Search of the Master Bedroom

December 26, 2002

Rudy Skultety, the Crime Scene Manager, assigned Detective Ray Coyle to the Master Bedroom.  Coyle described the process he used to do the search on the night of the 26th.  "Initially I searched using a flashlight. Before entering the room I swept my flashlight across the floor, looking for anything I could see with that. And then I entered the room and again checked surfaces with my flashlight and inspected things for any kind of blood spatters or blood drops. And after completing that sort of forensic search, then began a little preliminary hand search. . . . I started in one corner and went clockwise throughout the room, searching as I went. The corner that I began in was the corner near the dresser and near the window.

Coyle said he was instructed to look for "a white long-sleeved blouse or shirt, a pair of black maternity pants. There was a watch that was described that had some stones around the outside of it, and a diamond ring."

Coyle looked through the hamper for the items on his list, but he did not itemize the clothing in the hamper.  "I removed the clothing items from it, trying to, one by one, and placed them on the bed. And then after searching the entire hamper contents, then replaced all the items back in the hamper."  Coyle said the hamper was gone through again on the 27th.

People's 7

December 27, 2002
 

Coyle searched for the jewelry named in the search warrant:  a solitaire pendant necklace, a ladies watch with stones around the outside of it, a blue and white stoned ring. 

He also searched the dresser drawers:

GERAGOS: And as you were opening the drawers were you pulling out clothes?
COYLE: I don't think I really pulled anything out. I sort of lifted stuff up, looked underneath, you know, felt around in between, but I don't think I pulled clothes out of the drawers, no.
GERAGOS: Okay. And you told that to Detective Grogan that you did not unfold each item of clothing from the drawers; is that correct?
COYLE: That's correct.