Capital Judicial Center

State rests in Hatch trial

Thu, 11/16/2017 - 12:45pm

    The prosecution rested Wednesday following testimony in the trial of Kenneth Hatch III.

    Early in the day, the alleged victim’s mother testified, corroborating the alleged victim’s brother’s testimony from Tuesday. He said he and his parents had come home in the early hours of the morning to find Hatch’s police cruiser in the driveway. When they entered the house, they found the alleged victim undressed in her parents’ bed, and, the brother said, Hatch exited the bathroom that could only be entered by the parents’ bedroom or the alleged victim’s room.

    Jennifer Heideman, a state forensic chemist, testified to her examination of swabs taken from the back seat of Hatch’s vehicles. The field test of the samples indicated human bodily fluids, but not the type of fluids. Further tests did not show sperm cells, leading Heideman to conclude there were no semen in the samples.

    Maine Attorney General’s office investigator and former Bath police chief Pete Lizanecz testified about his experience interviewing victims of sexual assault, and his work with the prosecution on these types of cases. Lizanecz said he had been involved in about 50 cases, the majority in Bath, but also some with his time at the AG’s office.  For much of the afternoon, he discussed his process in this case.

    Defense attorney Richard Elliott cross-examined Lizanecz the rest of the afternoon, pointing out inconsistencies in witnesses’ testimony, especially in dates that regarded the ages the girls said they were, or the times of year the girls remembered, that Elliott said did not match up with known events.