Thursday, Oct. 12, 2000 | 10:16 a.m.
For the second time in two days, prosecutors used tapes of a girl to try to implicate Richard Powell in a quadruple homicide.
On Wednesday, former assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Green and Metro Detective James Bozek described how the child couldn't identify Powell from the stand during an earlier trial, but became captivated by him as she walked past him following her testimony.
Authorities believe Powell, an alleged drug dealer, killed Samantha Scotti, 24, because she helped set up a drug buy in 1990 that ultimately led to him serving a seven-year sentence in federal prison.
Three others, Lisa Boyer, 26, Jermaine Woods and Stephen Walker, both 19, were killed because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, police allege.
The little girl was the daughter of one of Scotti's roommates, who was doing laundry at the time of the mass shooting. Aside from Scotti's 18-month-old son, the girl was the sole witness to the crime.
On Tuesday, jurors saw two videotapes of the girl telling a child psychologist about the slayings. During their conversations, the girl told Dr. Maria Cardel that "Little Ray" and a bigger man with "scary eyes" killed Scotti and the others.
According to earlier court testimony from another prosecution witness, Powell once had dark circles around his eyes. He has been wearing glasses in court.
Bozek said that during Powell's drug trial in federal court in 1994 the then 6-year-old girl didn't see anyone who looked like the "bad guys." However, when she started to leave the courtroom something happened.
"Something had caught her eye and she was staring at the defendant," Bozek said. "She slowed down and kept looking and looking and looking."
Suddenly, the girl blurted out, "He's there, he's there, he's there."
" 'It's scary eyes,' " Bozek quoted the girl as saying. " 'He's there. He washed his face and he doesn't look the same.' "
Green testified that before she said anything the girl watched Powell from the time she reached the defense table until she entered the audience area of the courtroom.
"She was glued to him," and dragged her feet as Bozek escorted her down from the stand, Green said.
Under cross-examination from the defense, Green said Powell was the only black adult seated at either the defense or prosecution tables.
Also testifying Wednesday was Desiree Gillard, a friend of Scotti's. She testified she heard the call Scotti made that set Powell up and she later heard Powell threaten Scotti's life on two occasions.
Powell's co-defendant, Vernell "Little Ray" Evans, was convicted in 1994 and is now on death row. If convicted, Powell, too faces a death sentence.
Deputy Special Public Defenders Lee McMahon and Bret Whipple told jurors during opening statements that Scotti had informed on at least nine other drug dealers and was involved in a love triangle. In addition, the other victims had enemies as well.
The trial continued this morning before District Judge Michael Douglas.
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