The testimony of a dying and paralyzed man — who identified his assailant by blinking his eyes — helped convict an Ohio man of murder.
In 2010, Ricardo Woods, 35, shot David Chandler in the head and neck in Cincinnati. Police interviewed Chandler, also 35, shortly after the shooting. At the time, Chandler was paralyzed, connected to a ventilator, and able to communicate only with his eyes. Two weeks later, he died.
Police videotaped the interview with Chandler and showed it to jurors. The video shows Chandler blinking three times to identify Woods. When police asked him if he was sure, he again blinked three times.
Defense attorneys objected to the video, saying Chandler's blinks were unreliable as testimony, but Judge Beth Myers disagreed, citing a doctor who treated Chandler.
The jury also heard testimony from a jailhouse informormant who said Woods told him that he shot at Chandler. Woods was convicted of murder and felonious assault and faces life in prison.
[Associated Press/Image via AP]
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