COLUMBIA, S.C. — Both sides have rested their case in the trial of the man charged with killing University of South Carolina student Samantha Josephson.
The state announced Monday afternoon that it had no further witnesses to present in the trial of Nathaniel Rowland in a downtown Columbia courtroom Monday. A short time later the defense rested as well without calling a single witness, including Rowland.
Closing arguments will start Tuesday morning, meaning the jury will likely have the trial later in the day.
WLTX has coverage of the proceedings here on WLTX.com, the News19 YouTube page, and on WLTX's Roku and Amazon Fire apps.
Rowland faces kidnapping and murder charges in the 2019 death of Josephson, a 21-year-old from Robbinsville, New Jersey. Rowland could face up to life in prison without parole if convicted of murder.
Police and prosecutors say Josephson had been out with friends in Columbia's Five Points district on March 29, 2019 when she decided to call an Uber to go home. Prosecutors say she mistakenly got into a vehicle that was not her Uber.
The state is trying to prove in the trial that the car was Rowland's, and that he stabbed her to death and left her body in a wooded area of Clarendon County, some 70 miles away from Five Points.
During last week's testimony, jurors heard from the former girlfriend of Rowland who said she saw blood in Rowland's car hours after the killing. They were also show surveillance video of Rowland's arrest and video of what prosecutors say is someone using Josephson's debit card after she was killed. On Friday, A DNA expert testified that Josephson's DNA was found under Rowland's fingernails. However, she also said Rowland's DNA was not found under Josephson's fingernails.
And while the expert said Josephson's blood was found on the blade of the sharp, multi-tool blade prosecutors have attempted to tie to Rowland, she said one other person's DNA was also found on the handle of that tool.
WATCH LIVE: Nathaniel Rowland trial Day 6
Monday's testimony
Thomas Beaver, Forensic Pathologist
Warning: Some of these descriptions are graphic
Forensic pathologist Thomas Beaver is called to stand as the prosecution's first witness Monday, July 26.
Dr. Beaver is an associate professor at Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and performed autopsy on Samantha Josephson. He took approximately 170 photographs (because of extent of injuries) and 13 x-rays (looking for pieces of knife that may have broken off and lodged in the body).
Beaver’s testimony went to the condition of Samantha Josephson’s body and his autopsy results. The doctor stated Josephson had around 120 stab wounds to her body. He was then given a series of autopsy photographs to describe to the jury before presenting them in evidence.
In order, the photographs show:
- Body face up on table, close-up of left side of face, cheek shows abrasions/scratches suggests probably gotten when body was dragged
- Close-up of right side of head right forehead, eye shows “defect,” something done to the skin that is not part of normal – defects on Josephson’s head showed bruising on brow and stabbing on eyes and brow, abrasion on corner of eye, right eye collapsed, bruising or black eye. According to Beaver, evidence of hemorrhaging indicates she was alive while receiving these wounds. Wounds in the hair – behind her ear there were multiple stab wounds.
- Top of head, right shoulder show injuries to side of neck about 3.6 cm (about 1.5 inches) deep. The effect of the depth pf the wound entering the skull and brain would be life-threatening.
The parallel cuts made by the weapon are unique, Beaver says, indicating an odd weapon, probably not a knife.
During Beaver’s testimony, Rowland is seen sitting calmly, taking notes on legal pad while Beaver is on the stand.
As Beaver continues, he testifies that most of the wounds to Josephson were on the right side of the body. Some were defensive – on hands – and some indicated hemorrhaging, meaning she was alive when these wounds were sustained.
Beaver tried Googling knife blades to try to identify a weapon that would produce two parallel cuts but was unsuccessful in finding a knife that would do so.
Beaver was then handed the multi-tool prosecutors say was found in Rowland’s car that has two blades that are parallel, bent at tip which the doctor identifies as the weapon used on Josephson.
The majority of wounds were single stab wounds – causing Beaver to initially think that two weapons were used – but on the stand, Beaver showed the multi-tool can be pulled apart to create the single stab wounds found on Josephson’s body.
Beaver was then asked about how much blood is typically found in a human body. He said a typical body holds a gallon of blood. Beaver testifies he found about 20 ml (an eighth of a cup -- about two tablespoons) in Josephson’s body, indicating she bled out.
Neck wounds to the jugular and carotid artery and severed hyoid bone (found in upper neck, tongue) --- these along with stab wounds to the head were lethal and caused the loss of blood.
Beaver concluded Josephson’s cause of death to be from multiple stab wounds.
There was a brief recess called before testimony resumed.
After the break, Dr. Beaver continued his testimony, testifying about the type of injuries Samantha Josephson sustained and how the injuries helped to identify the type of weapon used.
The wounds at the neck were squared off, indicating a single-blade weapon – an opened multi-tool – was used for some wounds; parallel stabbing injuries -- indicating a multi-tool was closed – created other injuries.
ON CROSS
Defense attorney asked Beaver about his autopsy report – dated March 31, 2019.
Josephson’s clothing is heavily blood stained, evidence of torn fingernails, wounds on her knuckles that indicate she may have tried to fight back or defend herself. The deepest wound on Josephson’s body was 7 cm (about 2.75 inches) to her thigh. The weapon described earlier on the stand, Beaver says some wounds would be consistent with the multi-tool open, some with the multi-tool closed.
Beaver testifies he did not know of the multi-tool or it’s various knife positions until a few days before his testimony. Beaver had tried Googling possible weapons and was unsuccessful in identifying a weapon that would cause the injuries.
ON REDIRECT
Because soft tissue (skin) is malleable, it is possible for the depth of a wound to be deeper than the length of the blade used.
Injuries to the head and carotid artery sustained by Josephson would cause death within minutes.
Justin A. Martin, a body cam, surveillance and video analyst.
The prosecution then calls Justin A. Martin to the stand. Martin works for 5th Circuit Solicitor’s Office as a body cam, surveillance and video analyst.
He reviews and edits video evidence for trial, making sure there is continuity between different camera angles and times. For this trial, Martin analyzed footage from Bird Dog Saloon and Statewide Security that had cameras in and around Five Points and south Columbia – approximately 20 hours of footage.
Martin was looking for a black colored Chevy Impala on the surveillance footage and recording the time and date, as well as mapping the location of the cameras and the Impala when it shows up on video.
Martin’s map shows Devine Street, heading east toward Garners Ferry/Sumter Highway, with marked surveillance camera locations (indicated by triangles). The black Impala is seen first on Garners Ferry Road heading toward Columbia/Five Points around 1:43 a.m. on March 29. The vehicle is then picked up around 1:53 a.m. on Devine Street, heading toward Five Points, and again at the intersection of Devine and Harden streets (near Lucky’s bar). The prosecutor points out identifying custom rims on the Impala.
Martin describes the Five Points area and shows footage of the Impala on Saluda Avenue before making a U-turn to go back toward the intersection of Harden and Devine. The vehicle pulls past the former Yesterday’s and back on Harden heading south, circles again back toward Devine and comes to a stop at Harden and Devine just before 2 a.m.
Cameras then show the Impala circling and making multiple U-turns in Five Points, at one point turning into the parking lot at Natural Vibrations and exiting on the wrong side/heading the wrong way on one-way Saluda Avenue around 2 a.m. The Impala then turns east again on Devine Street and comes to a stop at a parallel parking spot near the former Yesterday’s restaurant for approximately 3.5 minutes. The Impala turns off, no one enters or exits the vehicle.
Around 2:05 a.m., the vehicle is seen reentering traffic toward Devine and Harden, turning left onto Harden.
Samantha Josephson is captured on video standing near the corner of Natural Vibrations around 2:05 a.m.
Around the same time, the Impala turns right on to Greene Street.
Cameras near Breakers Bar, at the intersection of Greene and Harden, are pointed in the direction of Greene and Harden streets. The Impala is seen hitting the brakes a couple of times and performs a fourth U-turn to return to the intersection of Greene and Harden, heading toward Devine Street/Bird Dog and Natural Vibrations. Video then shows the Impala back into a parking space next to Natural Vibrations and reenter traffic.
At this time, the cameras give the clearest view of the Impala and the driver’s side seat seems to be reclined significantly.
Impala turns south on Harden, passing Josephson on the opposite corner.
Josephson is seen attempting to enter a silver car that pulls off before she can open the door.
Video shows the Impala jumps the curb and pulls into the handicapped spot in front of Josephson and Josephson enters the vehicle. The Impala tries to reverse into traffic before reentering the flow of traffic.
From a different angle, video from the Bird Dog shows the same series of events -- Josephson standing outside on the corner, the Impala turning right to pass behind her and into the parking lot, Josephson trying unsuccessfully trying to enter a silver vehicle, the Impala jumping the curb and into a handicapped parking spot, Josephson entering the vehicle, the Impala backing into traffic and before heading south onto Harden Street.
The Impala then heads towards Blossom on Harden and up the street, away from Five Points and toward Rosewood Drive. This video is the last one to show Samantha Josephson alive.
GPS data on Josephson’s phone showed the car went into the Rosewood neighborhood, down South Kilbourne to Live Oak Street around 2:18 a.m. The Impala is then picked up on video at South Beltline at the Rosewood Drive intersection. The camera at Checks Plus on South Beltline shows the Impala pulling a U-turn to head back south.
GPS on Josephson’s phone indicated at around 3:20 a.m. the phone was travelling toward Sumter on Garners Ferry/378. The Impala is picked up on cameras along Garners Ferry, confirming the eastbound movement.
The judge breaks for lunch until 2:30 p.m.
After the lunch break court resumed and on cross examination, Martin says he created his timeline video of surveillance footage about three weeks ago, based on the footage provided.
While going through the video, Martin testified that he could not make out the identity of the driver of the Impala, he did not see Nathaniel Rowland.
The prosecution and defense then rested their case. Rowland will not testify.