tape to clothing and even the knife that police believe Abdul Jaleel used in the stabbing.

The forensic technicians needed to describe in complete detail how they handled each piece of evidence and what they found. In most cases, evidence of blood was what they were looking for and found.

John Bradley, Jaleel’s attorney, “Most of what was found was blood from the complainant. In this matter, there’s certainly no dispute that she was hurt. So the fact that blood is found at the scene, taken from her at the hospital really doesn’t change anything at this point.”

The Assistant District Attorney handling this case wasn’t able to talk on camera, but he did tell News10NBC that all of the evidence presented will help the DNA analyst who comes to testify Wednesday. That DNA analyst needs all of that evidence to be verified by the technicians who worked on it, if that analyst is to talk about it in the courtroom.

What’s next?

On Wednesday, jurors are expected to hear the tape interview Abdul Jaleel had with investigators and both attorneys say it is a major part of their case. Jurors will also hear from the investigator who interviewed Jaleel as well as a doctor from Strong Hospital who will talk about the 13-year-old victim’s injuries.

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