Barry Braswell, Witness for the State
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THE COURT: You
may stand and stretch, if you'd like, members of the jury, stand up
and take a stretch.
Next witness,
please.
MR. PANOSH: Mr.
Braswell, please.
BARRY BRASWELL,
being first duly sworn, testified as follows during DIRECT
EXAMINATION by MR. PANOSH:
Q Would you state your name, Sir.
A Barry Braswell.
Q Mr. Braswell, are you acquainted with
Patricia Kimble, the deceased in this case?
A Excuse me?
Q Do you know Patricia Kimble?
A Yes.
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Q How did you know Patricia?
A I went to high school with her. And I went to her church.
Q
If you could keep your voice up a little bit, so these folks down
here could hear your answers, I'd appreciate it. You said you went
to high school with her?
A I went to school with her and I went to church with her.
Q Okay. And that would be the South Elm Street Baptist Church?
A Yes.
Q And so, you were an acquaintance of hers at the time of her
death?
A Excuse me?
Q You were seeing her from time to time through those
associations at the time of your death -- of her death?
A Before her death, yes.
Q Okay.
A I mean --
Q When was the last time you saw her?
A October 9th, around -- between 3:30 and quarter to 4:00, on
Randleman Road and Creek Ridge.
Q Would you describe that for the jury, please.
A Yes. I was -- I had come home from work, and I had hurt my leg
back then, and I had to wear a leg brace, and I
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didn't have it
with me, so I was going home to get it. I had went home and picked
it up. I was going back to work. And between 3:30, quarter to 4:00,
I came up beside her in my truck -- I mean, her car, and I tried to
get her attention. I beeped the horn. She wouldn't look at me, until
we got right up to the stop light, and then she looked over and she
recognized who I was. Because at that time, I had just bought a new
truck. And she rolled the window down and I let mine down, and we
spoke briefly, "Hey. How are you doing?" And she told me she liked
my truck.
Anyway, the light
changed, and I just -- we said goodbye, and I went on up, and she
went in -- she was -- she headed towards town, north on 220. And I
turned left on 40 West. And that was the last time I seen her.
Q So before you actually spoke to her,
you were traveling parallel for a short period of time; is that
correct?
A Yes.
Q And--
A That's when I recognized who she was. I
mean, I had looked over at her. I had recognized her -- recognized
her car, you know, and it being her, and I was looking to see if it
was her, and it was.
Q When you say you recognized her car,
what car was that?
A Well, I meant, I had seen it so many
times, at church. I knew it was her car, from her driving. I didn't
really --
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I never actually
looked to see what the make it was or anything.
Q And when you spoke to her, what was her
demeanor? How was she acting?
A Kind of distant, like she had something
on her mind.
Q And other than saying "Hello" and
pointing out the fact that you had a new truck, did you have any
further conversation with her?
A No. She was -- like I said, she was
distant. She had something else on her mind, and she was just "Hey,"
pretty much, "How are you doing?" And she asked -- I think she had
asked me how my wife was doing at the time.
MR. LLOYD: Excuse
me. I didn't hear the witness, Your Honor.
THE WITNESS:
Excuse me?
THE COURT: Repeat
your answer, Mr. Braswell.
A I think she had asked me how my wife
was doing or something, but other than that, just small talk,
nothing I don't know.
Q And your best estimate of the time is
what, sir?
A I didn't hear you.
Q The best estimate you have of the time
that you saw her is what?
A Somewhere between
3:30 and a
quarter till.
MR. PANOSH: No
further questions.
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THE COURT: Mr. Lloyd, Mr. Hatfield?
MR. HATFIELD: Mr.
Lloyd.
THE COURT: All
right, sir.
CROSS-EXAMINATION
by MR. LLOYD:
Q Mr. Braswell, when you actually got
Patricia’s attention, you were at a traffic light; is that right?
A Yes.
Q Do you remember what the intersection
was?
A Yes.
Creek Ridge Road
and Randleman Road.
Q All right. And is that a fairly busy
intersection?
A Usually during the day, yes, it is.
Q All right. And--
A But it wasn't right at that --
Q All right.
A -- particular time --
Q All right.
A -- because we were the first two
sitting at the stop light.
Q But you were in one lane and she was in
the other lane; is that correct?
A Yes.
Q And at that time, you were both heading
in the same direction?
A Right.
Q All right. And so, this conversation
transpired, you
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were talking
across your truck --
A Yes.
Q -- was the way? I take it the window
was rolled down?
A Yes.
Q All right. And she was sitting in the
next lane over, sitting in the driver's seat?
A Yes.
Q All right. Now, you had a new truck at
that time?
A Yes.
Q So when you first attempted to get her
attention, she probably wouldn't have recognized your truck, because
it was new, would she?
A Right.
Q All right. And this conversation that
you carried on was just right there at the traffic light for the
duration of the light, whatever that was?
A That's right.
Q All right. And you say that you said
something to her about the fact that you had gotten a new truck; is
that correct?
A Yes.
Q All right. And she responded, said
something like "Well, that's a nice truck" --
A Yes.
Q -- or something of that sort? And then
she said
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something to you
along the lines of asking how your wife was doing?
A Yes.
Q All right. So it was basically just a
very small-talk conversation there at the stop light and that was
it?
A Yes.
Q And then the light changed and you both
drove on off?
A Yes.
Q Now, you indicated that you recognized
patricia's car?
A Yes.
Q Do you remember what that car was?
A No.
Q All right. Do you remember what color
it was, Mr. Braswell?
A I don't right now, no.
Q All right. And the direction that you
were both traveling in at that time, were you in a turn lane? I mean
A No. I was in the left lane and she was in the right
line.
Q All right.
A It's a two-lane road --
Q But you were --
A -- I mean, two lane.
Q -- going back into town; is that correct?
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A Yes.
Q All right. And at the time that you turned off and
Patricia kept on going straight, I guess, she was going into town at
that time?
A Yes.
Q All right. So at the last time you saw her, she was
headed in towards town?
A Yes.
Q And as far as the time was concerned, do you recall
telling investigators when they first questioned you about this that
the time that you remembered, as far as what time you and Patricia
saw each other, was 3:40 to 3:45? Do you remember telling
investigators that?
A I remember
Detective Church,
talking to him on the
phone and saying
that, but it was -- I didn't look at my watch when I pulled up --
when I seen her. I knew it was in that time, because I knew I had to
hurry up and get back to work.
Q All right.
A Because I lived -- I had lived quite a distance from
-- I had a good travel. I mean, it was like 38 miles from work to
home, to where I live.
Q So you didn't just, when you were having a
conversation with Patricia, didn't --
A No.
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Q -- turn your watch over and look at it at that time?
A No.
Q Nevertheless, when you talked to
Detective
Church, this was shortly after Patricia had been killed, wasn't it?
A Yes. I was -- he had got in touch with me. He had
called me.
Q All right. And it was within a week or two after she
had been killed?
A I think so.
Q All right. And of course, the events at that time were
much fresher in
your mind than they are now?
A Yes.
Q And at that time, you told
Detective
Church
that as far as you could remember, the time that you saw Patricia at
this time was between 3:40 and 3:45?
A Yes.
MR. LLOYD: That's
all I have, Your Honor.
REDIRECT EXAMINATION by MR. PANOSH:
Q Sir, are you familiar with the Cinnamon Ridge
Apartments?
A Yes.
Q And how long would it take to get from Cinnamon Ridge
to the location where you saw Patricia?
A Well, it depends on traffic. I mean
Q Could you give us an estimate, please.
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A Ten minutes. Because there is another stop light in
between the intersection that we were at.
MR. PANOSH: Thank
you very much.
THE COURT: Step
down, sir.
(The witness left
the witness stand.)
THE COURT: Next witness, please.
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