Robinson Trial: Day 5
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Robinson Trial: Day 5
Numerous witnesses take the stand Wednesday, including a technician who found an internet search on Robinson's computer titled "How to kill my baby."
Reporter: Cayle Thompson
Email Address: cayle.thompson@kake.com
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Update -- Wednesday, 5:00pm

Court is in recess for the day. Trial will resume Thursday morning at 9:00.

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Update -- Wednesday, 4:00pm

A detective on the case who analyzed the previously mentioned computer takes the stand. He testifies that in reviewing Robinson's search history, he found queries such as "How can I have a miscarriage," "How to kill my baby," and "Kansas Sex Laws."

Authorities say the searches date back to November of 2005, only weeks after Brooks first learned she was pregnant.

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Update -- Wednesday, 3:00pm

A former business mentor to Robinson testifies he turned a computer over to authorities which Robinson had been allowed to use. He also found a note on a desk which Robinson used. On that note was the list: Lime, Sand, Shovel. Prosecutors say those are the utensils you'd need to bury a body.

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Update -- Wednesday, 2:30pm

The next witness on the stand is WPD Homicide detective Lt. Ken Landwehr.

He describes how Brooks body was discovered and removed from her shallow grave in Butler County. The cord around her neck was removed and examined. It was determined the cable came from a gaming system -- a "patch-cord" of sorts, prosecutors say.

He goes through many of the details previously discussed by Det. Tim Relph on Tuesday with regards to Gentry's testimony and aspects which could be confirmed.

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Update -- Wednesday, 2:00pm

Trial resumes after lunch.

Jurors hear a tape recording of a phone interview which Robinson did with a local media outlet in 2006.

Prosecutors say the tape contains a confession on Robinson's part that he is the father of Chelsea Brooks' unborn daughter, Alexa.

Robinson made the call in November of 2006 from jail. It is approximately 15 minutes long.

Robinson says he had nothing to do with the death of Chelsea Brooks or her baby.

However, he says he loved Brooks with all his heart.

Robinson says the first time he heard about Theodore Burnett was after his arrest.

He says he wasn't afraid of Brooks family finding out about his relationship with Chelsea, despite the threat of child rape charges.

Robinson says he doesn't know why Gentry would turn on him and turn him into police when he's innocent of the charges.

Robinson says he doesn't know what happened to Brooks the night she disappeared.

Robinson says Chelsea knew he was out of town on June 9th, 2006, so he doesn't know why she would have told friends she was going to meet up with him.

Robinson said Brooks was an amazing person and a very smart girl who wouldn't let others take advantage of her.

Robinson vowed to figure out what happened to Chelsea.

When asked if he planned to tell Brooks family he was the father of her baby, Robinson said he wasn't certain he was the father. Prosecutors say even if that's true, he does not deny having sex with Brooks.

Robinson said he is 100 percent innocent of capital murder and aggravated kidnapping. He said he loved Brooks too much to even imagine doing such things to her.

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Update -- Wednesday, 12:00pm

The fifth witness of the morning is Shelley Steadman, a DNA expert with the Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Science Center.

She testifies that DNA testing proves the bodies found in the Butler County field were those of Chelsea Brooks and her unborn daughter.

She says further DNA testing suggests there is a 99.9% chance that Elgin Robinson is the true father of the baby. Steadman says Robinson is 181,000 times more likely to be the father than any other man.

However, she says no DNA evidence whatsoever was recovered from the cell phone in Brooks possession the night she died, not even Brooks' DNA. Gentry says that's because Burnett wiped the phone down before throwing it out the window.

Only Brooks' DNA was found on the cord wrapped around her neck. Gentry says that's because Burnett wore gloves when he strangled Brooks.

Jurors in Burnett's case believed Gentry's testimony as the corresponding DNA evidence -- or lack thereof. Jurors convicted Burnett of capital murder this spring. He is now serving a life sentence with no possbility for parole.

Jurors break for lunch at 11:50. Court will resume at 1:30 this afternoon.

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Update -- Wednesday, 11:00am

The fourth witness is Kim Walterscheid. She was Robinson's girlfriend at the time of Brooks' disappearance and murder. Walterscheid says she received several free tickets to Worlds of Fun in Kansas City through her job at QuickTrip. She, Robinson and several friends went to Kansas City the weekend Brooks was murdered.

Walterscheid says the night Brooks disappeared, Robinson began getting phone calls from her friends and family. She says he told them he had no idea where Brooks was and to stop calling him.

Walterscheid also says Gentry and Robinson spoke on the phone several times over the course of the trip. Prosecutors say they have cell phone records that show the two speaking with each other before and immediately after Brooks death. Prosecutors say Robinson knew his trip to Kansas City would be a perfect alibi if Brooks' body was found.

Walterscheid says when she asked Robinson if he was the father of Broooks' baby, he told her it was possible.

During cross-examination by Robinson's defense attorneys, Walterscheid says Robinson's father told him it would be wise for Robinson to keep the receipts from his trip in case authorities needed to question him about his whereabouts the night of Brooks' disappearance.

Walterscheid tells defense attorneys her last conversation with Robinson was in March of this year when he called her from jail.

Going back to the phone calls Robinson received from Brooks' friends the night of her disappearance, Walterscheid tells defense attorneys she was asleep through most of the calls. Walterscheid says she awoke to Robinson becoming irritated by the repeated calls from those looking for Brooks. However, she says he seemed generally concerned about her whereabouts.

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Update -- Wednesday, 10:20am

The third witness is a woman who worked at the Farm Credit Bureau building in downtown Wichita. She says Elgin Robinson used to work as a cashier in the building's cafeteria.

The woman has background in the medical field, and says Robinson approached her one day with a question. She says he mentioned his sister's friend was pregnant and had been kicked in the stomach. He asked if that would kill the baby.

The woman said it may not kill the baby, but that the woman should definitely seek medical attention.

The woman says Robinson told her the friend was only a month or two into her pregnancy. The woman says the conversation took place during the holidays in late 2005. Prosecutors maintain Robinson was actually hatching a plan for Brooks, and that she would have been a month or two into her pregnancy at that time.

Months later, when Brooks was discovered murdered, the woman remembered Robinson's question and went to police.

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Update -- Wednesday, 10:00am

The second witness of the day is Greg Burge, a former WPD Crime Scene Investigator.

Burge was one of the investigators to search the apartment of co-defendant Theodore Burnett. Gentry's testimony during Burnett's trial helped jurors convict him of capital murder this spring. Gentry says Robinson paid Burnett a mix of drugs and cash to kill Brooks. Gentry confessed to driving the car the night Brooks died as Burnett strangled the girl from the backseat.

At Burnett's apartment, investigators recovered plastic gloves and parts of a cable, similar to the one found tied around Brooks neck after her body was discovered. Gentry told police Burnett had worn gloves to help coverup his role in the crime. They also found drug paraphenalia, which supports Gentry's claim that he often did drugs with Burnett. Prosecutors never found any direct physical evidence, such as DNA, to link Burnett to the murder. He was convicted primarily on Gentry's testimony.

This part of Robinson's trial mirrors Burnett's trial almost exactly. In order to convict Robinson, the jury must believe everything Gentry said during his testimony. Prosecutors are painstakingly trying to prove as many details of his testimony as possible.

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Update -- Wednesday, 9:30am

The first witness on the stand today is Butler Co. Sheriff Detective Paul Brown. Brown was the investigator to recover Marissa Drydale's phone in Rose Hill. Drydale loaned her phone to Brooks the night Brooks was murdered. Authorities found her phone in Rose Hill, where Gentry says he drove Burnett, who tossed the phone from the car.

A man mowing the lawn outside a church in Rose Hill discovered the phone and called police. The phone was found smashed into several pieces.

The phone is just one part to Gentry's testimony, but also key to the prosecution's case. Prosecutors say they were able to link Gentry to the crime through cell phone records that showed he was with Brooks the night of her murder.

Prosecutors have the arduous task of proving every detail of Gentry's confession, which includes telling authorities Drydale/Brooks' phone was tossed in Rose Hill. They must convince jurors everything Gentry said on the stand was the truth, all the way down to pointing out Robinson as the mastermind of the murder.

Defense attorneys said at the start of the trial Robinson was out of town and had nothing to do with Brooks' murder. Prosecutors say he planned a trip to Kansas City, knowing he'd need an alibi after leaving Gentry and Burnett in charge of doing the deed.

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Update -- Wednesday, 9:00am

It's day five in the trial of Elgin Robinson, 22, charged with capital murder in the 2006 murder-for-plot of pregnant 14-year-old Chelsea Brooks.

On Tuesday, defense attorneys cross-examined key witness Everett Gentry. Gentry and Robinson were best friends, and it's Gentry who says Robinson enlisted him and Theodore Burnett to kidnap and kill Brooks, all in an effort to keep Robinson from facing child rape charges when Brooks' baby was born.

Today, prosecutors will call witnesses that can help back up Gentry's testimony, trying to prove to jurors he is telling the truth about the murder and who was involved.

Stay with KAKE News and KAKE.com for updates throughout the day.


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