Yuma--Questions about the way Yuma Police Department's homicide unit handled the investigation and evidence at Dr. Satinder Gill's house continued this morning.
Yuma County Superior Court Judge John Nelson overruled many questions defense attorney Kristi Riggins asked during the cross examination of Yuma Police Lieutenant Gregory Counts.
Prosecutors stated many of the questions were previously asked.
Riggins continued to nitpick the Lieutenant about DNA collected at the crime scene. She asked him who was responsible for DNA not collected from kitchen utensils like forks, spoons and bowls in the kitchen area.
"I guess ultimately it was mine.," Lt. Counts said. "If you want to put blame to something but at the time that was not identified as being involved in Dr. Gill being found beat to death in the bathtub."
Gill was suffocated and had blunt-force trauma to his head when found in his home on November 2nd 2007.
Preston Strong's attorney questioned whether a time of death can be established by the food contents found inside the victim's stomach.
"It can be," Lt. Counts said. "but when you got a victim that was beaten to death, I don't understand what the issue is of food being in the stomach."
Riggins questioned how much supervision he had over detectives collecting and processing evidence that was found inside Gill's home.
"I don't give techs specifics," Lt. Counts said. "They know their profession, they know what they're suppose to collect and what their job is."
"I don't have to go out there and tell them each and every area," he said.
@
Social Tools