Kathy E <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: In a half-day of testimony today, the mother of Jasmine Miller, Crystal Miller, returned to the stand and again tried to deflect defense insinuations that she was a mother frustrated by her sudden new life with her daughter. Crystal reiterated that she was not upset about the pregnancy ending her college career and causing her to lose her track scholarship. However, Crystal admitted that when police asked her whether she and her husband Travis had domestic problems, she told them that they were going through "rough times." Crystal also told them that the only time she had handled Jasmine roughly was during a time when the baby refused to conform to her sleep schedule, and Crystal had to leave her in the crib crying while she went to work. However, the prosecution continued in its effort to prove Suzanne Johnson is a murderous child abuser by calling witnesses who spoke to her on the day of Jasmine's death. YMCA supervisor Christi Cain testified Johnson called her on the morning of June 24, 1997 and expressed concern that the YMCA was not going to subsidize Jasmine's care. Cain said Johnson sounded frustrated and said that she was no longer going to provide care for Jasmine Miller because things were not working out. Travis and Crystal Miller's case manager at the YMCA, Elyse Tarmo, testified that she processed Crystal Miller's paperwork that notified the YMCA of her job at Olan Mills photography. Miller's failure to provide this paperwork earlier to the YMCA upset Johnson because she thought the YMCA would refuse to pay her. Tarmo said she called Johnson to assure her everything had been worked out, but the defendant was abrupt on the phone. Robert Shands, a police officer who responded to defendant Suzanne Johnson's 911 call the on day of the incident also came to the stand and said that Johnson seemed unusually unemotional at the scene. (Prosecutors hope that this makes Johnson appear suspicious in the death of baby Jasmine.) Johnson told Shands that Jasmine had vomited and was choking on her vomit. According to Shands, Johnson never told him that Jasmine had fallen out of a high chair. Jurors had a chance to listen to an audiotape of Johnson's call to police, and she seemed frantic. Throughout the tape, Johnson nervously tells the paramedic that Jasmine is lifeless and not breathing. Each time the defendant performs CPR on the child, she asks, "Why won't she breathe?" in frustration. Forensic pathologist Thomas Washington was also called to the stand, and he identified various items that were at the scene of the incident. Court ended early today and will not be in session again until Friday, March 27 because of the prior commitment by the presiding judge. -- Kathy E "I can only please one person a day, today is NOT your day, and tomorrow isn't looking too good for you either" http://members.delphi.com/kathylaw/ Law & Issues Mailing List http://pw1.netcom.com/~kathye/rodeo.html - Cowboy Histories http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Lobby/2990/law.htm Crime photo's Subscribe/Unsubscribe, email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the body of the message enter: subscribe/unsubscribe law-issues
