Day five in the murder trial for Xandria Harris got a late start in Kankakee County Circuit Court this morning. Both Kankakee County State’s Attorney Jim Rowe and Harris’ defense attorney Cierra Norris spent over an hour in chambers with Judge Kathy Bradshaw-Elliott before coming out to continue the trial. It remains unclear what was discussed behind closed doors.
Once the trial was back in session, the prosecution called Illinois State Police Special Agent Cary Morin to the stand to continue testimony and questioning regarding Harris’s cell phone records from the night of the deadly shooting of Bradley Police Sergeant Marlene Rittmanic and the wounding of her then-partner Officer Tyler Bailey at a hotel in December 2021. Screenshots from Rittmanic’s body cam footage were also shown to the jury before court broke for lunch.
When the trial resumed this afternoon, the prosecution called Indiana State Police Sergeant Branden Henderson to the stand. Henderson was part of the SWAT team that served a search warrant at the house in North Manchester where Harris’ then-boyfriend Darius Sullivan surrendered around 2:30 p.m. on December 31, 2021. Video footage shown in court displayed Sullivan exiting the house and getting on his knees with his hands behind his head. Various guns and magazines were recovered during the search of the home. During cross-examination, defense attorney Cierra Norris asked Sergeant Henderson if they found any evidence indicating Harris was at the home, and he testified that they did not.
The prosecution then called Indiana State Police Sergeant Johnathan Cole to testify about the firearms and ammunition recovered from the home, presenting photos of the house’s rooms to the jury. Norris objected, stating there was no proof Harris had been present at the location, but Judge Bradshaw-Elliott overruled the objection. On redirect questioning, Sergeant Cole was asked if anything bearing Xandria Harris’ name was found. He testified yes, explaining that the owner of the home had turned over a credit union receipt found on the property that bore her name. Norris highlighted during questioning that the receipt was not discovered by law enforcement during their official search, but rather brought to them later by a third party.
The next witness scheduled to testify for the prosecution will be a gun expert. The trial is expected to run through next Friday.
Comments