THE COURT: Call your next witness, please.

MR. PANOSH: Mr. Stonesifer, please.

JAMES GARRETT STONESIFER, being first duly sworn, testified as follows during DIRECT EXAMINATION by MR. PANOSH:

Q    State your name and your occupation, please, sir.

A    My name is James Garrett Stonesifer. I'm a fire inspector with the Guilford County Fire Marshal's Office.

Q    In the course of your duties, did you respond out to the scene on Brandon Station Court?

A    Yes, I did.

Q    And in the course of your duties, were you assigned to search the hole where the body was -- after the body was removed?

A    Yes, I was.

Q    And you recovered the knife which has previously been put in evidence; is that correct?

A    Yes, I was.

Q    And in addition to that, you searched for a shell casing or any other evidence; is that correct?

585

A    Yes, sir.

Q    Were you able to find any of those things?

A    No, we were not.

Q    And thereafter, did you assist in removing the carpet samples and transporting them to the State Bureau of Investigation?

A    I transported one carpet sample and the gasoline can to the State Bureau of Investigation.

Q    Would you explain how you package carpet samples after it's removed.

A    I did not package the initial carpet samples, but the two that we did take, once we determined where we were going to take the samples from, we cut the sample of carpet out and the padding out, placed them in a vinyl bag, taped the vinyl bag shut, removed our rubber gloves, and sealed the vinyl bag for shipment to the SBI lab.

MR. PANOSH: No further questions.

MR. LLOYD: Just a few, Your Honor.

CROSS-EXAMINATION by MR. LLOYD:

Q    Mr. Stonesifer, you found the knife that's been previously identified down inside the hole, where the body was found; is that correct?

A    Yes, I did.

Q    All right. Do you recall what part of the hole that you found it in?

586

A    Yes, sir.

Q    Was it -- where in the hole was it?

A    May I use the diagram?

Q    Yes, sir.

(The witness approached the diagram.)

A    It was toward the front of the hole, toward the victim's -- where the victim's feet would have been. (Indicated.)

Q    All right.

A    Just under the ledge of the hole.

(The witness returned to the witness stand.)

Q    And there was debris and other matter around it?

A    Yes, sir.

MR. LLOYD: That's all I have, Your Honor.

THE COURT: Step down, sir. Next witness, please.

(The witness left the witness stand.)