I will add updates to the comments of this entry as the trial proceeds. Jury selection may run into tomorrow, but then it's ON. The District Attorney has 41 witnesses to call and the defense has very few. To my friends who are there enduring this, I will be praying for you continuously.
Homicide trial for local cop to begin
Wilkes Barre Times-Leader, PA
By David Weiss dweiss@timesleader.com
Monday, October 15, 2007 6:40 A.M.
WILKES-BARRE – The fatal shot's been fired, the bloody scene's been processed and the evidence has been examined. Now it's time for a jury to decide whether 30-year-old [911 Dispatcher] Carli Dennis died from a lone bullet fired by her husband, police officer Jeff Dennis, or by herself. Police and prosecutors say it was her husband, and jury selection will begin this morning in Jeff Dennis' trial on homicide charges. Police said Jeff Dennis was a Dallas Township officer when he shot and killed Carli on Feb. 27, 2006...
Earlier blog entries:
March 02, 2006
[PA] COP'S WIFE & POLICE DISPATCHER CARLI DENNIS FOUND DEAD -Carli Anne Bitterman Dennis, 30, of Wyoming, died Monday, Feb. 27, 2006, at home. She was the wife of Jeffery J. Dennis. She was born in Auburn, N.Y., on Jan. 4, 1976. She was a daughter of...
Apr 20, 2006
[PA] Officer Dennis is saying that his wife killed herself, but... -Today Pennsylvania Dallas Township Police Officer Jeffrey Dennis says he didn't kill his wife Carli... Dennis claims his wife shot herself... the victim's best friend said Dennis told her Carli died because of what she did to him... Another witness said Dennis threatened to shoot her and make it look like she did it...
Jun 15, 2007
[PA] Stepping Closer to Justice for Carli -...Prosecutors also plan to introduce evidence of other crimes Jeff Dennis allegedly committed, including a possible assault of his wife a week before her death. Those alleged crimes will be substantiated by eyewitness testimony of him grabbing her by the hair and neck multiple times... A witness also will testify Jeff Dennis had stated he placed a gun to the back of his wife's head "numerous times"...
[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence (IPV) abuse law enforcement public safety fatality fatalities murder fake staged suicide pennsylvania state]
I was called for the jury pool for this trial today (10/15). The process lasted from 8:30AM until past 7PM when I was dismissed from consideration. There were about 100 of us in total from which to choose 14 (12 plus 2 alternates). Ten were chosen before I was interviewed. Local newspapers were confiscated from those individuals who had them.
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts go out to Carli's family and friends as it must certainly be difficult for them as this trial begins.
(People brought papers? What were they thinking?) I'm not usually in a hurry to push time out of the way, but this week I am. Thanks for posting from PA.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/v/HAiGAyp22JI
ReplyDeleteJury seated in trial of ex-cop
ReplyDeleteJeff Dennis charged in death of wife
By David Weiss dweiss@timesleader.com
Court Reporter
Jeff Dennis, donning a suit and tie, stood up and acknowledged the 100 Luzerne County residents surrounding him... Some of those 100 residents were about to be chosen to decide his fate on homicide charges... by 7 p.m. Monday, prosecutors and defense attorneys selected 16 residents they think can give everybody a fair shake in the case. This morning, the 16 jurors – 12 regular jurors and four alternates – will hear opening statements followed by testimony...
http://www.timesleader.com/news/20071016_16dennis_dw_ART.html
Youtube snip
ReplyDelete[PA] Officer Jeff Dennis wife-murder trial starting
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZdsaLQlqRK8
Jury chosen for trial of officer accused of shooting wife
ReplyDeleteBy James Conmy
jconmy@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2118
10/16/2007
WILKES-BARRE - Twelve jurors and four alternates have been selected in the murder trial of a former Dallas Township police officer accused of shooting his wife last year. Opening statements before Luzerne County Judge Michael Conahan are expected to begin this morning at 8:30 a.m... Luzerne County Judge Michael Conahan told a panel of 101 potential jurors testimony could last up to two weeks. Conahan also has scheduled extended hours, including a full day of testimony Saturday to help expedite the trial. If convicted of first-degree murder, Jeffrey Dennis will be sentenced to life in prison.... First Assistant District Attorney Jackie Musto Carroll rattled off a list of 98 potential prosecution witnesses to potential jurors while asking about potential conflicts. All of the prosecution’s witnesses were named, although only about 40 are expected to testify. Luzerne County Director of Public Safety Alan Pugh and other employees at the county’s 911 center, where Carli worked before her death, could take the stand. Several state troopers and members of law enforcement, along with ballistics experts, comprise most of the witness list submitted by the district attorney’s office... Conahan reminded potential jurors that Jeffrey Dennis attorneys’ Al Flora, Bill Ruzzo and Ferris Webby are not required to present any evidence on their client’s behalf. Conahan also told the jury Jeffrey Dennis is not required to testify in his own defense.
http://www.citizensvoice.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18921078&BRD=2259&PAG=461&dept_id=455154&rfi=6
This is Becky- We have 12 jurors and 4 alternates. we are redy to go. Off the the court house. We begin at 9 am. I will update with any news I can. Pray for justice. Thanks, Becky
ReplyDeleteOh Becky -
ReplyDeleteYou should have seen what I wrote here but didn't post last night. I started out so angry at Jeff and I am not used to disliking someone. I hated the way it felt and kept writing and writing until I had a whole spiritual renewal.
That's where above I posted the link to the youtube, and nothing else:
http://www.youtube.com/v/HAiGAyp22JI
All my energies now are on praying for all of you there. I release the outcome, now not just in words, but in my spirit. I have no control over it - I'm on the other side of the county - and not THERE and a part of the case like you are, so my anger can't be constructive or righteous like yours can. You can be mad, righteously, in the right directions.
Even Jesus threw over tables and called people names.
Me? I need to chill and be clean enough to pray for the wisdom of the jury, and all of you.
Go girl! Carli's proud of your fire I'm sure. Just remember that love thang... :)
I'm looking forward to your updates. I keep checking the news, and there's no court blogger there... I'll post what I find too.
Honored to know you,
HUGZ.
Troopers Testify in Former Cop's Murder Trial
ReplyDeleteTuesday, October 16, UPDATED: 5:50 p.m.
By Sarah Buynovsky
...Tuesday attorneys on both sides made their opening statements and witnesses began taking the stand. Attorneys for Dennis said his marriage was marked by "happiness, togetherness" and then "infidelity and sadness." They said it all ended February 27, 2006 when Carli shot and killed herself at the couple's home in Wyoming. Prosecutors tell a different story. They said Jeffrey Dennis was angry at Carli because of an affair she was having and shot and killed her, knowing he could make it look like suicide. In court, prosecutors played the 911 recording where Dennis tells a dispatcher his wife shot herself... State trooper and friend Ron Jarocha said he spoke to Dennis briefly the day Carli died and testified Dennis was "sobbing, rocking back and forth. He said his life was ruined. His career was ruined." The sheriff's department has stepped up security for this trial. The sheriff said it's because of all the family members in the courtroom and the nature of this case...
Full article -
http://www.wnep.com/Global/story.asp?S=7222095&nav=5ka4
His life.
His career.
Deja Vous.
Breaking News: Former partner testifies Dennis was sobbing at scene updated at 4:30 p.m.
ReplyDeleteBy James Conmy, Staff Writer
10/16/2007
A total of six witnesses have taken the stand this afternoon... Jeffrey's former police partner Brian Feeney testified he has known Jeffrey since kindergarten. He said Jeffrey called in moments afer Carli Dennis died and was upset. Feeney said he decided to go to Jeff's house. When he arrived, Jeffrey asked him to say Carli would be OK and that the shooting didn't happen, Feeney testified. "Did you ask Jeff where he was when Carli died?" the prosecution asked Feeney. Feeney said he did not ask Jeffrey, "because I didn't want to know." Feeney testified Dennis asked if he should call a lawyer. "If you feel that you need to talk to an attorney, then call an attorney," Feeney testified he told Jeffrey... Officer Ken Karns testified Jeffrey was emotional, but not crying... Karns testified there was an unloaded 9 mm handgun on the nightstand next to the bed. The magazine was removed and one bullet was on the nightstand. There were blood stains on the handle and bloodspots on the nightstand itself. Jeffrey Dennis told Karns he made the gun safe after his wife Carli allegedly shot herself... KARNS ADMITTED HE DIDN'T HAVE A NOTEPAD AND DIDN'T TAKE NOTES WHEN HE ARRIVED ON SCENE. He also said people react differently in times of tragedy and Jeffrey's behavior would fit typical behavior in a tragedy. He also admitted to consoling Jeffrey Dennis... The prosecution is expected to call its first witness in a matter of minutes. Testimony is expected to last two weeks...
http://www.citizensvoice.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18921708&BRD=2259&PAG=461&dept_id=618523&rfi=6
WHOOPS. Forgot paper for notes at a fatal shooting scene!
10/16
ReplyDeletehttp://youtube.com/watch?v=w1LscGIgTcc
10/17
http://youtube.com/watch?v=oJ335PEfIaI
EXCERPTS FROM 10/17 NEWS:
WITNESSES DESCRIBE CRIME SCENE, HUSBAND’S REMARKS
Citizens Voice, PA
JAMES CONMY
10/17/2007
Prosecutors were able to place blood throughout Carli and Jeffrey Dennis’ Ninth Street home in Wyoming minutes after Carli’s death... the testimony of state Trooper James Shubzda. He tested the 9mm handgun that the prosecution and defense agree ended Carli Dennis’ life. Shubzda’s examination of the gun and its magazine of ammunition for fingerprints found no evidence that Carli or Jeffrey Dennis touched the weapon... A total of eight witnesses took the stand Tuesday... Trooper Charles Prula said Jeffrey Dennis made “unsolicited” remarks to police about finding gun powder on his shirt. The defendant said he reloads his own ammunition and used that shirt to dry his hands after touching the gun... Dallas Township police Chief Robert Jolley said Jeffrey Dennis asked for time off a few days before his wife’s death to deal with personal problems... Wyoming Borough Police Officer Ken Karns said Jeffrey Dennis told him his wife “was gone,” when he asked the former Dallas Township police officer if he performed CPR prior to his arrival. Karns, who was the first person to arrive at the scene, admitted he did not take notes...
http://www.citizensvoice.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18924918&BRD=2259&PAG=461&dept_id=455154&rfi=6
TWO SIDES OF MARRIAGE EXAMINED IN OPENING ARGUMENTS OF DENNIS TRIAL
Citizens Voice, PA
BY JAMES CONMY
10/17/2007
...The defendant showed little emotion throughout the first day of his trial. He turned to look at photos on the screen and occasionally conversed with his attorneys. When it was his turn to challenge Musto Carroll’s remarks, one of his attorneys, Ferris Webby, painted Jeffrey Dennis as a grieving widower...
http://www.citizensvoice.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18924917&BRD=2259&PAG=461&dept_id=455154&rfi=6
BREAKING NEWS: 911 CO-WORKER SAYS JEFFREY DENNIS TOLD WIFE TO CHOOSE BETWEEN HIM, HER JOB
Citizens Voice, PA
By James Conmy, Staff Writer
10/17/2007
WILKES-BARRE -- Adam Burke, a former dispatcher at Luzerne County 911 with Carli Dennis, testified Wednesday afternoon he had three conversations with Carli the day she died. During the third conversation, Burke said Carli told him that Jeffrey Dennis gave his wife an ultimatum. Carli Dennis was being forced to choose her husband Jeffrey or her job at 911, Burke said. But the 23-year-old also testified Carli Dennis never told him about any threats allegedly made by Jeffrey Dennis before her death... Trooper Michael Boone testified Wednesday he performed a gunpowder residue test on Carli Dennis after her death. He did not address the test results, but indicated the test was performed while Carli Dennis was still in the bedroom of her Wyoming home... Blood was under Jeffrey Dennis right eye and underneath his glasses... Wilson performed a gunpowder residue test on Jeffrey Dennis left and right hands, but Wilson did not perform the test on Carli Dennis, despite her husbands claim she killed herself... [Pennsylvania State Trooper Joseph] Plant admitted no special lights or chemicals were used to examine the house for blood...
http://www.citizensvoice.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18925725&BRD=2259&PAG=461&dept_id=618523&rfi=6
CO-WORKERS TESTIFY IN DENNIS MURDER TRIAL
WNEP-TV, PA
By Sarah Buynovsky
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Prosecutors in Luzerne County brought a key witness to the stand Wednesday... State police analyst John Evans is a gunshot residue expert. He testified that Jeffrey Dennis had 95 gunshot residue particles on his hands. Carli had 16. Evans also testified that he could not tell for sure whether Jeffrey Dennis or Carli Dennis shot the gun. Carli Dennis worked at the Luzerne County 911 center. Several former co-workers told jurors that Carli was trapped by a controlling husband. Robin Jensen told jurors, "she had told me in the past he had put a gun to her head." Jill Hudak said Carli was, "going to leave him. She was going to come stay at my house. He had threatened to kill her and make it look like a suicide." Adam Burke said he spoke with Carli hours before her death and she told him, "things were not going well at home" and that her husband told her "she had a choice to pick either him or her job"... Carli's supervisor, John Emmert, said Carli told him Dennis had threatened to kill her and, "Make it look like a suicide"...
http://www.wnep.com/Global/story.asp?S=7227940&nav=5ka4
DA: COP KNEW HOW TO KILL WIFE
OPENING STATEMENTS MADE IN JEFF DENNIS’ TRIAL. DEFENSE SAYS MUCH OF CASE IS HEARSAY.
Wilkes Barre Times-Leader, PA
By David Weiss dweiss@timesleader.com
10/17/2007
WILKES-BARRE – Jeff Dennis knew how to do it, a Luzerne County prosecutor said. The trained police officer had a strong theory of how he could kill his wife with a bullet to the head and make it look like she pulled the trigger, according to First Assistant District Attorney Jackie Musto Carroll. “The cop knew how the body falls, how the gun lands, and how the blood flows”... Dennis bragged about that skill. After her death, Dennis wove nine different tales about the shooting. His words, coupled with some forensic evidence, show Dennis is guilty of first-degree murder in Carli’s death, Musto Carroll said. But the theory is full of hearsay, defense attorney Ferris Webby told the jury... The 36-year-old Jeff Dennis was a Dallas Township police officer when, police say, he shot Carli in the head Feb, 27, 2006, inside their Ninth Street home in Wyoming. Jeff Dennis, they say, was angry Carli was having an affair... “She was deathly afraid of him,” Musto Carroll said. And she wanted to end her marriage with him... He gave nine variations of where he was when he claimed Carli pulled the trigger, Musto Carroll said. Once, he was sitting on the foot of the bed. Another time, he was standing near the bed. Then he was outside the bedroom in the hallway. He even told one person he was at work and came home to find her dead. He still wasn’t done talking, though. He uttered more telling words at Carli’s funeral, Musto Carroll said. “I can’t believe I took her away,” one witness heard Jeff Dennis say, according to the prosecutor. Another witness heard Jeff Dennis, peering at his wife’s casket, say, “Carli, I hate you.” “I told you she would never get away with this,” Jeff Dennis told a friend, Musto Carroll said. “That man could not keep his mouth shut,” Musto Carroll said. All of the evidence, she said, will show Jeff Dennis killed his wife in a “willful” and “intentional” manner. But Webby said the case is full of “speculation and conjecture.”... Webby and his defense team of attorneys William Ruzzo and Al Flora Jr. will call the former chief medical examiner for Rhode Island to say the blood evidence shows Carli died of a self-inflicted wound or an accidental shooting. A gun expert will also testify and support Jeff Dennis’ version. And a prosecution witness will even say Carli could have been the shooter, he said...
http://www.timesleader.com/news/20071017_17dennis_main_dw_ART.html
Jury sees animation of Dennis shooting
ReplyDeleteProsecution shows re-enactment depicting how man might have shot wife.
Wilkes Barre Times-Leader, PA
By David Weiss dweiss@timesleader.com
Court Reporter
...The image was a computer animation re-enactment of how police and prosecution experts believe Jeff Dennis used a 9mm pistol to kill his wife. The animation, produced by 21st Century Forensics Animation in Texas, was done by prosecutors to rebut Jeff Dennis’ claim that Carli killed herself inside their home Feb. 27, 2006. But its producer, Randy Matzkanin of 21st Century, came under fire from defense attorney Al Flora Jr...
---Alfred Schwoeble, of the RJ Lee Group, an expert organization group, testified he analyzed the clothing Jeff and Carli Dennis wore when Carli died. Both of their clothes had gunshot residue on them, he said. But Jeff Dennis’ jeans had the highest amount... Jeff Dennis nor Carli can be positively identified or ruled out as the shooter based solely on the residue evidence. But he did say he would expect Carli to have a higher amount of residue on her hands if she fired the gun. Carli had 16 particles of gunshot residue on her hands. Jeff Dennis had 95 particles on his hands. A 9mm, Schwoeble said, would leave a lot of residue when fired, more than what was found on Carli’s hands...
--- After Carli’s death, Jeff Dennis began telling people different stories as to his whereabouts when he claimed Carli killed herself. He told friend Raymond Westphal he was standing in the hallway... He told Carli’s friend Rebecca Smith that Carli “died because of what she did to me.” Smith testified Jeff Dennis told her Carli killed herself, and he initially said he was in the hallway when it happened. Then, he later told Smith he came home and found Carli, Smith testified. He told Carli’s stepmother, Sue Bitterman, he was sitting next to Carli when she shot herself, Bitterman testified... Jeff Dennis told Carli’s father, William Bitterman, he was out in the hallway when Carli fired, William Bitterman testified. And he told Jill Bitterman, Carli’s biological mother, he was sitting at the foot of the bed when he heard the shot and turned around...
---AND WHEN JEFF DENNIS FOUND OUT AN AUTOPSY WAS PERFORMED, HE FUMED, SHE SAID. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE WAS A FULL AUTOPSY?” DENNIS ASKED, ACCORDING TO BITTERMAN...
http://www.timesleader.com/news/20071019_19dennis_main_dw_ART.html
Co-worker: Victim told of husband’s abuse
Robert Bomboy says Carli Dennis described beatings and threats she received.
Wilkes Barre Times-Leader, PA
By David Weiss dweiss@timesleader.com Court Reporter
WILKES-BARRE – Robert Bomboy said he heard the threats. He said heard of the abuse Carli Dennis claimed to incur from her husband, Jeff... “Did she ever speak about suicide?” First Assistant District Attorney Jackie Musto Carroll asked. “Never,” Bomboy told her....He knew, from Carli, how Jeff Dennis threw Carli to the ground, he said. He heard Jeff Dennis choked her, he said. He learned Jeff Dennis called Carli a racially charged name because of one of Carli’s prior affairs, he said. And he knew Jeff Dennis found out about the affair Bomboy was having with Carli.... He wanted Carli to come clean about the affair. She later told Jeff Dennis... Jeff Dennis told Bomboy he still had connections to the mob and he would “get” Carli and no one would know he did it. But under questioning from defense attorney Ferris Webby, Bomboy conceded Dennis, in their initial conversations, was merely asking for the truth from Bomboy. Yet he and Carli continually lied to Jeff Dennis. And Jeff Dennis wasn’t “screaming” mad when he found out about the affair, just upset, Webby argued. Jeff Dennis, the attorney argued, was only trying to get Carli to change shifts at work to avoid temptation with Bomboy, the attorney argued...
http://www.timesleader.com/news/20071019_19dennis_side_dw_ART.html
dennis trial recap
The Citizen's Voice, PA
dennis trial recap
10/19/2007
Eleven witnesses took the stand Thursday during the third day of Jeffrey Dennis’ murder trial. Testimony will resume today at 8:30 a.m. before Luzerne County Judge Michael Conahan. Some key testimony from Thursday include...
- Sue Bitterman, Carli Dennis’ stepmother, testified Jeffrey Dennis told her he was in the hallway when her stepdaughter died. Jeffrey Dennis’ told police he was in the room and lunged at the gun while attempting to prevent his wife from pulling the trigger. Sue Bitterman also said her stepdaughter never told her about marital problems with Jeffrey Dennis before her death.
- Jill Bitterman, Carli Dennis’ mother, suspected her son-in-law was behind her diminished communication and visits with her daughter in the years leading up to her death. She described Jeffrey Dennis of acting “kind of odd” at her daughter’s funeral. Jill Bitterman testified he would lean over the coffin, at one point almost pulling it to the ground. Jeffrey Dennis also admitted he “cleaned the gun and got it ready for police” after her daughter’s death...
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18934745&BRD=2259&PAG=461&dept_id=455154&rfi=6
Lover: Carli Dennis feared for her safety
Citizens Voice, PA
BY JAMES CONMY
10/19/2007
Accused murderer Jeffrey Dennis warned his wife and her lover he didn’t “want to do something that would become front-page news,” after learning of their affair, the paramour testified Thursday... Although Bomboy, 39, testified he knew Carli Dennis was afraid to leave her husband, he told her she could live with him if she did. “She said, ‘I’m just going to stay here and take my daily beatings, so he doesn’t come after you and your daughter,’” Bomboy said, while wiping away tears...
http://www.citizensvoice.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18934746&BRD=2259&PAG=461&dept_id=455154&rfi=6
Dennis trial will be judge’s last high-profile case
Citizens Voice, PA
10/19/2007
The ongoing murder trial of a former Dallas Township police officer has a very different symbolic meaning for two high-ranking Luzerne County officials. For Judge Michael Conahan, presiding over the Jeffrey Dennis trial, this will be his last high-profile case after 14 years on the bench. Conahan is retiring in December. Should Conahan follow through on his intentions of becoming a senior judge, it is unlikely he will ever manage a homicide case again. Conahan is determined to get the trial done as expeditiously as possible so he could handle any post-trial appeals and not leave the matter to another judge. As for Luzerne County First Assistant District Attorney Jackie Musto Carroll, being the lead prosecutor in the Dennis case marks the last time she will be in that capacity without her nameplate on the office’s door...
http://www.citizensvoice.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18934756&BRD=2259&PAG=461&dept_id=571464&rfi=6
Witness: Slaying victim was resigned to beatings
Scranton Times-Tribune, USA
BY JAMES CONMY
10/19/2007
...Mrs. Dennis never saw it coming, according to prosecutors’ computer re-enactment of how the Wyoming woman died... Luzerne County Judge Michael Conahan reminded the panel the animation was demonstrative evidence and represented First Assistant District Attorney Jackie Musto Carroll and her team of prosecutors’ version of what happened on Feb. 27, 2006...
http://www.thetimes-tribune.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18934609&BRD=2185&PAG=461&dept_id=416046&rfi=6
Witness Says Wife Afraid of Jeffrey Dennis
WNEP-TV, PA
Thursday, October 18, 5:27 p.m.
By Sarah Buynovsky
...Other former co-workers testified that Jeffrey Dennis was controlling of Carli. "She had to let Jeff know where she was all the time," testified former co-worker Joseph Lynch, Jr. Carli's best friend from high school, Rebecca Smith, tearfully told the court that after Carli's funeral Jeff told her, "Carli had a heavy heart and she did a bad thing." She said he added, "Carli died because of what she did to me." Smith also said Dennis first told her he was with Carli when she died. Later he told Smith he came home and found her dead...
http://www.wnep.com/Global/story.asp?S=7233990
Citizens Voice, PA
Breaking News: Dennis jury watches computer re-enactment updated at 2:55 p.m.
By James Conmy
10/18/2007
...Earlier today, three more dispatchers at Luzerne County 911 took the stand Thursday morning to describe conversations they had with Carli Dennis before her death. A jury of six men and six women heard about a phone call where Jeffrey Dennis was verbally abusive, Carli Dennis coming to work with bruises on her arms and neck and the 30-year-old's plans to leave her husband. John Molitoris heard Jeffrey Dennis use profanity to address Carli Dennis during one break at the county 911 center in Hanover Township. (Jeffrey Dennis) kept repeating how could you abandon me... Joseph Lynch took Carli Dennis console one morning during a shift change at 911. He noticed bruises on her arms and neck. Lynch testified Carli Dennis said they were from an argument she had with her husband where she was thrown to the ground and choked. LYNCH SAID HE ADVISED HER TO REPORT IT TO THEIR SUPERVISOR JOHN EMMERT, WHO TESTIFIED EARLIER IN THE TRIAL. CARLI DENNIS WENT INTO EMMERTS OFFICE AFTER THE CONVERSATION, BUT HE ADMITTED HE NEVER ASKED ANYONE IF SHE REPORTED THE INCIDENT... There has been testimony earlier in the trial Jeffrey Dennis wanted his wife to work a different shift to get away from co-worker Robert Bomboy, with whom she was having an affair...
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18930388&BRD=2259&PAG=461&dept_id=618523&rfi=9
Carli's people -
ReplyDeleteI've read all there is to read from the outside -
and from here you are doing so beautiful.
SO MANY people with parts of the story ---
and I am so thankful that it appears that Jeff's dishonesty is
confirmed so many times over.
Little question left of who isn't being truthful.
Lord, bless this trial with Your Grace and Your Presence.
MUCH LOVE.
BLOG ENTRIES:
ReplyDeleteThursday, March 02, 2006
[PA] COP'S WIFE & POLICE DISPATCHER CARLI DENNIS FOUND DEAD
http://behindthebluewall.blogspot.com/2006/03/pa-cops-wife-police-dispatcher-carli.html
Thursday, April 20, 2006
[PA] Officer Dennis is saying that his wife killed herself, but...
http://behindthebluewall.blogspot.com/2006/04/pa-officer-dennis-is-saying-that-his.html
Friday, June 15, 2007
[PA] Stepping Closer to Justice for Carli
http://behindthebluewall.blogspot.com/2007/06/pa-stepping-closer-to-justice-for-carli.html
Monday, October 15, 2007
[PA] Jeff Dennis, an officer when Carli was stolen from us, is on trial
http://behindthebluewall.blogspot.com/2007/10/pa-jeff-dennis-officer-when-carli-was.html
VIDEOS:
ReplyDelete[PA] Officer Jeff Dennis wife-murder trial starting
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZdsaLQlqRK8
[PA] Officer Dennis murder-of-wife-Carli trial Day 2
http://youtube.com/watch?v=w1LscGIgTcc
[PA] Officer Dennis murder-of-wife-Carli trial Day 3
http://youtube.com/watch?v=oJ335PEfIaI
[PA] Officer Dennis murder-of-wife-Carli trial Day 4
http://youtube.com/watch?v=oYeBZ5KDTaI
Hi All- The trial is at rest for the weekend. We are holding up well. So far things are looking good. The medical examiner testified today. He was great. We still have about 15 or so witnesses to go. Thanks for the prayers and well wishes. I'll keep you posted.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to think the weekend is a relief for you, but it's a tough weekend I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteHugz
Carli Dennis did not pull trigger, forensic pathologist tells jurors
ReplyDeleteBY JAMES CONMY
STAFF WRITER
10/20/2007
...“It’s my opinion the deceased [Carli Dennis] was lying in a sleeping position when she was shot,” [forensic pathologist Dr. Gary] Ross said. “She may have been sleeping for some time before she was shot.” [Dallas Township Police Officer at the time of Carli's death] Jeffrey Dennis insists he is innocent and that his wife committed suicide. If a jury of six men and six women convict the former Dallas Township police officer of first-degree murder, he will spend the rest of his life in prison. Ross was the lone witness on the stand during an abbreviated day of testimony Friday. The forensic pathologist also used X-ray images to outline the bullet’s path... The gun’s angle was consistent with a computer re-enactment shown to the jury Thursday that simulated how the Luzerne County district attorney’s office alleges Jeffrey Dennis killed his wife... Ross believes Carli Dennis was alive for a few minutes following the shooting, but was unconscious. “Due to the force of the injury itself and the massive amount of trauma impacting the base of the brain, she could have no conscious activity after she was shot,” Ross said...
http://www.citizensvoice.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18938953&BRD=2259&PAG=461&dept_id=455154&rfi=6
Friday trial news video
ReplyDeleteOct. 19, 2007
http://youtube.com/watch?v=gG9l3or_Y-Q
At cop's homicide trial, remarks at wake focus of testimony
ReplyDeleteWilkes Barre Times-Leader, PA
By David Weiss dweiss@timesleader.com
10/22/2007
Joan Rogan walked into the funeral home to pay last respects to her dead friend, Carli Dennis... Jeff Dennis, Rogan said, was leaning up against Carli's casket, a hand on the side of Carli's head and said: "Carli, I hate you." Something odd struck Jeff Dennis' colleague, Dallas Township officer Todd Adams, too. "I can't believe I took her away," Jeff Dennis said, according to Adams, before patting Carli's head at her wake... Carli never spoke of committing suicide, her former 911 co-worker, Lynn Dretzel testified. She did talk about something else, though, Dretzel said... She suggested Carli leave Jeff Dennis if she was unhappy. Carli said she couldn't. If she did, Jeff Dennis would hunt her down, kill her and make it look like a suicide, Carli said, according to Dretzel... Dispatcher Jamie Balliet said Carli came to work bruised "all the time"... Dallas Township officer Fred Rosencrans said Carli had to ask Jeff Dennis permission for a drink. And former 911 supervisor Charles Scott Neff said Carli was constantly on the phone with Jeff Dennis. He reprimanded her because she was violating 911 policy, but Carli said she always had to check in with her husband... Luzerne County Detective Lt. Larry Fabian used phone records to show that Jeff Dennis contacted his wife via direct connect on his cell phone 49 times in a time frame of 7 hours before her death. That averaged out to one call every nine minutes... Kingston Township officer Michael Huntzinger said Jeff Dennis wasn't controlling of Carli. They seemed loving and caring for each other...
http://www.timesleader.com/news/20071023_23dennis_dw_ART.html
Breaking News: Co-worker testifies Carli Dennis said her husband would kill her if she left him
Citizens Voice, PA
By James Conmy, Staff Writer
10/22/2007
...Lynn Dretzel told Carli Dennis she should leave her husband, Jeff, during one conversation. Dretzel said what Carli Dennis said next made her very uncomfortable. "(Carli Dennis) looked at me and said, 'I can't leave him. He will hunt me down and kill me and make it look like it was my fault,'" Dretzel said... Officer Michael Huntzinger became friends with the former Dallas Township police officer and his wife... Jeffrey Dennis told Huntzinger he lunged at his wife in an attempt to stop her from committing suicide. "Did he tell you he tried to stop her?" Webby asked. "Yes," Huntzinger said. Jeffrey Dennis also told Huntzinger "Carli mishandled the gun"... Other witnesses said Jeffrey Dennis was in the hallway or not home when Carli Dennis died... The first witness today was a Pennsylvania state trooper [Elwood Spencer] who testified he used a hammer to pound on the 9mm handgun that ended Carli Dennis' life six times. Each time the weapon did not go off... His defense attorneys also have hinted the gun may have accidentally discharged. That was not a scientific possibility, Spencer said. "The only way I was able to get this particular firearm to discharge was by pulling the trigger"...
http://www.citizensvoice.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18943171&BRD=2259&PAG=461&dept_id=618523&rfi=6
‘Carli, I hate you’
The Citizens Voice
JAMES CONMY
STAFF WRITER
10/23/2007
...Fred Rosencrans, a part-time Dallas Township office and Luzerne County Emergency Management Agency employee, testified about an incident where Carli Dennis arrived at a shooting range and accidentally hit another officer’s car with her vehicle. “Jeff kind of flew off the handle,” Rosencrans said. “He called her an (expletive) idiot, a (expletive) and said he would (expletive) kill her.” BUT ROSENCRANS TOLD WEBBY HE NEVER PURSUED CHARGES OF TERRORISTIC THREATS, DESPITE ARRESTING PEOPLE FOR MAKING SIMILAR REMARKS... Jamie Balliet, another dispatcher at 911, said Carli Dennis complained about soreness in her back during one work shift, but saw no bruises and Carli never accused Jeffrey of hitting her...
http://www.citizensvoice.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18945470&BRD=2259&PAG=461&dept_id=455154&rfi=6
Friend testifies about Dennis’ casket comments
ReplyDeleteWilliam Jones says police officer had threatened to ‘blow her head off’ before.
Wilkes Barre Times-Leader, PA
By David Weiss
October 24, 2007
[EXCERPTS] Jeff Dennis was kneeling at his wife’s casket. His best friend, William Jones, walked up behind him, and leaned in to whisper something to him. But Jeff Dennis was already talking. He was whispering something to Carli’s body. “I told you you wouldn’t get away with it, bitch,” Jones said he heard Jeff Dennis say. The scene at Carli’s wake led Jones to probe a bit more about the death. He asked Jeff Dennis what happened. “Bitch was cheating on me again,” Jeff Dennis said, according to Jones. “What do you think happened?” Jones said he was skeptical that Carli actually shot herself. “(Jeff Dennis) told me I was always able to see right through him,” Jones testified. Jones’ sometimes teary testimony came Tuesday in the sixth day of Jeff Dennis’ trial on homicide charges in Carli’s death... It happened the same way Jeff Dennis once described it to Jones... Jones said Jeff Dennis spoke with him about Carli’s affair. He hoped to reconcile with Carli, but he also said if he heard Carli was cheating again, he had another plan. He would “blow her head off,” Jones said. And Jeff Dennis often bragged about how he could kill someone and make it look like a suicide, Jones said. Carli, on the other hand, told Jones how she wanted to leave Jeff Dennis. Jones told Carli she could stay with Jones and his wife if she needed to. But Carli wouldn’t do that. She told Jones that Jeff Dennis would “kill us all” if that happened, Jones said. His wife, Joyce, couldn’t understand how Carli could live like that. She always saw Carli “nervous and scared”...
http://www.timesleader.com/news/20071024_24dennis_side_dw_ART.html
Best friend testifies against Dennis in murder trial
ReplyDeleteThe Citizens Voice
BY JAMES CONMY
10/24/2007
The self-described best friend of Jeffrey Dennis... [Bill] Jones, a Susquehanna County taxidermist, offered some of the most compelling testimony on the sixth day of Jeffrey Dennis’ murder trial... Under questioning from attorney Bill Ruzzo, one of Jeffrey Dennis’ three public defenders, Jones acknowledged he did not tell police about this conversation until months later. Jones also admitted he never reported to authorities alleged domestic violence incidents he witnessed involving the couple, including Jeffrey Dennis forcefully grabbing his wife’s hair and arms. "He was like my brother," Jones said "I wasn’t going to squeal. I wasn’t going to tell." The other key prosecution witness Tuesday was Paul Kish, a blood-stain pattern expert from Corning, N.Y... Kish testified blood stains on the bedsheets where Carli Dennis’ body was found indicated she was shot while lying face down. The blood stains also show her body was moved after being shot... http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18949489&BRD=2259&PAG=461&dept_id=455154&rfi=6
Breaking News: Jeffrey Dennis takes stand in his murder trial 1:20 pm
Citizens Voice, PA
By James Conmy, Staff Writer
10/24/2007
Accused murderer Jeffrey Dennis got a chance to tell his side of the story Wednesday...
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18951517&BRD=2259&PAG=461&dept_id=618523&rfi=6
Former Police Officer Takes the Stand in Murder Trial
wnep
Wednesday, October 24, UPDATED: 5:26 p.m.
By Sarah Buynovsky
A former police officer accused of shooting and killing his own wife took the stand in his own defense... The trial is expected to wrap up on Friday.
http://www.wnep.com/Global/story.asp?S=7260445&nav=menu158_1
http://www.wnep.com/global/story.asp?s=7260445
Dennis: My wife fired shot
ReplyDeleteFormer cop takes the stand and describes his wife’s final moments. Testimony continues today.
Wilkes Barre Times-Leader, PA
By David Weiss dweiss@timesleader.com
10/25/2007
...A fiery First Assistant District Attorney Jackie Musto Carroll probed Jeff Dennis’ story, wondering why, after Carli allegedly shot herself, he would move Carli’s body, move the gun and wash his hands instead of immediately calling 911. Jeff Dennis had a reason, she argued. He wanted to make it difficult for police to figure out he shot his 30-year-old wife, she said. He wanted them to think it was a suicide. “Your … plan was to compromise that scene,” she boomed... The former Dallas Township police officer kept cool under questioning from his attorney, William Ruzzo. He even became emotional reading some of Carli’s love letters to him... He portrayed his wife as loving, but struggling to stay away from other men. She often apologized, he said, for her wrongdoings and said she never knew why she continued with them.... Jeff Dennis read a bunch of cards Carli gave to her “pookey pie,” some of them asking for forgiveness... “It was the worst thing that I ever seen,” he said... Prosecution witnesses have said Jeff Dennis spoke of killing his wife and making it look like a suicide. They said Jeff Dennis had abused her. They said he was controlling. And, they said, he called Carli a “bitch” at her wake and admitted that he “took” her away. He denied all that Wednesday, saying the witnesses lied, misheard him, or were given false information about any beatings....
http://www.timesleader.com/news/20071025_25dennis_dw_ART.html
Dennis takes the stand
Wilkes Barre Citizen's Voice, PA
JAMES CONMY
10/25/2007
Jeffrey Dennis had an answer for everything Wednesday... the 36-year-old former Dallas Township police officer contradicted much of the prosecution’s case built against him during the first six days of his trial... Luzerne County First Assistant District Attorney Jackie Musto Carroll wasted no time challenging Jeffrey Dennis’ credibility during her cross examination. “‘Admit nothing. Deny everything. Demand absolute truth.’ Do you know what I’m talking about Mr. Dennis?” Musto Carroll asked first. “That’s your motto isn’t it?” “Have I said those words. Yes, I have,” Jeffrey Dennis responded. Jeffrey Dennis told Musto Carroll he used the saying during conversations in the late 1990s, but has not used it in a long time... Musto Carroll inquired about different stories Jeffrey Dennis told people after his wife died, specifically his location when the gun was fired. Testimony from Sue Bitterman, Carli Dennis’ step mother, was missing a key word, Jeffrey Dennis said. He said he was “closer (to Carli) than the hallway.” Bitterman said Jeffrey Dennis told her he was “in the hallway.” Joan Rogan’s testimony about Jeffrey Dennis saying “Carli, I hate you,” also was taken out of context, he said. That comment was directed to his wife, not at her. “I said, ‘Carli, you hated her (Rogan) and she still came to see you.’”... Musto Carroll asked if Jeffrey Dennis’ police training included being told not to touch anything. She was focusing on why he unloaded the 9mm handgun...
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18954112&BRD=2259&PAG=461&dept_id=455154&rfi=6
Update: Judge rules defense can't present computer animation 11:35 am
The Citizen's Voice, PA
By James Conmy
10/25/2007
Luzerne County Judge Michael Conahan ruled a computer animation that illustrates what Jeffrey Dennis claims happened inside his home the day his wife died cannot be shown to the jury deciding his fate... Conahan determined the animation did not meet the required legal standards to be shown to the jury. Assistant District Attorney Dave Pedri argued the animation was based on the author's interpretations, rather than deriving the information entirely from facts and expert reports...
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18955138&BRD=2259&PAG=461&dept_id=618523&rfi=6
Character Witness in the Stand in Dennis Trial
WNEP-TV, PA
October 25, 1:46 p.m.
A police officer from Luzerne County took the stand in the defense of accused killer Jeffrey Dennis... A police officer testified Dennis was nice to Carli when they were on a hunting trip together...
http://www.wnep.com/Global/story.asp?S=7265776&nav=menu158_2
WILKES-BARRE
ReplyDeleteEXCERPTS:
Defense: Suicide not faked by Dennis
Attorneys say ex-cop didn’t have the know-how to make it look like wife killed herself.
The Times Leader
By David Weiss dweiss@timesleader.com
10/26/2007
Police Officer Jeff Dennis wouldn’t have a clue, his attorneys say, how to kill his wife and perfectly stage it to look like a suicide. They had his former boss, Chief Robert Jolley, testify why... his defense team’s plan to show the jury a computer animation re-enacting how they believe Carli shot herself fell apart Thursday... Luzerne County prosecutors Jackie Musto Carroll and David Pedri opposed its use at trial, claiming the animation did not meet the legal standards required to use it in a criminal case. The animation had to be based precisely on reports produced by experts who analyzed evidence in the case.. There, Pedri pointed out several items in the animation that do not exist in a defense expert’s report... Instead of showing the animation, Jeff Dennis’ defense team of attorneys Ferris Webby, William Ruzzo, and Al Flora Jr., tried to show the jury how Dennis was a law-abiding citizen who had a dear relationship with Carli...
http://www.timesleader.com/news/20071026_26dennis_dw_ART.html
Breaking News: Firearms expert disputes prosecution's shooting theory
The Citizens Voice
By James Conmy
10/26/2007
A firearms expert disputed the prosecution's theory of how Jeffrey Dennis shot his wife because of a shell casing or cartridge found in between Carli Dennis' pajama top and undershirt during her autopsy. There is no way the casing could have ended up in that spot if Jeffrey Dennis was holding the 9mm handgun at a downward angle to Carli Dennis' right side, said Edward Hueske, an analyst from Texas... Earlier today, the chief medical examiner for Rhode Island for 12 years testified she does not believe Jeffrey Dennis killed his wife. Dr. Elizabeth Laposata disagreed with prosecution witness Dr. Gary Ross' opinion of how she died. "The circumstances suggest the death could have resulted form either a self-inflicted gunshot wound or accidental gunshot..."
http://www.citizensvoice.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18959268&BRD=2259&PAG=461&dept_id=618523&rfi=6
Jeffrey Dennis' mother testifies she never saw abuse
The Citizens Voice
By James Conmy
10/26/2007
...Mary Ann Sutton took the witness stand. She testified her son, Jeffrey Dennis, spent the night his wife died in his old bedroom in her Back Mountain home. Her grown son placed a picture of Carli Dennis on the dresser Feb. 27, 2006. "Jeffrey was crushed," Mary Ann Sutton said. "I never saw Jeffrey like he was, so visibly upset. I constantly heard Jeffrey crying in the room and saying 'why couldn't I have stopped you. Why couldn't I have stopped you. I can't live without you.'" Although his face was not visible to the courtroom's audience, Jeffrey Dennis was rubbing his hands near his eyes, suggesting he was in tears...
http://www.citizensvoice.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18958590&BRD=2259&PAG=461&dept_id=455154&rfi=6
Judge rules defense can’t use computer generated re-enactment
The Citizens Voice
BY JAMES CONMY
10/26/2007
A Luzerne County judge will not allow a jury to see a computer-generated re-enactment of how a former Dallas Township police officer says his wife committed suicide... As for testimony in the case Thursday, Jeffrey Dennis’ three attorneys called seven witnesses to the stand, six of whom are members of law enforcement...
http://www.citizensvoice.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18958368&BRD=2259&PAG=461&dept_id=455154&rfi=6
Defense's closing arguments
ReplyDeleteBy James Conmy, Staff Writer
10/27/2007
WILKES-BARRE - Jeffrey Dennis is nothing more than a simple patrolman, his attorney Al Flora told the jury deciding his client's fate...
http://www.citizensvoice.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18963156&BRD=2259&PAG=461&dept_id=455154&rfi=6
Prosecution's closing arguments
ReplyDeleteThe Citizens Voice
By James Conmy, Staff Writer
10/27/2007
..."I will not back down. I will not back away from this case," Musto Carroll told the jury in a raised voice. "We have proven to you that man, the defendant, Jeffrey Dennis, shot and killed his wife because she was leaving him."... Musto Carroll repeated "admit nothing, deny everything, demand absolute truth," a saying used by Jeffrey Dennis prior to his wife's death. "Isn't that a liar's motto?" she asked the jury. "Once you tell a lie you've got to follow through. Once you tell a lie you don't go back."
http://www.citizensvoice.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18963151&BRD=2259&PAG=461&dept_id=455154&rfi=6
It's Becky , we are done. 1st degree...no parole. Thank you for all your support.- Bec
ReplyDeleteIt got scary there for a day or so. I posted yesterday here
ReplyDeletehttp://behindthebluewall.blogspot.com/2007/10/pa-wife-killer.html
and tonight added a video about the conviction and put a few pics of carli at the end of it. I'm so glad for you and everyone who went through this that it's over.
Former Dallas Twp. cop appeals first-degree murder conviction
ReplyDeleteThe Citizens Voice
BY BOB KALINOWSKI
11/27/2007
An attorney for convicted wife killer Jeffrey Jerome Dennis on Monday filed an appeal with the Superior Court of Pennsylvania.
A jury convicted Dennis on Oct. 27 of first-degree murder for slaying his wife as she slept in their Wyoming home in February 2006. Luzerne County Judge Michael Conahan immediately sentenced the former Dallas Township police officer to life in prison.
Dennis’ public defender William Ruzzo notified prosecutors and the court of the appeal in court documents Monday afternoon.
Ruzzo also noted Dennis is unable to afford the costs of an appeal. Dennis previously was eligible for representation by the Luzerne County public defender’s office, and there has been no change in his financial status, Ruzzo argued.
bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2055
Investigators say Dennis, 36, murdered his wife, Carli, because he was angered over an affair she was having at work. Dennis claimed she committed suicide or the gun accidentally discharged. It took the jury two hours to reach a verdict following a two-week trial.
Dennis is jailed in State Correctional Institution at Camp Hill, Cumberland County.
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19060300&BRD=2259&PAG=461&dept_id=571464&rfi=6
I don't trust cops any further than i can throw them.
ReplyDeleteIt's like anyone else - boy scout leaders, priests, football coaches, we get confused. I think it's fair to be cautious but really sad - like the members of those other professions too - when the minority of them who are criminal tarnish the reputation of others. It's up to each department to respond to bad cops, and each department should be judged - not on the bad cop(s) - but by how they respond.
ReplyDelete