What was Lisa Frost's motivation for lying to police about her brother's involvement in Rebecca Cade's murder, and how has she changed her story now that she is sober?
Generate according to: During day two of Donnie Cochenour Jr.'s murder trial, his sister says she lied to police, and Cade's injuries were detailed.
CHILLICOTHE - A forensic pathologist testified Rebecca Cade wasn't only struck when she was murdered, but stabbed in the face, her back was burned, and she fought so hard her bicep muscles were torn.
The details emerged during the second day of Donnie Cochenour Jr.'s murder trial where his sister, Lisa Frost, testified she had lied to police about her brother killing Cade the night of Oct. 12, 2015.
Cade's body was found hanging by the sleeve of her sweatshirt off of a fence at the AEP substation at the end of North Brownell Street the morning of Oct. 13, 2015. At first, men working at the site testified on Tuesday they thought her body was a mannequin until after removing her from the fence.
According to Dr. Bryan Casto, a forensic pathologist and Montgomery County's deputy coroner, Cade's face, neck, and torso were covered in injuries. Her hands, chin, and jaw were bruised while her nose was broken; she had up to five cuts and two 2-inch deep stab wounds to her face, "distorting the face significantly;" spinal and brain injuries.
Casto also suggested Cade had desperately tried to get away, so hard in fact that one of her bicep muscles was severed while the other was nearly severed.
A burn mark found on her back had been made through three layers of clothing - a sweatshirt, T-shirt, and undershirt - and was done either shortly before or after Cade died, Casto said.
Cochenour's attorney Jim Boulger questioned whether with the extent of her injuries Cade could have managed to walk away from where she was attacked and attempt to climb a fence. Casto said it was possible, noting Cade would not have died immediately from her injuries.
The substation where Cade was found is about 400 yards from where Frost had been living at the time and where she said Cochenour came to take a shower, according to testimony. Frost's testimony suggested mud and blood on his clothes, which she threw away in a neighbor's empty trash can behind her home, was from Cochenour being beaten up that night.
A state DNA forensic scientist, Devonie Herdman, testified the blood on his jeans was consistent with Cade as was blood found on a rock near the substation. His DNA also was identified from a vaginal swab taken from Cade along with "additional data not sufficient for inclusion," Herdman testified.
A shirt Cochenour presumably used to towel off after his shower at Frost's house, according to testimony, had a sample test positive for Cade's blood. While the testing of the shirt also identified male DNA in the sample, Cochenour was excluded, Herdman said.
During a contentious back and forth with Ross County Prosecutor Matt Schmidt, Frost repeatedly tried to testify she had lied to police about Cochenour admitting to her he had killed Cade. Frost claimed she was "tricking" to support her heroin and meth addiction which made her liable to lie on anybody because she was just trying to get to her next high. Now that she's sober, Frost said she is trying to set things right.
"He did not do this. He did not tell me he did this ... I was scared and I made a false statement because I didn't want to go to jail ... I'm not going to send my brother to prison," Frost testified.
At times during Frost's testimony, Cochenour leaned back in his chair and looked toward those seated in the courtroom gallery with a hint of a smile.
Frost testified she did take her brother's clothes as well as a T-shirt she'd given him to dry off with and dumped them in a neighbor's trash bin. She also testified she got Cochenour a ride to their sister's home on Three Locks Road to get him out of Chillicothe. Frost spent a year in prison after pleading guilty to tampering with evidence in relation to disposing of the clothes.
Boulger questioned Frost about her connection to Cade, suggesting there may have been animosity over a man. However, Frost denied that as well as Boulger's questions alleging she had told someone she had been there when Cade was killed and had helped.
Frost's roommate at the time, Stephena Secrest, also testified Wednesday morning, saying she was on her way to buy cigarettes in Kentucky the night of Oct. 12, 2015, when Frost called her about Cochenour. Secrest described Frost as being "kind of upset, worried, excited all at once."
"She said, 'Hey, my brother showed up at your house with blood and mud all over him. I'm going to let him take a shower.' I was like don't you dare let him in my house," Secrest said.
After Cade's body was found, police stopped by and talked with Secrest and Frost. Afterward, Secrest called her mom who then called the police to report Frost knew something about Cade's murder, leading detectives to question both women again. Frost testified she told them about the clothing and allegedly lied to them about her brother's involvement after Secrest told her to tell the truth.
Under questioning from Boulger, Secrest testified she had recently been in contact with police over an issue about money Cade owed Secrest. Boulger's questions alleged Cade had reported Secrest had threatened her, which Secrest said was not accurate.
The state's case will continue Thursday morning with more testimony about the DNA evidence. Boulger expects to call Cochenour to testify once the state rests.
This prompt doesn't seem malicious.