Behrman jury sees forensic evidence

MARTINSVILLE — Prosecutors presented photos of the remains of murdered IU student Jill Behrman in court Tuesday, as part of the second day of the murder trial of John R. Myers II.\nThe evidence included graphic photos of her bones scattered across a wooded area in rural Morgan County and the reconstruction of her skull, which sustained a single gunshot wound from behind.\nForensic specialist Stephen Nawrocki presented evidence that Behrman was shot in the location her body was found and that her bones showed no signs of being hit by a vehicle, which was previously one of the police theories about her May 2000 disappearance. \n"There was no blunt force trauma, no knife wounds (on the bones)," testified Nawrocki, a professor of anthropology and biology at the University of Indianapolis and a professional forensic anthropologist.\nNawrocki, who led the excavation of the site where Behrman's remains were recovered in 2003, said the pattern of fractures on her bones, including how the bone fragments were recovered at the scene, indicated that she was shot in the back of the head at an extremely close range and that her body was not moved or buried after the shooting.\n"In my report I suggested the remains had been there for more than two years," Nawrocki said, adding that the evidence, like the discoloration of the bones from decomposition, indicated "that this person came to rest at this place." \nAmong the items found in the vicinity of Behrman's remains were a pair of earrings, a porcelain-gold dental bridge, some reddish elastic material, 380 lead pellets, a plastic shot shell wad and a 20" long wooden piece not clearly identified. The defense objected to the exhibit of the wooden piece, which Nawrocki had tentatively identified in his initial report as a gun part. Morgan Superior Court Judge Christopher Burnham told the jury to ignore that description, and no photos of it were shown in court.\nUnder questioning from the defense, Nawrocki agreed that though evidence showed Behrman was shot, it did not prove that was the cause of death. She could have died from stabbing, strangulation, a drug overdose, drowning or even natural causes that the skeletal evidence would not show, he said. The only additional trauma beyond the gunshot wound was caused by carnivores scattering the remains, Nawrocki said.\nWitnesses testified that Behrman's love of cycling — which police say sent her on a ride the morning she disappeared — also helped positively identify her. When Behrman was 11, she was involved in a bicycle accident that knocked one of her upper teeth loose and threatened to affect two others next to it, her orthodontist Dr. John Coghlan testified. Eventually she would need crowns, and these, along with a dental bridge, were put in by her Bloomington dentist, Dr. Marc Smith, when she turned 16.\n"There's no question — this is the bridge that I installed in Jill Behrman's mouth," Smith said upon examining the three-unit bridge that was found in the excavation. Her upper jaw was never found.\nNawrocki testified that missing bones may indicate she suffered trauma in those places because animals are often attracted to wounded areas. \nEdwin Parks, a dentist specializing in forensics with experience in similar identification cases, showed how Behrman's dental records lined up with the teeth found in Morgan County, down to the exact positions of four wisdom teeth and a baby tooth in the lower jaw. \nBehrman's parents, Eric and Marilyn Behrman, are slated to testify Wednesday. Marilyn, along with several relatives, was at the courthouse Tuesday, though she remained out of the courtroom. She said she was assisting the prosecution during breaks. \nOther relatives, including an aunt from Arizona, sat through the grisly images projected during the trial, their faces motionless as they viewed the detailed photographs. During a break, paternal grandparents Lester and Nancy Behrman, both 78, of Westport, Ind., wondered aloud about their granddaughter's fate.\n"We laid awake for six years wondering what had happened, wondering if we could find out," said Lester Behrman. "Now we're listening to what they think happened. Did she try to get away? How long did he keep her alive?"\nNancy Behrman said she was comforted that Jill was in heaven. "I know she's up there; I know she's busy. I know it's better for her up there," she said\n"It just breaks your heart to know what happened," she added. "You feel like you're not doing enough"