By By Adam Prestridge
The state began making its case Tuesday to prove Atmore resident Milton Simpson Jr. stabbed his 36-year-old girlfriend to death last August at an apartment the couple shared on Ashley Street.
Eleven people were called to the stand as part of the first day of the murder trial at the Escambia County Courthouse in Brewton, including two doctors recognized by the court as expert witnesses for the state.
During opening statements, Escambia County District Attorney Steve Billy explained to the jury, comprised of six white males, four white females and four black females that the evidence presented to them by the state during the trial would prove that Simpson killed Teoria McNeal.
Billy explained that the couple was living together and on Aug. 24, 2008 Simpson had friends over at the couple’s apartment located at 50 Ashley St. for a barbecue. Later, a confrontation ensued and McNeal was stabbed. Officers discovered McNeal lying in a puddle of her own blood with a broken knife blade in her chest inside the apartment. Simpson, 42, later turned himself in at the Atmore Police Department.
Dr. John Krolikowski, Regional Medical Examiner for the Department of Forensic Science in Mobile, testified as an expert witness for the state and explained, in detail, his report on McNeal. During his testimony, he discussed eight autopsy photos he took of a knife blade stuck in the victim and an X-ray of her chest.
Krolikowski, who has more than 20 years of experience in forensic pathology and has performed more than 3,500 autopsies, stated that the cause of death was when a knife entered McNeal’s left chest near her clavicle and punctured her aorta, the largest blood vessel in the body, causing “600 mils of blood” to bleed out into her body.
When asked how long he estimated for time of death after a stab wound of this nature, Krolikowski answered, “seconds to minutes.”
Krolikowski added that it would require “moderate to substantial force” to cause the injury he examined on McNeal.
Krolikowski was also asked to remove the bloody knife blade he removed from McNeal’s body from an evidence bag and verify that it was still in the same state as when he took it out of her chest, which he said was.
During cross-examination, Simpson’s defense attorney, Jerome Carter, asked details about the knife blade.
Carter again asked Krolikowski to remove the blade from evidence and read the writing on it.
Carter pointed out that the brand of the knife was consistent with kitchen knives. McNeal’s mother, Carlie Felder, had earlier testified that her daughter stated to her prior to her death that McNeal had threatened her with a pocketknife.
Krolikowski also confirmed that other than an L-shaped “remote scar” on McNeal’s right leg, that there were no defensive wounds, lesions or materials under the victim’s fingernails that pointed to a struggle.
Krolikowski also confirmed that he did not compare the DNA from McNeal with any clothing worn by Simpson the day of the murder. He also stated that a toxicology report of McNeal’s blood confirmed traces of Benzoylecgonine, the primary metabolite of cocaine.
Atmore Community Hospital’s Dr. Larry Arcement, who read McNeal’s X-ray the day following the stabbing, was also called to the stand by the state as an expert witness. During his testimony, he stated that it was “quite a remarkable X-ray” and that “it’s not a soft area” where the victim was stabbed.
Arcement also went over with the jury an X-ray of McNeal’s chest that he read following the murder, but was unable to give his opinion of the length of time it took for her to die based on photos of the pool of blood she was lying in.
The state opened the trial by calling Felder to the stand who said the last time she had seen her daughter prior to her death was two weeks. She said that during that time McNeal expressed concern over Simpson.
Felder also stated that Simpson “showed me a pocketknife he had.”
During cross-examination, Carter questioned Felder why authorities were not notified of any threats stating that it was “serious” enough for her to ask Simpson not to kill her, but not to call the police.
Felder also testified that McNeal asked Simpson to give her the pocketknife, which she showed her.
Carter again questioned Felder why she didn’t take the threat more serious after seeing proof of the knife.
During testimony from Atmore Police Department dispatcher Ann Bailey who was on duty the night of the stabbing, Carter questioned the procedure used when she gave her handwritten, signed statement of when Simpson turned himself in at the police station. He questioned why the statement was dated June 11, 2009, nearly 10 months after the incident.
Bailey stated that Simpson came to the station and told her that “me and my girl got into an argument and got into a fight and I hurt her.” She then called an officer to the station to take Simpson into custody.
Arthur Lee Williams who was at the couple’s house the day of the stabbing, barbecuing with the defendant, also testified. He stated that he left the apartment around dark after McNeal and him got into an argument about eating Simpson’s food.
Williams said he found out the next day about McNeal’s death and went to the Atmore Police Department to give a statement after being told to do so by a friend at a gas station.
The day ended with testimony from McNeal’s cousin, Nakita McNeal, who also said Simpson, had threatened her cousin in early August before her death. She stated that McNeal came to her house one day in fear.
Nakita McNeal also said Simpson contacted her stating that he didn’t pull a knife on her cousin.
Court proceedings will continue at 9 a.m. today.