PANAMA CITY — After the death of a 90-year-old Lynn Haven man, one of his assailants doused his body with bleach — also filling his mouth — to conceal evidence of a robbery gone horribly wrong, an accomplice to the crime testified Tuesday.
And while the witness denied that Kevin Jeffries — who is standing trial for first-degree murder — was present at the time the victim was strangled to death, DNA from Jeffries dominated the crime scene, evidence showed.
Witness Ashley Griffin, 29, told jurors the story leading up to the April 2013 death of Wallace Reid Scott in his Lynn Haven home. Griffin is one of three people implicated in Scott’s death and has pleaded to second-degree murder in exchange for her cooperation in the case.
Griffin denied Jeffries, her boyfriend, was present at the time Scott was strangled to death. She instead said David Challender, the third suspect in the homicide, was in the room at the time and was bitten by Scott while trying to coerce banking information from him before his death.
“So [Challender] went back in the room and poured bleach all over Mr. Scott,” Griffin said. “… He poured bleach in his mouth and all over his body, because he had bit him and he didn’t know if he had any DNA on him.”
All three suspects knew Scott prior to his death, according to court documents.
Jeffries, 29, and Griffin met eyes occasionally during her account of a methamphetamine-filled drive from Atlanta to Scott’s home on April 4. The plan was for Griffin to drop the two men off for a week and return when they secured “the big lick” of Scott’s debit card and PIN number, she said.
Challender and Jeffries are first cousins. Griffin said the group had heard of Scott’s wealth from Sherri Mercer, Challender’s mother, who was employed as caretaker at one point by Scott.
Challender had even stayed at Scott’s home and gave Griffin directions on the trip, she said.
“I knew they were going to steal money,” Griffin said. “I asked specifically if anybody would get hurt and they said no.”
But after about 20 minutes of dropping them off blocks away from Scott’s home, she was called back to the house by Challender. Scott was bound and covered by a sheet when she returned, and Griffin said she overheard Challender threatening to cut off Scott’s genitalia with a pair of scissors if he refused to cooperate.
Three hours later, Scott was dead.
Defense attorney Robert Thirston did not attempt to deny Jeffries played a role in Scott’s slaying. Instead, the defense also angled to shift blame onto Challender.
“This case starts with Jeffries’ DNA but ends with Challender,” Thirston told jurors. “Jeffries was merely a pawn in this plan.”
However, prosecutors highlighted video of Jeffries and Griffin buying blue latex gloves from the Lynn Haven Wal-Mart in anticipation of the crime. Prosecutors used DNA evidence from a torn tip of one of the gloves left at the scene and belts fused with electrical chords, fashioned into ligatures, to show — with certainty of 1-in-140-million — Jeffries alone handled items used to bind Scott before his death.
A pair of Jeffries’ blue jeans and a T-shirt, recovered from Griffin’s trunk, also had Scott’s blood on them, though DNA analysts could not determine how the blood got there.
Challender’s DNA was present on items at the scene but in less concentrated amounts.
The trial continues today.