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Timothy Jones Jr.- Case Archive
2019 Murder Trialtrial-daytrial-dayRick HubbardCasey SecorKimberly Krusedirectcrossredirectrecrossjury_instructionsclosing_argumentcharge_conferenceDay 24 - June 3, 2019Dr. Kimberly Kruse completed her testimony, the State and defense delivered closing arguments on insanity, and jurors received final instructions before beginning deliberations.
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Day 24 - June 3, 2019

Kruse Testimony, Closing Arguments, and Jury Deliberations

Judge Eugene C. Griffith, Jr.
14Proceedings
10Pages
1Witnesses
807Lines
Day 24 of 32
Appearing:
Rick Hubbard Casey Secor Kimberly Kruse

Dr. Kimberly Kruse completed her testimony, the State and defense delivered closing arguments on insanity, and jurors received final instructions before beginning deliberations.

Full day summary

Dr. Kimberly Kruse completed her testimony, describing her neuropsychological evaluation of Timothy Ray Jones, Jr. and her opinions on neurocognitive impairment, psychosis, symptom reporting, and personality traits. The State rested after the court admitted Court's Exhibit 104. The court also instructed jurors to disregard an earlier characterization of Jones as a heavy crack cocaine user, stating that the referenced 2001 conviction involved powder cocaine. In closing arguments, Rick Hubbard argued that the defense had not proved insanity and relied on the State's expert evidence and its interpretation of Jones's reported conduct. Boyd Young argued that psychosis, traumatic brain injury, family history, substance use, and mental-health symptoms supported the insanity defense. The court then instructed jurors on the State's burden, the defense burden on insanity, possible verdicts, and the lesser involuntary-manslaughter option on the Nahtahn indictment. Jurors began deliberations at about 5:17 p.m. and recessed for the evening.

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1. Psychological Testing Admissibility Ruling

The court upheld its earlier ruling on psychological-testing testimony, allowing evidence about the types and results of testing while barring questions about specific test answers for impeachment.

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Procedural
Psychological Testing Admissibility Ruling
49 lines

The court declined to revisit its ruling allowing psychological testing while limiting use of specific test answers for impeachment.

2. Kimberly Kruse — Direct/Cross/Redirect/Recross

Dr. Kimberly Kruse’s testimony continued as the parties examined her testing and opinions on neurocognitive impairment, psychosis, and symptom reporting; the court then excused her.

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Direct
Kimberly Kruse — Direct Kimberly Kruse Rick Hubbard
282 lines

Dr. Kimberly Kruse testified that her testing found no neurocognitive disorder or psychosis and, in her opinion, showed unreliable symptom reporting.

Cross
Kimberly Kruse — Cross Kimberly Kruse Casey Secor
257 lines

Defense counsel challenged Dr. Kruse's interpretation of psychological testing, while she maintained that the defendant overreported psychotic symptoms but gave full effort on cognitive tests.

Redirect
Kimberly Kruse — Redirect Kimberly Kruse Rick Hubbard
54 lines

Dr. Kruse reaffirmed opinions of no clinically significant neurocognitive impairment or organic psychosis and testified that testing supported malingering.

Recross
Kimberly Kruse — Recross Kimberly Kruse Casey Secor
25 lines

Dr. Kruse agreed the SIMS total score was below its stated malingering cutoff and said Tim was cooperative and showed no psychotic symptoms during testing.

3. State Rests and Cocaine-Testimony Ruling

The State rested, and the court directed jurors to disregard an earlier characterization of Mr. Jones as a heavy crack cocaine user while preserving the defense objection.

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Procedural
State Rests and Closes Evidence
8 lines

The State rested after the court approved incorporation of prior testimony by reference; Court's Exhibit 104 was admitted.

Procedural
Cocaine-Testimony Objection and Curative-Instruction Ruling
51 lines

The court ordered jurors to disregard testimony characterizing Mr. Jones as a heavy crack cocaine user while preserving the defense objection.

4. Curative Instruction on Prior Cocaine Testimony

The court instructed jurors to disregard earlier testimony describing Timothy Ray Jones Jr. as a heavy crack cocaine user.

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Jury Instruction
Curative Instruction on Prior Cocaine Testimony
4 lines

The court corrected prior crack-cocaine testimony, instructed jurors to disregard it, and noted the defense's renewed objection and motion.

5. State Closing Argument by Rick Hubbard

Rick Hubbard delivered the State's closing argument, contending that Timothy Jones was legally responsible for the deaths and that the defense had not proven insanity.

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Closing
State Closing Argument by Rick Hubbard Rick Hubbard
17 lines

The State argued that Jones was not insane, challenged the defense experts, and urged justice for the five children.

6. Defense Closing Argument by Boyd Young

Boyd Young argued in closing that Timothy Ray Jones Jr.'s mental condition and related history supported the insanity defense, urging jurors to consider the evidence as a whole.

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Closing
Defense Closing Argument by Boyd Young Boyd Young
15 lines

Young urged jurors to find Tim legally insane, arguing that mental illness, brain injury, and psychosis explained the deaths.

7. Charge Requests and Objections

Defense counsel requested several jury instructions, and the court noted objections to declining those requests before the jury entered.

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Charge Conference
Charge Requests and Objections
11 lines

The defense preserved objections to the omission of requested involuntary-intoxication and verdict-consequences instructions.

8. Final Guilt-Phase Jury Instructions

The court gave final guilt-phase instructions on the governing legal standards, available verdicts, deliberations, and verdict forms.

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Jury Instruction
Final Guilt-Phase Jury Instructions
10 lines

The court gave final guilt-phase instructions on the burdens of proof, insanity-related verdicts, the Nahtahn lesser offense, and jury deliberations.

9. Post-Charge Objections and Defendant Allocution

Defense counsel renewed objections to requested jury charges, and the court confirmed their preservation. Timothy Ray Jones, Jr. then confirmed he had been advised of his right to address the jury during closing arguments and voluntarily declined.

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Procedural
Post-Charge Objections and Defendant Allocution
17 lines

The court preserved defense charge objections and recorded Jones's voluntary waiver of a personal closing statement to the jury.

10. Jury Deliberations and Evening Recess

Jurors began deliberations and recessed for the evening with overnight instructions from the court.

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Procedural
Jury Deliberations and Evening Recess
7 lines

Jurors began deliberations, then recessed until 9:00 a.m. under overnight no-discussion and no-research instructions.

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