The prosecution wrapped up its case today with testimony from medical and forensic experts who had examined the crime scene and the remains of Leah Freeman. The exact cause of death could not be determined, however, blunt force trauma to the head could not be ruled out despite no evidence of a skull fracture. According to Dr Olson, the pathologist who performed the autopsy, a fatal subdural hematoma can occur from a strong blow to the head. Nor could the doctor confirm asphyxiation or strangulation as the cause of the death.
Only fifteen years old, Freeman’s hyoid bone was still a spongy, hinged three part structure and she could conceivably have been strangled without the normal damage to the hyoid seen in adults. Freeman’s body was almost completely skeletalized by the time she was discovered with the exception of a right calf and ankle from which tissue samples ruled out drugs as the cause of her death.
The defense plans to enter into evidence testimony from a forensic expert that a tear marks in the clothing indicate a stab wound to the chest area. The defense believes that this type of wound would have caused significant bleeding and because no blood was found in McGuffin’s car he must not have had anything to do with her death.
To recap what has gone on so far. Leah Freeman went missing the night of June 28, 2000. She was seen by numerous witnesses along her route from Sherrie Mitchell’s house behind McKay’s Market all along Central Avenue. She was seen using the payphone that used to be by the Shell Station across from the high school. One witness saw Leah speaking with someone in a dark car with a bad headlight near this location at dusk. Another witness heard a girl scream at during the same time frame.
Later that night, at about 11:35 a witness returning home from work found one of her shoes on Elm Street but left the next morning for vacation and did not report it to the police until July 5, 2000. McGuffin is seen at various locations and even stopped because his headlight is not working and tells the officer he is looking for his girlfriend.
McGuffin visited Kristen Steinhoff between 9:30 and 10:00 PM that night and was overheard by Scott Hamilton telling Steinhoff he had a problem. Nick told Steinhoff, “I don’t know what to do, I need your help”. McGuffin and Steinhoff also used methamphetamines that night and engaged in heavy petting before Steinhoff said no and they drove off in McGuffin’s mustang.
Shortly after midnight on the morning of June 29, 2000, a witness saw two men in black hoodies supporting a blond female between them marching up the hill toward an “unusually sized” pickup. Former Coquille police chief Mike Reaves ignores this information not even including it in the file. McGuffin’s mother is reported to have driven a step side pickup at the time and the vehicle was sporting brand new tires shortly after Freeman went missing. No forensic processing is ever conducted on the McGuffin pickup.
A second shoe was found July 7, 2000, up along Hudson Ridge, several miles out Fairview Road. Wayne McGuffin, brother of Nick, when seeing news reports of the found shoe remarked to his brother and other people present that the shoe was planted out there to throw people off and no one would find anything. The house they were visiting was the home of Meghan Hinkley Davidson and she and Nick McGuffin became intimate prior to the police finding the body.
Two years later, McGuffin threatens a romantic rival also dating Ms Davidson and says, “I strangled that bitch and I can do it again”.
On August 3, 2000, the remains of Leah Freeman are discovered off of Lee Valley Road, several miles from where either shoe was found.
Will try and give a more thorough recap soon.
