4.Sandra Black — Direct/Cross
128 linesSANDRA BLACK, being first duly sworn, testified as follows:
COURT CLERK: Have a seat, please, ma'am. Once you're seated, state your full name, spelling your last.
SANDRA BLACK: My name is Sandra Black, B-L-A-C-K.
DIRECT EXAMINATION BY MR. YOUNG:
MR. YOUNG: Good morning, Detective Black.
SANDRA BLACK: Good morning.
MR. YOUNG: I'm going to skip to, you work for the Lexington County Sheriff's Office?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, sir.
MR. YOUNG: And were you working for the Lexington County Sheriff's Office in September of 2014?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, sir.
MR. YOUNG: And did you interview Chrystal Ballentine?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, sir.
MR. YOUNG: And you wrote a report about your interview with Chrystal Ballentine?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, sir.
MR. YOUNG: And is your report complete, truthful and accurate?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, sir.
MR. YOUNG: Did Ms. Ballentine tell you that around March of 2013, she heard two voices coming from Mr. Jones' room when she -- when he was the only one in the room? She said he was not talking on the phone or watching TV, but she heard two different voices coming from the room?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, sir.
MR. YOUNG: Is that what she told you?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, sir.
MR. YOUNG: And you put that in your report?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, sir, I did.
MR. YOUNG: After talking with her, did you ask her to write a statement?
SANDRA BLACK: I did, yes, sir.
MR. YOUNG: And did she say that she couldn't write a statement?
SANDRA BLACK: She said that she would, but she couldn't write it and asked me if I would write it for her.
MR. YOUNG: And did you write it for her?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, sir, I did. I told her I would write it for her, but I would only write what she told me, exactly what she told me.
MR. YOUNG: Okay. Let me show you what's in evidence as Defense Exhibit number 267 and ask you if that's the statement that you wrote for her?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, sir.
MR. YOUNG: And you wrote it as she told it to you?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, sir.
MR. YOUNG: On page two, the third line down, did she tell you that Tim started talking to himself, he had had conversations with himself?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, sir.
MR. YOUNG: Did she say, sometimes he would talk to himself and what he needed to do, what the kids needed to do? It was like someone said something and he would answer them.
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, sir.
MR. YOUNG: That's what she told you?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, sir.
MR. YOUNG: At the end of the statement, did she say, he started acting like he had mental problems?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, sir.
MR. YOUNG: Talking to himself and being obsessed about the kids studying everything?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, sir.
MR. YOUNG: But he was never diagnosed with mental problems that I know of?
SANDRA BLACK: Correct, yes, sir.
MR. YOUNG: And those are Ms. Ballentine's words written in your hand?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, sir.
MR. YOUNG: Thank you, Detective Black. That's all the questions I have.
CROSS-EXAMINATION BY MS. MAYES:
MS. MAYES: And Detective Black, you were talking with Chrystal at what time of day or night?
SANDRA BLACK: I don't know the exact time.
MS. MAYES: Did you have that on your report?
SANDRA BLACK: I don't believe I have it on this report where I put what time it was. I have the day, that was September 9th, but I don't -- I don't have the time.
MS. MAYES: Do you remember that it was during nighttime hours?
SANDRA BLACK: I really don't recall. It may have been. I don't recall, though.
MS. MAYES: And where were you, Detective Black, when you wrote this statement?
SANDRA BLACK: When I wrote the statement for her I was at 191 Blackville Road in Gaston.
MS. MAYES: Her house?
SANDRA BLACK: Correct, yes, ma'am.
MS. MAYES: So her house in the middle of the night sounds right to you?
SANDRA BLACK: Her house, yes, ma'am. I'm not sure of the date or time, no.
MS. MAYES: And during this time, she had been woken up by law enforcement, correct?
SANDRA BLACK: No, ma'am.
MS. MAYES: Do you remember those details?
SANDRA BLACK: No, ma'am.
MS. MAYES: So when you're writing the statement for her?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, ma'am.
MS. MAYES: You're asking her about everything she remembers about Timothy Jones at this point in time, right?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, ma'am.
MS. MAYES: And she's giving you a whole lot of information that you're including in this statement?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, ma'am.
MS. MAYES: She's telling you that they met when she was 17. About two months later, she had moved in with him?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, ma'am.
MS. MAYES: She's telling you that she witnessed him leaving bruises on the children. And you documented all of that in the statement?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, ma'am.
MS. MAYES: She's telling you specifically about bruises that she witnessed on Merah and a specific event where he had left bruises on her?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, ma'am.
MS. MAYES: She's telling you that he was controlling towards her and the children. I believe her words were Tim was very controlling to both me and the kids?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, ma'am.
MS. MAYES: And then at the end -- or towards the end, at some point, you start asking about whether or not he had any mental conditions, correct?
SANDRA BLACK: Correct.
MS. MAYES: And she does disclose to you that he was using both alcohol and, at least, marijuana at the time, correct?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, ma'am.
MS. MAYES: And she's telling you that he would usually drink in his bedroom, correct?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, ma'am.
MS. MAYES: She'd go on to tell you that he would also use what she referred to as weed in his bedroom, correct?
SANDRA BLACK: You said referred to as weed?
MS. MAYES: Correct.
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, ma'am.
MS. MAYES: He would also tell the kids that their mother did not love them?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, ma'am.
MS. MAYES: That's something you noted. That's one of the things you talked about that was important to her --
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, ma'am.
MS. MAYES: -- to let you know? That Tim would always tell the kids that their mother did not love them, that she was not coming back for them, that she ran away with another man, correct?
SANDRA BLACK: Correct, yes, ma'am.
MS. MAYES: And so one of the things that you noted toward the end is that he does not have any medical or mental problems that I know of, correct?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, ma'am.
MS. MAYES: When you asked her does it appear that he has any mental problems, the only thing that she could think of is that she had heard him talking to himself in another room, correct?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, ma'am.
MS. MAYES: She never told you about any hallucinations that he had, correct?
SANDRA BLACK: No, ma'am.
MS. MAYES: She never told you about any time he had a break with reality and didn't know where he was, correct?
SANDRA BLACK: No, ma'am.
MS. MAYES: She never told you that there was a time that he didn't know the difference between right and wrong, correct?
SANDRA BLACK: Correct.
MS. MAYES: Just that he would use alcohol in his room, he would use drugs in his room and she would hear him talking to himself?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, ma'am.
MS. MAYES: At least, on one occasion, correct?
SANDRA BLACK: Correct, yes, ma'am.
MS. MAYES: Nothing further.
THE COURT: Anything else?
MR. YOUNG: Nothing, Your Honor.
THE COURT: You may step down. How long is your next witness?
MR. YOUNG: Thirty, forty-five minutes.
THE COURT: You want to break now. Take a few minutes. Bring you back in here. Don't talk about the case.
(Whereupon, the jury is excused from the courtroom for a break.)
MS. MAYES: Your Honor, it appears there's going to be multiple exhibits relating to the Disney World trip. I believe their next witness is going to address that as well. And then there is also a video. We would just object to the numerous photographs in terms of relevance and the video as well. I think if they want to put in a single photograph that should suffice.
THE COURT: All right. Mr. Young, what you got?
MR. YOUNG: Your Honor, these are videos and photos that Tim took while he was on a trip with his kids to both Myrtle Beach and then a second trip to Disney. It's a handful of photos that show the kids.
THE COURT: A handful, it took Joy 15 minutes, how many was it, 25 or 30?
COURT REPORTER: Yeah, it was a bunch.
THE COURT: Looks like a representative of five to eight would be a gracious plenty.
COURT REPORTER: I've marked them all as ID, so whatever doesn't come in, I'll just keep them as ID.
THE COURT: Y'all are overwhelming Joy's sticker demand. If she runs out we are in trouble.
MS. MAYES: I believe there are one or two photographs that we don't have any objection to, Your Honor. Of course, as long as its strategic in nature because, ordinarily, these would not be admissible in the guilt phase.
THE COURT: Not marking all of these things and going over it earlier cost us thirty minutes. Bring in the jury.
(Whereupon, the jury came into open court at approximately 10:50 a.m.)
THE COURT: Call your witness.
MR. YOUNG: Your Honor, the Defense calls Joy Lorick.