TAMPA, Fla. — The prosecution continued to call witnesses, including neighbors and responding detectives and forensic investigators, during the second day of testimony in the case against Nicole Nachtman.
Nachtman, a former Florida State University student, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the August 2015 shooting deaths of her mother and stepfather, Myriam and Robert Dienes. Both were found dead from gunshot wounds in their Carrollwood home on Aug. 20.
The trial for Nachtman, now 25, began Monday with jury selection which continued into Wednesday afternoon. Opening statements got underway Wednesday afternoon and then the state called its first witness.
Nachtman, who was 21 at the time, originally claimed she was at the university when the murders happened, but the school told detectives her FSU ID had not been used in the previous seven days.
The prosecution said Wednesday afternoon that Nachtman knew what she was doing as she executed her plan and knew the consequences of her actions.
The defense continued its claims of insanity, saying Nachtman was suffering from schizophrenia and "battered child syndrome" and did not know the consequences of her actions.
Nachtman's neighbor Emma, who was 14 at the time of the killings, took the stand after the opening statements to be cross-examined Wednesday evening.
The second day of witness testimony began around 9 a.m. as Mr. Rowe, stepfather of Emma and neighbor of the Dienes, was requested to come to the stand. Mr. Rowe also said he heard two or three popping noises that sounded like fireworks.
Nachtman appeared calm even in between breaks, placing her headphones over her ears and quietly waiting.
A 911 audio call was played for the courtroom in which Mr. Rowe is heard describing the gunshots and hearing someone screaming.
Mr. Rowe also attested his daughter had previously gone trick-or-treating with Nachtman and he thought it was a bit odd because his daughter was in middle school and Nicole was in high school.
Detective Michael Pecylak, the first law enforcement officer to arrive on the scene, was also called to the stand to testify. Pecylak said he first saw the woman's body in the driveway without any movement around. He saw a bullet casing next to her head, he added.
After backup arrived, Pecylak noticed the front door of the Dienes' home was not secure and deputies first thought they might have a barricaded subject inside.
Lt. Carr, who was assigned to Pecylak's patrol squad, also testified and said he was the one who discovered Robert's body. He said he smelled a foul odor, which he determined to be a decomposing body.
After walking into one of the rooms, he testified he saw a comforter covering something and saw what appeared to be a human toe sticking out of it. After uncovering the comforter, he noticed the deceased man had a slight discoloration, but no obvious signs of trauma except blood around his mouth.
Shelby Garman, who was a crime scene investigator at the time of the murders, was brought in as the state's fifth witness. She said she took around 407 photos of the interior of the home and discovered a strange substance on an armchair in front of a television which appeared to have a movie on pause. In the armchair there was an open bag of potato chips, she added.
Garman also said a "red substance" was found near the fridge and in front of the washing machine. A load of laundry, including a white and blue baseball cap with what appeared to be a hole in the back of it, was discovered along with an orange sponge and a pair of blue jeans which also appeared to have a strange substance on it, she said.
She also testified Robert, Nachtman's stepfather, had been shot in the back of the head and discovered a window left open in one of the bedrooms. She also discovered "ridge detail" on the wall that appeared to be a fingerprint. In the opening statements, it was alluded the fingerprint matched Nachtman's.
After an hour's lunch, Garman continued to discuss the 'ridge detail' discovered, testifying a chemical reaction with a substance called amino black alerted her to the presence of blood. A cutting from the drywall was used as evidence Garman testified was from the area the ridge appeared.
She further testified about the magazine rounds discovered in the master room which matched the gun used in the shooting.
Garman was asked to go through several other pieces of evidence, including a live .380 round and some of the swabs of the red substances discovered. When she was cross-examined, she said she could not testify to where Robert was shot.
Brandon Douglas, who has been a forensic investigator with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office for nearly eight years, was next to testify. He said he was tasked to do a diagram of the scene early in the morning after the shooting happened, which is where he would take measurements of where evidence was discovered.
Douglas testified where the deceased body was discovered in the home and fingerprinted the items found in the master bedroom with black fingerprint powder.
Jennifer Norman, another crime scene investigator came to the stand to testify about photos taken of Myriam's body along with the autopsy. She testified to evidence discovered which included bullets recovered from the body.
One projectile was recovered from Robert's body, Norman said. She also testified it was recovered from the head.
Robert Der III, another Hillsborough County forensic investigator, testified what was discovered at the crime scene the day after the shootings, including what he said was a positive identification of blood.
Jacob Becker was called to the stand as another crime scene investigator with Hillsborough County. He was tasked with photography and evidence outside of the residence, he said. Becker said he took a photo of the window where a witness said they saw Nachtman leaving from.
Becker testified about the casing of the bullets discovered, which marked nearby the location of where Myriam was shot. He testified where Myriam was shot in three locations, including the hip, side, and ear.
Homicide detective Greg Thomas testified about his response to the crime scene after the shootings happened. The neighborhood was taped off with crime scene tape, he said. He added his concern of the possibility of an active shooter upon arrival. He testified deputies on patrol went inside out of concern for safety after seeing the front door ajar, which is where the second body was discovered.
Thomas had to evaluate to determine whether or not it was a murder-suicide situation, but said he determined the second body found had been deceased for a few days. He said he then executed a search warrant and allowed the forensic specialists to enter and gather evidence.
He said he noted "splattering" of possible blood in the kitchen, which was diagramed, photographed and tested positive for the presence of human blood. He also said there was laundry in the washing machine which was still wet. Inside he said a pair of women's blue jeans, a plaid t-shirt, a cleaning sponge, and a ball cap with a hole in the back was found with the laundry.
He said there was possible blood found near the couch, there was a movie on pause, DVDs nearby, and the shelf had a small amount of blood. He confirmed a bag of Cheetos was found along with another ball cap nearby on an armchair.
Thomas testified medication was found on the dresser near where the window was open and Nachtman was alleged to have escaped.
A class schedule was found near one of the tables as detectives worked to identify both the bodies found. The schedule was taken in as evidence, which Thomas confirmed in his testimony.
Testimony is expected to continue at 9 a.m. Friday.
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