Opening days: What to expect in the Wilson trial

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Opening days: What to expect in the Wilson trial

Saturday, May 19, 2012

World file photo/Mike Bonnicksen

Christopher Scott Wilson: Charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Mackenzie Cowell.

WENATCHEE — Jury selection in the trial of Christopher Scott Wilson should begin Monday, with lawyers asking the judge to allow or discard pieces of evidence before the trial starts in earnest.

Jurors will be handed a questionnaire Monday morning asking what they know about the 2010 murder of Mackenzie Cowell, 17, and the case against Wilson, 31, charged with first-degree murder. In a May 3 hearing, assistant defense attorney Emma Scanlan said individual questionnaires will avoid airing the case out loud and “potentially infecting the entire panel.”

Juror candidates will be called back Tuesday afternoon for ongoing selection. In between, Chelan County Prosecutor Gary Riesen and defense lawyer led by John Henry Browne will present pretrial motions for Superior Court Judge John Bridges’s assessment.

Mackenzie Cowell

A murder trial two years in the making

WENATCHEE — Mackenzie Cowell, 17, went missing after 3 p.m. Feb 9, 2010. The Wenatchee High School senior was seen on a parking lot surveillance video driving away from the Academy of Hair Design in downtown Wenatchee.

Police believe she went to the 119 Okanogan Ave. apartment of fellow academy student Christopher Scott Wilson, now 31, where he murdered Cowell by strangling her, stabbing her in the neck and bludgeoning her in the head. They say cellphone records show calls to Wilson’s phone went unanswered between 3:30 p.m. and 3:49 p.m. — the period in which they believe the murder took place.

The killing, police claim, left a four-inch bloodstain in Wilson’s carpet that would later prove crucial to the case.

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On trial, online

Follow each step in the Mackenzie Cowell murder trial on our dedicated web portal, with video, Twitter stream and articles updated as the case proceeds.

wenatcheeworld.com/wilsontrial

Among those motions, Browne will ask Bridges to allow testimony from a police informant who claimed two other men admitted murdering 17-year-old Mackenzie Cowell in February 2010. He’ll also seek to bring the two men to the stand in person to answer for their actions and whereabouts the day the Wenatchee High School senior was killed.

The female informant named Samuel S. Cuevas and Emmanuel “Buddha” Cerros Sanchez in spring 2010, leading police to eavesdrop on the two men and even purchase Cuevas’s Jeep in the hopes it would yield evidence. The suspects were eventually found to have strong alibis, and police denounced the informant as providing false leads.

Police attention turned to Wilson in August 2010. He was arrested and charged with Cowell’s murder in October.

Cuevas and Cerros were served subpoenas May 11 to testify, court documents show. If they invoke their right to avoid testifying under the Fifth Amendment, Browne and his team hope to offer the informant’s testimony as hearsay evidence, which is allowed under certain legal circumstances.

In turn, Riesen plans to call the informant’s background into question. She worked with Pierce County drug investigators and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration prior to the Cowell case, but she’s also a felon with multiple convictions between 1999 and 2004 — five of them for using fraud or forgery to obtain controlled pharmaceuticals. In his memo, Riesen wrote that the informant first claimed to have seen a video of Cowell being murdered, but later recanted.

Browne wants to suppress photos and a video police believe show the interior of Wilson’s apartment at 119 Okanogan St., where Cowell is thought to have died. The images and videos involve Wilson’s friend Tessa Schuyleman — accused in December 2010 of misleading police in the Cowell case, but never charged with any crime.

Schuyleman is not listed among prosecution witnesses, but police say some of the photos show her lying on the floor of Wilson’s apartment, “posing as a dead person” near a stain on the carpet. Police have said Cowell was killed in the apartment and that stain is Cowell’s blood, matched directly to her DNA.

A video taken by Schuyleman appears to zoom in on the same stain. Wilson claims the stain in the video was spilled water from a marijuana bong, according to defense documents. Browne wants to keep the video and photos out of the jury’s sight, particularly since Schuyleman will not be called to testify about their meaning.

Riesen told Bridges about 100 people will probably be needed to seat a jury, plus alternates. Bridges has set aside three weeks for the trial.

If a jury is seated, opening statements could begin Tuesday or Wednesday. Defense witnesses are subpoenaed to begin testimony June 1, after Riesen presents his case.

Jefferson Robbins: 664-7123

robbins@wenatcheeworld.com

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» 17 comments on this story

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firedog 1 year, 1 month ago

Well here we go. Given the fraud, misconduct, and cover-up displayed during the infamous "child sex ring" circus, I find it impossible to believe that anyone could get a fair trial in this valley (especially considering that most of the "players" are still in office.)

EDMajor 1 year, 1 month ago

Well you are mistaken Michael.

ronin_angel 1 year, 1 month ago

Wenatchee has always been such a close minded community. When I was growing up I was constantly ridiculed for being different even though I never caused any real trouble beyond what most stupid teenagers do. I never sought out trouble with others, and I graduated highschool. Still, because I wore black clothing and liked "alternative music" I was called names, threatened, and generally harassed. A tatoo or an interest in murder or serial killers does NOT make you a killer. being obsessed with death doesn't mean you want to kill people. There has been so much focus on these little UNIMPORTANT parts of Mr. Wilson. I believe if they find him guitly it should be on evidence alone. The blood in his house, the DNA, etc.. It is not about him being different. MOST SERIAL KILLERS are the nice NORMAL guy next door. I lived and worked with Mr. Wilson for a while and we had a band together for over a year. I was his friend for much longer than that. I haven't made up my mind yet as to what I think. Having known the guy I would ssay he did NOT do it. But there is alot of evidence to the contrary. Wenatchee please remember that it is innocent until proven guilty unless some day you too want to be on the wrong side of the executioners axe. It is ok to be different. Let's only consider the scientific evidence.

kyook 1 year ago

"MOST SERIAL KILLERS are the nice NORMAL guy next door."

The ignorance in that comment is palpable.

ronin_angel 1 year ago

all I was saying is that if you do even the tiniest ammount of research on the topic you will find that over and over again the killer "type" is the guy that everyone says was a real joy to be around. very normal acting and they all seemed shocked as if the accused is/was the last person they expected, not the most obvious one. You seem fairly ignorant for your remark taking my words and mixing them up for your own use. we both know what I intended to convey was they APPEAR to be the nice normal guy. hope you had fun trolling.

kyook 1 year ago

Just for the record, you said, "MOST SERIAL KILLERS are the nice NORMAL guy next door" not "MOST SERIAL KILLERS give the illusion of being the nice NORMAL guy next door." There is a big difference.

Simply by virtue of being a serial killer they are NOT nice and certainly not normal. Many serial killers go to great lengths to cultivate a false personna in order to hide their true idenities so they can go on doing what they do undetected. The fact that so many of their neighbors are fooled by this illusion is a testament to the depravity of the perpetrator rather than his normalcy.

Perhaps you should choose your words more carefully next time so you don't get called on it.

ronin_angel 1 year ago

I agree but that said you KNEW what I was trying to say I have the feeling you just like to argue. What is the point of arguing a word over a message if you understood the message? Seems like that is the bigger error to me. Just saying. On the other hand if you REALLY thought that I actually considered serial killers NORMAL..? Then I have to doubt your thought process over that instead. Really..I mean come on. Don't acuse someone of not thinking when you're argument is filled with holes. It makes everything so silly and messy.

kyook 1 year ago

This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.

kfrank 1 year ago

Ignorant to say the least. It is also ignorant to say that someone who is "OBSESSED," which is the word I believe was used to describe this "interest" in serial killers, is NORMAL. Unless normalcy has transformed into something I was not aware of. In that case, someone please take me out and slap me silly. How is an obsession like that NOT a red flag? I have two children, by the way, and if one or both of them becomes OBSESSED with serial killers, I will be concerned. Besides, it doesn't matter WHAT or WHO he was interested in, or how often he wore black. The evidence against him is vast, and if proven in court, will prevail.

mountainlion 1 year ago

I have faith in our court system here and he will be found guilty as he is.

kyook 1 year ago

If he is as guilty as you say he is without the benefit of a trial then why do we need a court system at all?

ronin_angel 1 year ago

see..now I agree with you here. this is the point I was trying to make. Judging a book by it's cover is ignorant to say the least. Although the evidence does a fair job of convincing me he is likely guilty...I choose the word likely because there is still no certainty. Read up on the West Memphis Three to see the kind of crap that can happen because of ignorance and prejudice. The only thing that matters is the evidence placing him there, giving him motive, etc.. not his personal interests NOR obsessions. I am obsessed with zombies..doesn't mean I am going to kill myself or go eating brains. Look how many people are obsessed with exercise and diet. Obsessed doesnt always mean bad kfrank, even if its with death. alot of serial killer obsessed people become csi and other things like that. dont go drawing conclusions without doing even the slightest bit of research or contemplation. otherwise this could become a dangerous world. one that burns witches again. "before anyone trolls me..that last bit was a joke."

kyook 1 year ago

"The only thing that matters is the evidence placing him there, giving him motive, etc.. not his personal interests NOR obsessions."

Could it be possible that acting out an obsession could be a motive?

ronin_angel 1 year ago

It could be a motive yes, but it doesn't have to be. It all depends on the other evidence and how the whole picture looks tied together. I think we are on the same side...wonder why you are trying so hard to "win" this discussion? A:it's about the evidence. B:his interests do not equal evidence alone. C:people jump to conclusions long before facts are analyzed. D:everyone keeps saying he did it but the law states innocent until proven guilty. There hasn't been a trial yet. Now I knew the guy for years...and despite my personal feelings the evidence has been pretty damning so far. I am worried that he either did it or had involvment but I cannot with any conscience say he DID IT until all the evidence has come to light and been cross examined. Agree? All I am saying is that if watching Dexter counts as anything more than an interest in an interesting television program.....then it is a slippery slope.