Tacoma quadruple murder trial: Defense tries to cast doubt on video evidence, witnesses
Body cam footage shown in Tacoma quadruple murder trial
Body camera and home surveillance video were introduced as evidence in the quadruple murder trial case against Maleke Pate.
TACOMA, Wash. - Body camera and home surveillance video were introduced as evidence in the quadruple murder trial case against Maleke Pate.
Pate is charged with four counts of murder for the Oct. 2021 killings of 42-year-old Maria Nunez-Iese, her son, 19-year-old Emery Iese, Nunez-Iese’s brother, 22-year-old Raymond Williams, and Williams’ girlfriend, 22-year-old Natasha Brincefield.
Several Tacoma Police Department investigators took the stand and gave testimony on what they remembered from that day.
Surveillance video from several homes was also introduced to the court. Investigators say this video shows Pate running away from the scene.
During the cross-examination, Pate's defense attorney questioned the accuracy of the eyewitnesses’ accounts.
Travis Currie (defense): When you gave the interview later that afternoon with two of the detectives in the police station, and you were able to think about things a little bit more, at that point, did you describe the durag as a different color?
Danielle Monesmith: Yeah, I got the color of the durag wrong several times. I think.
Currie: When you say you got it wrong, do you mean, wrong from what you were told by somebody else that it might be, or, wrong that you gave the incorrect description of what your memory was?
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Monesmith described the suspect as wearing a white tank top, a camouflage-colored durag, and jeans. The video shows a person wearing a black tank top, blue durag, and basketball shorts.
While her description was off, other witnesses gave a more accurate recounting of what the suspect wore.
Currie also brought up concerns that three of the witnesses were talking to each other outside the courtroom.
Currie: Did [Monesmith] come and sit next to you after she had been testifying in here?
Gena Colleran (witness): I don’t know if she testified today or not.
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Currie asked Colleran if she spoke to any of the other two witnesses. Colleran said the three neighbors were sitting outside. Colleran said they talked about how the incident made them feel, but did not talk about the specifics of the day to each other.