The trial of James Alex Fields Jr entered its fifth day in Charlottesville on Friday
A jury will be allowed to see Instagram posts depicting a car running people over that were allegedly made by the driver charged with killing a woman at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Judge Richard Moore ruled on Thursday that prosecutors will be allowed to show jurors the two Instagram posts during the trial of 21-year-old James Alex Fields Jr, which entered its fifth day on Friday.
Fields faces 10 charges for his role in the violence at the 'Unite the Right' rally in Charlottesville in August 2017, including for the murder of Heather Heyer, who died when his Dodge Challenger struck a crowd.
In opening arguments, Fields' attorney argued he had acted in self defense after his car was mobbed by counter-protesters.
The Instagram memes from May 2017, one sent as a private message and the other posted publicly, show a car striking a group of bicyclists, and a variation the message: 'You have the right to protest...But I'm late for work'.
The Instagram memes from May 2017, one sent as a private message and the other posted publicly, show a car striking a group of bicyclists
Courtroom artwork shows James Alex Fields Jr during jury selection earlier this week
Fields, second from left, sits along with his attorneys, Denise Lunsford, left, and John Hill, front right, as Judge Richard E. Moore, top right, reads charges earlier this week
Prosecutors argued that the images show 'intent, motive and state of mind' in their motion requesting the admission of the memes as evidence.
Heather Heyer, 32, died after Field's car struck the crowd she was marching in
On Friday, Fields' trial continued with testimony from prosecution witnesses, including a photographer who captured the crash, and victims who were injured in the chaos.
'I heard screeching tires and an engine revving as it sped past me up the street,' photographer Ryan Kelly testified.
Kelly, who now does publicity shots for a brewery, was on his last day at work for local newspaper The Daily Progress and won a Putlizer prize for a photograph showing one of the people launched flailing into the air.
'It was faster than any car I've seen on that street. It was speeding, going directly into that crowd,' Kelly said.
He said he ran and began shooting photographs of the chaotic scene. He heard the sounds of thuds, screams and cries.
The jury also heard from several people who suffered debilitating injuries when they were hit by Fields' car.
Fields' car is seen moments before it struck a crowd last year, killing one and injuring 19
Photographer Ryan Kelly won a Pulitzer for this image showing the car striking the crowd of counterprotesters. He testified about the events at Fields' trial on Friday
The drivers of the other two stationary vehicles that were hit from behind in the crash (above) also testified at the trial in Charlottesville on Friday
Jeanne 'Star' Peterson said she was walking with a crowd of counterprotesters who were feeling 'celebratory' after violent clashes between white nationalists and antifa earlier in the day prompted police to declare the 'Unite the Right' rally an 'unlawful assembly' and forced the crowds to disband.
'The alt-right didn't get to have a single one of their horrible hate speeches,' Peterson said.
She said she remembers hearing three bumps and realized later that two of the bumps were the sound of Fields' tires driving over her leg and then backing up over it.
She said she saw a woman thrown into the air when she was struck by the car. 'I remember seeing her eyes,' Peterson said, adding that she thought to herself, 'that's what someone looks like when they are dead.'
She later realized the woman was 32-year-old Heyer.
Peterson said her right leg was crushed by the car. Since then, she has had five surgeries and expects to have a sixth surgery next year. She used a cane to get into the courtroom and a wheelchair to leave, assisted by a sheriff's deputy.
Witness Wednesday Bowie is seen sitting left above in the aftermath of the crash. She testified on Friday that she was struck when Fields reversed
Another counterprotester, Wednesday Bowie, said she was walking with the crowd when she saw a flash of silver out of the corner of her eye. She recalled hearing a crash, 'a loud booming noise,' she said.
She started running and then saw a car in front of her start to back up. She said she got caught on the trunk of the car, was slammed into a black truck parked nearby and then thrown to the ground.
'I remember people screaming the word 'medic' over and over and over again, basically from every direction,' she said.
Bowie said her injuries included a pelvis broken in six places, three cracked vertebrae in her back, a broken tailbone and a broken orbital socket.
Fifteen months later, she still cannot walk long distances or sit for a long period of time without being in pain.
James Alex Fields Jr (second from left with shield) is seen attending the 'Unite the Right' rally in Charlottesville before being arrested and charged last year
Under cross-examination, defense attorney John Hill asked Bowie about violence earlier in the day, advancing his theory that Fields feared for his safety.
'The violence I saw was almost exclusively perpetuated by those who were in the park,' she said, apparently referring to the white nationalists.
A forensic detective also testified earlier in the morning, saying that he had found blood on the windshield of Field's Challenger that later matched to Heyers' DNA.
Jurors also heard from the drivers of two cars that were stopped in the crowd and were struck from behind by Fields' challenger, the Daily Progress reported.
Lizete Short said she got out of her van on Fourth Street to take a picture of the second group, saying it felt like 'a moment in history,' when something struck the van from behind, throwing her onto the hood.
Tadrint Washington says her car was stopped by the crowd and the van in front of her. She saw the car behind her back up, and then he next thing she knew she heard a bang and blacked out.
Washington and her sister, Micah, who was in the car with her, filed a $3 million civil suit soon afterwards, alleging civil conspiracy, negligence and emotional distress.
Link hienalouca.com
https://hienalouca.com/2018/12/01/driver-charged-with-charlottesville-rally-murder-posted-memes-of-running-over-protesters/
Main photo article
The trial of James Alex Fields Jr entered its fifth day in Charlottesville on Friday
A jury will be allowed to see Instagram posts depicting a car running people over that were allegedly made by the driver charged with killing a woman at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville,...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves US News HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2018/11/30/23/6863794-6448537-image-m-3_1543621092637.jpg
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