The trial for Delonte Wynn continued Wednesday, with a testimony by Officer John McElhenny who validated footage that appeared to show Darlene Bryant running down Wheeler Road seeking help.

Witnesses following McElhenny also attested to Bryant’s suffering, and to a masked suspect who fled the scene of the crime.

When a witness who fled the scene of the stabbing took the stand, she expressed her panic and unsureness as to whether or not to help the victim, who was running toward her and “bleeding from everywhere.” She claimed that in her panic, however, she noticed a man fleeing the scene in what appeared to be a homemade mask. Eventually, after calling 911, the witness returned to Bryant, who was dead.

Donnell Howard, another witness testified to suggest Wynn’s guilt. With shackled wrists, Howard said Bryant was a longtime friend, and around 10 a.m. on May 13, the two got high while Bryant confided in Howard that she had stolen from Wynn. The witness also claimed he overheard a phone conversation in which Wynn demanded the return of his property. Not long after Bryant confided in Howard did he see Wynn in a hooded jacket walk towards the building where the victim remained on the stairs. Moments later, Howard saw Wynn swiftly walk out of the same building wearing mask on his face and a knife up his sleeve, followed by screams from the stairwell.

The defense immediately opposed Howard’s testimony, arguing that the prosecution made promises to shorten his sentence and reward him $25,000 if his statements led to the conviction of Wynn. Howard is currently incarcerated for a separate case, and although his story has changed with every testimony, he has claimed time and time again that he was promised nothing. “You lie when you think it’s in your own interest,” the defense said to Howard, attempting to shift the blame. The defense proceeded by emphasizing a fight that broke out between the two the day before the victim’s death, Howard’s apathy towards helping Bryant when she screamed from the stairwell, and previous cases in which he has lied on record. The matter has been left up for debate.

MPD Officer Curtis Wyland was patrolling the area when he was flagged down by an unidentified woman on the street and brought to the victim. When the officer recognized a crime scene before him, he immediately checked for signs of life, taped off the area, and then followed the trail of blood back to the stairwell to see where the stabbing occurred.

Just as the day before, Bryant’s family sat in the court room as the defense and prosecution went back and forth. When pictures of the victim shortly after her death were shown to the jury, Bryant’s mother excused herself from the courtroom while her children sat and watched.

The trial will resume Thursday morning with the continued testimony of Detective David Evans, who met Bryant once before in her stairwell.

Nearly two years after the death of Darlene Bryant, and a year after he was arrested for her murder, Delonte Wynn’s trial began.

More than fifty jurors cycled through the courtroom on Tuesday morning, but only fourteen people were left to determine Wynn’s fate.

Before delving into the trial, one witness’s testimony was highly debated. The witness had been met with charges of drug possession and attempted robbery when the prosecution allegedly offered a shorter sentence and then a reward of $25,000 in return for assistance with the investigation. The defense took issue with the testimony, claiming that it was, instead, a “story” made up for the sake of his own benefit. Ultimately, Judge Zoe Bush decided the witness’ testimony could be used so long as the jury is aware of the offer made to the witness.

According to a series of testimonies given to the prosecution, Bryant lived her days essentially homeless, making due with a stairwell in an apartment complex on the 4300 block of Wheeler Rd. The prosecution said, noting Bryant’s family in the audience, that her homelessness was not because she lacked a loving home. Instead, her homelessness was a choice she made so as to not subject her mother and children to her drug use. This made Darlene Bryant’s life especially difficult, one in which resorting to theft became the easiest means of making a living, the prosecution said. It was theft that motivated Wynn to stab Bryant in the neck, they claimed.

The defense argued that the evidence will show Bryant did not, in fact, steal from Wynn. Instead, Bryant borrowed his car and safely returned it the following day. Therefore, Wynn had no motive to kill. Wynn’s attorney repeatedly said no physical evidence exists to convict Wynn of murder.

The first witness to be called to the stand was Darlene Bryant’s mother. Dolores expressed her love for her daughter, tearing up at the sight of a picture of Darlene the prosecution used as an exhibit. From realizing Darlene was gay to helping her battle drug addiction, Dolores stood by her daughter, raising her two children who patiently sat in the audience. She admitted that Darlene had a reputation for stealing in order to pay for her drug addiction, and that her daughter was always in a place of danger. The last time she saw her daughter was the same day she was found dead.

The trial will resume Wednesday morning, proceeding with the testimony given by Officer Mcelheny of the Metropolitan Police Department. Mcelheny has patrolled the 4300 block of Wheeler Road “hundreds of times,” enough times to know which cameras would have caught the alleged crime on video. After some deliberation as to whether or not the cameras were able to capture enough footage, the trial came to a halt. The prosecution ended after showing footage of the victim sprinting down Wheeler Road holding her neck.