Was the Murder Victim Conscious After the Attack?

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On July 3, a medical examiner said her analysis of the victim’s body was consistent with witness testimony.

Lenard Wills, 50, was beaten and stabbed to death in an apartment on the 700 block of 24th Street, NE in 2015. Joseph Barbour, Willie Glover and Charles McRae  are charged with first-degree murder while armed for Wills’ death.

According to the medical examiner, lacerations found on Wills’ face and head were likely caused by a small or medium-sized object, which could have been a gun.

The examiner also said someone with wounds as severe as Wills’ might have been able to walk around and speak for a period of time after being stabbed.  According to an eyewitness, Wills was moving shortly after the attack.

Another witness, whose expertise was in forensic anthropology, said she could not tell from Wills’ stab wounds whether a bloody knife recovered from a trash can near the apartment was the murder weapon.

The witness said,”It’s very possible a standard kitchen knife was used.”

The trial is scheduled to resume on July 5.