A Lawrence man accused of fatally stabbing his friend was bound over for trial on Wednesday after investigators testified that partial DNA consistent with the man was found on a latex glove removed from the victim’s throat.
Julius Robert Beasley, 40, will face a jury for a first-degree murder charge in connection with the Feb. 22 death of Crystal Marie White. White, who had been experiencing homelessness, was found dead in her tent near 100 Maple St. on her 51st birthday.
On Wednesday, Deputy District Attorney David Greenwald told the court that an autopsy report indicated White suffered 10 stab wounds including “one to the heart that caused her to bleed internally and die.”
Lawrence Police Department crime scene investigator Jana Ramsey testified that she attended White’s autopsy and was present when a medical technician pulled a pair of latex gloves from White’s throat. Ramsey said she didn’t directly witness the gloves being removed because she had been looking at crime scene photos on her camera, but she was present when they were discovered.
“I remember the technician stating that she took gloves out,” Ramsey said.
Ramsey said the gloves were later submitted to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation for further analysis. On Wednesday she read from a KBI report that said tests showed DNA found inside one of the gloves matched a haplotype consistent with Beasley’s DNA.
A haplotype is a set of DNA variations that tend to be inherited together. In this case, the haplotype found inside the glove could have come from Beasley or a close male relative.
Firefighter paramedic Jasmin Ramirez testified Wednesday that she was among half a dozen Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical personnel who responded to an initial call for a cardiac arrest. Upon arrival, Ramirez said she could see a bystander performing chest compressions on White, who was still on a cot inside her tent.
Ramirez said she and two other paramedics moved White outside to the ground, removing her shirt and jacket to attach defibrillator pads. It was then that Ramirez realized White wasn’t suffering from a medical emergency.
“I was cutting her clothing off,” Ramirez said. “I cut the bra off, and then I noticed puncture wounds.”
Ramirez said that while White’s bra appeared to have blood on it, she didn’t notice an amount of blood that would be typically seen in stabbing victims. Medics attempted to insert an airway device into White’s throat, but none of the measures taken seemed to help.
“We tried bagging,” Ramirez said. “With our vitals, everything was just a zero. There wasn’t much we could do at that point.”
Ramirez said emergency responders were working in the dark under difficult conditions, but none saw anything obstructing White’s airway.
Crime scene technician Michaela Long said investigators collected clothing, drug paraphernalia, syringes and a knife from White’s tent. Also collected were four blankets with “reddish brown stains” that tested positive for blood. The blankets and knife were sent to the KBI for further analysis, but results were not shared in court Wednesday.
Lawrence police Detective Sean Crellin testified that he interviewed Austin Higgins at the scene on Feb. 22. Higgins reportedly told Crellin he had been inside White’s tent between 2 and 3 a.m. with a man known to him as “Three,” but after about 15 minutes White asked Higgins to leave so she could speak privately to Three.
Crellin said Higgins told him that he had stood within about 15 feet of White’s tent chopping wood for a few minutes before entering his own tent that was adjacent to White’s. Higgins said that as he chopped wood he could hear White talking to Three.
“She was saying, ‘Stop. I know you’re stronger than me,’” Crellin testified. “He described it as playful.”
Higgins told Crellin that the two were known to roughhouse, so he thought nothing of it. Higgins said during the time he was outside no one else went into or came out of white’s tent.
According to Crellin, Higgins later realized he had left a bag inside White’s tent and asked another resident of the encampment to retrieve it for him. Higgins told Crellin it was the person who went into the tent who discovered White unresponsive.
Defense attorney Angela Keck asked Crellin if Higgins showed signs of impairment during their interview, or if Crellin had asked whether Higgins had purchased drugs from White on the evening of her death. Crellin said he did not.
Keck also asked Crellin about the contents of Higgins’ bag or whether he had looked inside Higgins’ tent to confirm his story. Crellin said he had not gone into either tent because he didn’t want to disturb the crime scene.
“So you didn’t do any investigating,” Keck said.
Detective Nathaniel Haig testified on Wednesday that he didn’t see any evidence of blood on Beasley when he first encountered him in the back of a police cruiser outside of Lawrence Memorial Hospital after his arrest. A later search of Beasley’s backpack, however, revealed multiple banks cards and other personal information, including White’s debit card and Social Security card.
During his closing argument, defense attorney Branden Smith told District Judge Stacey Donovan that there had been no evidence of premeditation presented in court, and witnesses had not been able to definitively say who had been in White’s tent on the night of the incident.
“It’s very weak evidence,” Smith said. “You really just have a glove. The state’s not met its burden.”
Before issuing her decision, Donovan reiterated that the standard of proof in a preliminary hearing is probable cause rather than the standard in trial, which is beyond a reasonable doubt. Prosecutors said they will not pursue the second charge against Beasley for interference with law enforcement.
Wednesday’s testimony was the second day of a preliminary hearing that began Oct. 7.
An arraignment is scheduled for Nov. 8, at which time defense attorneys hope to have enough information from potential expert witnesses to schedule the case for trial sometime in February.
Greenwald asked Donovan to make note that delays related to expert witnesses should not count against the prosecution if a case is made for Beasley’s right to a speedy trial.
The prosecution is being supported by Assistant DA Samantha Foster.
Beasley remains in custody of the Douglas County Jail on a $500,000 bond.
Arrestees and defendants in criminal cases should be presumed not guilty unless they are convicted.
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Andrea Albright (she/her), reporter, can be reached at aalbright (at) lawrencekstimes (dot) com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
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