Jay Boughton murder trial: Jamal Smith's girlfriend reluctantly testifies
MINNEAPOLIS -- Jurors heard more compelling testimony Wednesday in the murder trial of the man accused of killing a youth baseball coach in an alleged road rage attack.
Jamal Smith is charged with shooting Jay Boughton on a highway in Plymouth last summer.
Among the witnesses Wednesday in the Hennepin County courtroom was the suspect's girlfriend, Rondelle Hardin. She clearly did not want to be there, testifying only because of a subpoena, and telling the court she still talks to Smith every day -- even after the court ordered him not to.
Her testimony connected some important dots, including how she's the reason Smith came to Minnesota from Decatur, Illinois. She also testified that she remembers Smith getting out of the driver's seat of the SUV that was identified by police as the suspect's vehicle.
Prosecutors also showed jurors Facebook videos Wednesday of Smith holding a weapon that investigators traced to the shooting.
However, Hardin also testified about two other people in the car, and the defense noted that they also had weapons. The question for the jury: Does that create any doubt that Smith was Boughton's killer?
Jurors are expected to hear Thursday from one of those other passengers, who will take the stand.
Boughton's family and friends had been wearing yellow for an emotional lift, which the judge banned ahead of Wednesday's proceedings, emphasizing that the trial isn't about emotion, but evidence. Boughton's wife still wore yellow Wednesday.
