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■ MOTHER Continued from Page B1the same scenes in the barn as the body was being uncovered. Meg-gesto objected to those pictures being accepted into evidence, but Cunningham overruled the objection and allowed the photographs to be received for the jurors to consider when they begin deliberations.The nine men and three women on the jury also heard Thursday afternoon about blood stains found on numerous other items already received into evidence.Stephen Kaszubinski, a forensic chemist with the Syracuse Police crime laboratory, testified he found Type A blood on two shirts and a pair of jeans that were discovered partially buried a short distance from the barn where McLaughlin's remains were unearthed.Elaine Sterle, the West Eaton postmaster, testified Wednesday she found the clothing in a bag in her back yard the evening of Oct 9. The barn v/here McLaughlin's body was found is on the Sterle property.Kaszubinski also testified Thursday he found Type A blood on a hammer holster recovered from Patnode when he was arrestedalmost six weeks after McLaughlin was killed.Mitchell, the medical examiner, was expected to testify today that McLaughlin had Type A blood.The jurors also heard Thursday from Syracuse Police Investigator John Brennan about an eight-page confession Patnode gave after being arrested in North Carolina Nov. 10.As Brennan read the confession to the jurors in court late Thursday morning, Patnode’s mother, Mary Rose Patnode, got up to leave but collapsed to the floor at the rear of the courtroom.She was revived and escorted from the courtroom- She was not present during the afternoon session when the videotape was played. Meggesto later said Mrs. Patnode had not been feeling well before she fainted in the courtroom.In the confession, Patnode told how he became angry when he discovered that McLaughlin, who had been dressed as a woman and working as a prostitute, was actually a man. McLaughlin had just performed oral sodomy on Patnode in the defendant’s pickup truck in a parking lot across the street from City Hall.Duncan asked the veteran policewhy he stabbed and killed McLaughlin.Mr. Patnode replied he didn't know why he killed him/' Brennan said. He just said he lost his head when he found out the prostitute was actually a man.Brennan also said he asked Patnode if McLaughlin had tried to get the knife from his purse, and the defendant said the victim made no attempt to get the weapon.The investigator also said he asked Patnode if he was in fear of his own life when the stabbing occurred.‘ He replied, no, he was not in any fear at all of being hurt by the victim,*' Brennan told the jury.Meggesto has asked the jury to consider whether Patnode acted in self-defense when he killed McLaughlin, suggesting the defendant was afraid for his own safety.In cross examining Brennan, the defense attorney asked whether the witness included any of those details about Patnode not being afraid in the eight-page confession. Brennan said he did not.You put down in that statement everything you thought was true and relevant to this case, isn't that right? Meggesto asked.Yes, Brennan replied.investigator if Patnode explained
Newspaper Details
Syracuse Herald Journal
Syracuse, New York, US
Fri, Jul 24, 1987
Page 7
Full Page
Clipped by
Chad G.
USA 01 May 2023
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