4.Sandra Black — Direct/Cross
126 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:
BOYD YOUNG: Good morning, Detective Black.
SANDRA BLACK: Good morning.
BOYD YOUNG: I'm going to skip to, you work for the Lexington County Sheriff's Office?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, sir.
BOYD YOUNG: And were you working for the Lexington County Sheriff's Office in September of 2014?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, sir.
BOYD YOUNG: And did you interview Chrystal Ballentine?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, sir.
BOYD YOUNG: And you wrote a report about your interview with Chrystal Ballentine?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, sir.
BOYD YOUNG: And is your report complete, truthful and accurate?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, sir.
BOYD 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.
BOYD YOUNG: Is that what she told you?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, sir.
BOYD YOUNG: And you put that in your report?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, sir, I did.
BOYD YOUNG: After talking with her, did you ask her to write a statement?
SANDRA BLACK: I did, yes, sir.
BOYD 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.
BOYD 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.
BOYD 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.
BOYD YOUNG: And you wrote it as she told it to you?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, sir.
BOYD 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.
BOYD 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.
BOYD YOUNG: That's what she told you?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, sir.
BOYD YOUNG: At the end of the statement, did she say, he started acting like he had mental problems?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, sir.
BOYD YOUNG: Talking to himself and being obsessed about the kids studying everything?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, sir.
BOYD YOUNG: But he was never diagnosed with mental problems that I know of?
SANDRA BLACK: Correct, yes, sir.
BOYD YOUNG: And those are Ms. Ballentine's words written in your hand?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, sir.
BOYD YOUNG: Thank you, Detective Black. That's all the questions I have.
CROSS-EXAMINATION BY MS. MAYES:
SUZANNE 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.
SUZANNE 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.
SUZANNE 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.
SUZANNE 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.
SUZANNE MAYES: Her house?
SANDRA BLACK: Correct, yes, ma'am.
SUZANNE 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.
SUZANNE MAYES: And during this time, she had been woken up by law enforcement, correct?
SANDRA BLACK: No, ma'am.
SUZANNE MAYES: Do you remember those details?
SANDRA BLACK: No, ma'am.
SUZANNE MAYES: So when you're writing the statement for her?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, ma'am.
SUZANNE MAYES: You're asking her about everything she remembers about Timothy Jones at this point in time, right?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, ma'am.
SUZANNE MAYES: And she's giving you a whole lot of information that you're including in this statement?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, ma'am.
SUZANNE 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.
SUZANNE 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.
SUZANNE 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.
SUZANNE 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.
SUZANNE 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.
SUZANNE 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.
SUZANNE MAYES: And she's telling you that he would usually drink in his bedroom, correct?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, ma'am.
SUZANNE 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?
SUZANNE MAYES: Correct.
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, ma'am.
SUZANNE MAYES: He would also tell the kids that their mother did not love them?
SANDRA BLACK: Yes, ma'am.
SUZANNE 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.
SUZANNE 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.
SUZANNE 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.
SUZANNE 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.
SUZANNE MAYES: She never told you about any hallucinations that he had, correct?
SANDRA BLACK: No, ma'am.
SUZANNE 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.
SUZANNE 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.
SUZANNE 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.
SUZANNE MAYES: At least, on one occasion, correct?
SANDRA BLACK: Correct, yes, ma'am.
SUZANNE MAYES: Nothing further.
THE COURT: Anything else?
BOYD YOUNG: Nothing, Your Honor.
THE COURT: You may step down. How long is your next witness?
BOYD 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.)
SUZANNE 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?
BOYD 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.
SUZANNE 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.
BOYD YOUNG: Your Honor, the Defense calls Joy Lorick.