Catawba County courtroom 8 was the scene this past week of the trial for Brookford Police Chief Willie Armstrong. Armstrong was charged with tampering with evidence in a thirty-year-old cold case murder. The state was trying to show criminal intent, while Armstrong was saying he made a mistake with no criminal intent. The following is a list of observations I made on Tuesday, June 9. The jury had already been seated and both sides presented their opening arguments.
- Prosecution opening statement – The state prosecutor outlined the charges against Armstrong and explained how the state became aware of his actions. A part-time Brookford police officer had told a Catawba County Sheriff’s Department investigator that Armstrong had accidentally left his phone at a possible suspect’s home and had retrieved it a short while later. The police officer also shared that Armstrong had deleted a part of the interview. That portion was the audio that was taped after Armstrong and the officer had left the possible suspect’s residence. The prosecution offered that with Armstrong’s training, he should have known that it was improper to erase any of what he had collected.
- Defense opening statement – Armstrong’s defense admitted that he had left the recording device at the residence and had thereafter returned to retrieve it. Upon listening to the added audio, he determined it only contained audio of a television program playing in the background and had no value. He decided that he could erase that portion of the recording. His defense argues that he had made a mistake, but under no circumstances would have done anything to jeopardize the case. He had no criminal intent in his actions.
- First witness called by the prosecution – The prosecution called the lead investigator from the Catawba County Sheriff’s Department as the first witness. The lieutenant stated that a Brookford police had come to the sheriff’s department to retrieve a disc containing information on the Dawkins case and in the process mentioned the incident where he and Armstrong had visited the possible suspect’s home and left the recording device. He also offered that Armstrong had deleted what had been recorded beyond the time they were physically present.
- The CCSD investigator then contacted the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation about the recording and subsequent erasure. The investigator had not checked with his superiors at the Sheriff’s Department before doing so, thinking that might be a conflict of interest. The State Bureau of Investigation would later contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation, citing possible federal wiretape violations.
- Miscellaneous observations – The side of the courtroom behind the defense’s table was crowded with people I assume were Armstrong supporters. This includes members of the Dawkins family. The cold case that’s mentioned in this trial, which originated in 1992, has never been solved. At least two Charlotte television stations were there with cameras. The judge made it clear that they were at no point to take pictures or videos of any of the jurors.
David Lee 