The test

On Feb. 13, 2013, a year-and-a-half after Lauren Astley’s murder, her ex-boyfriend Nathaniel Fujita’s test started.

“there is two people that are different” buddy Genevieve Flynn said. “there is, like, the Nate that has been in senior high school with us, who was simply, like, within my homeroom, that would joke around beside me, who was in the track team with me. There is that Nate. Then there is, like, the Nate whom we have actually only actually noticed in handcuffs plus in a court space.”

Expected just just how he seemed in court, buddy Hannah Blahut told Smith, “He mostly kept their face down. When he looked up, he seemed simply not like most Nate that we’d ever understood.”

Prosecutor Lisa McGovern wastes no right amount online chat room greek of time in spelling down why Lauren had been murdered.

“This defendant is responsible just as charged,” McGovern addressed the court in her own opening declaration.

“Nathaniel Fujita ended up being harmed by Lauren Astley maybe maybe perhaps not finding its way back to him in which he killed her,” McGovern told “48 Hours”

Defense lawyer William Sullivan, inside the opening declaration, admits Nathaniel killed Lauren.

“In many murder instances, the real question is whom? Who achieved it? That is not this full instance,” the told the court. “This case there’s– there is gonna be two concerns, why and exactly how. “

“How exactly does a man that is young . there is no actual proof him ever laying a little finger with this young woman . how exactly does he make a move similar to this?” Sullivan remarked to Tracy Smith. “we told the jury, ‘you’re gonna notice and view some really unsettling facts.'”

“. she died due to the mixture associated with the strangulation therefore the wounds that are incised . to her throat,” health Examiner Henry Nields testified.

Nields stated after Lauren ended up being strangled by having a bungee cable, she then suffered a true amount of shallow wounds to her throat before her throat had been cut.

“Why these trivial, superficial wounds? He did that to harm her,” McGovern told “48 Hours”. “Why did he provide the gaping, deep injury? He did that to destroy her.”

The prosecution questioned Genevieve Flynn and Lauren’s other buddies about 2011 — the month between high school graduation and Lauren’s murder june.

“we saw Lauren select up her fingers and push them down her part as if she had been saying, simply avoid me personally,” Hannah testified.

Hannah Blahut testified about this graduation celebration where Nathaniel punched a pole keeping up the ongoing celebration tent.

“Nate got furious that Lauren was not speaking with him,” close friend Chloe Jacques told “48 Hours”. “He had been aggressive because he had been extremely drunk.”

McGovern thinks Nathaniel’s display of rage had been a prelude that is ominous killing Lauren.

“this really is a violence murder that is domestic. This is perpetrated because of this relationship, that was a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship,” McGovern told “48 Hours.”

“The prosecution is painting this being a domestic violence-dating violence situation,” Smith noted to Sullivan. “Correct,” he responded.

However the protection disagrees.

“Nathaniel . did not stalk her. Don’t drive by her home. Was not calling her. Was not texting her. And none of this ended up being present,” Sullivan told Smith.

The jury is wanted by the defense to focus on Nathaniel’s behavior after graduation prior to Lauren’s murder:

Bill Sullivan: through that time those three months, be reasonable to state you did not start to see the defendant at all.

R.J. Bolivar: I do not believe therefore.

“their buddies was indeed saying they don’t wish to spend time with him any longer because he’d been acting differently,” Chloe told “48 Hours”.

Bill Sullivan: he is maybe perhaps not getting together with you dudes anymore, right?

Connor Murphy: Appropriate.

Friends Connor and R.J. testify Nathaniel had dropped from their social group.

Bill Sullivan: will it be reasonable to express that folks were commenting that Nathaniel was not around?

R.J. Bolivar: some social individuals were, yeah.