In a surprise move; the defense in the Cheryl McCafferty murder trial in Newport abruptly "rested" its case Thursday morning.
An audible gasp could be heard from some of the spectators when the announcement was made. The move comes after a morning without any new testimony in open court.
The trial looked like it was ready to go just after 10:30 Thursday morning. The trial was delayed because one of the jurors was scheduled to have a wrist cast removed at his doctor's office.
After waiting in court several minutes, bailiffs suddenly ushered everyone out of the courtroom before the jury came in. Among the crowd of spectators, we saw several women wearing purple ribbons on their blouses. One of them said the ribbons symbolize their support for Cheryl McCafferty. Some of the people wearing ribbons appear to be family or friends of Cheryl.
After a 25 minute wait in the hallway, spectators and jurors were brought back in, only to have a 15 minute bench conference between all the attorneys and Campbell County Circuit Court Judge Julie Reinhardt Ward. We could see some graphic looking pictures being talked about at the bench.
When defense attorneys went back their table where Cheryl McCafferty was waiting; that's when they suddenly "rested" their case.
The 44-year-old mother of two could face life in prison if convicted of murdering her husband, Robert McCafferty, by shooting him to death in their Fort Thomas home on June 25, 2007.
When the trial reconvenes at 12:30 Thursday afternoon, it's expected prosecutors will recall several witnesses. That could allow closing arguments to get underway Friday morning, with the possibility the jury could start deliberations as early as Friday afternoon.
Stay with
WCPO.com,
KyPost.com and 9News for the latest on the trial.
