State prosecutor produces crime scene photos in murder trial

ELLSWORTH – Most of the evidence presented Thursday during the third day of testimony in the Edwin Graham murder trial was photographs of the crime scene.

State prosecutor Andrew Benson introduced numerous photographs and a video of the interior and exterior of Graham’s trailer in Tremont.

In addition, Benson introduced the bloodstained clothing worn by Graham on the night that Zachary Savoy, 25, died. Graham is accused of stabbing, beating and kicking Savoy to death on Dec. 22 last year.

The case is being heard by a jury of eight women and seven men with three alternates, with Justice Donald Marden presiding in Hancock County Superior Court.

Attorneys for both sides anticipated that testimony in the trial would conclude today. Closing arguments likely will be scheduled for Monday before the case is given to the jury.

Under questioning by Benson, Detective Joseph Zamboni, a member of the Maine State Police evidence response team, identified a series of photographs he had taken that showed bloodstains inside and outside Graham’s home.

Zamboni testified that there were bloodstains inside the trailer itself, more stains in a small breezeway outside the trailer and on a small deck, and the most significant amount of blood on the ground near a vehicle parked outside.

“There was a great deal of blood there,” Zamboni said. “You can see blood patterns on the wheel cover and a large amount of blood on the ground beside the wheel.”

Zamboni testified that the photographs showed blood spatters along the side of the car. Other photos showed a group of yellow flags he had placed at the scene to mark spots of blood that radiated in an arc as much as 20 feet from the car.

Zamboni identified items of clothing taken from Graham that showed bloodstains on his socks, boots, pants and jacket. He also identified items of bloodied clothing worn by Savoy that showed knife holes.

Defense attorney Stephen Juskewitch of Ellsworth focused much of his cross-examination on the fact that the holes and bloodstains on the different layers of Savoy’s clothing did not line up. Under questioning by Juskewitch, Zamboni agreed that Savoy’s clothing likely was disarranged at the time he was stabbed and that indicated some motion.

“Is the fact that the clothing is disarranged consistent with it being pulled up over his shoulder?” Juskewitch asked.

Zamboni said only that the hole and the bloodstain did not line up directly as they would have if the victim had been standing at attention.

Juskewitch also focused on bloodstains that were located four or five feet above the floor, which he said was consistent with the two parties being upright or standing when they went through the door. During questioning by Benson, Zamboni had indicated that many of the bloodstains, particularly in the breezeway, were lower down on the wall.

Juskewitch also asked Zamboni to conclude that the spread of bloodstains around the yard was consistent with a fight that had ranged around the area. During his opening statements, the defense attorney said that Graham and Savoy had been engaged in a “struggle for life.”

Benson objected to the question and said that a blood spatter expert would testify as to the significance of the patterns of blood at the scene.

A state forensic DNA analyst, Jennifer McCorrison, testified that blood samples taken from different articles of Graham’s clothing matched Savoy’s DNA sample taken from a known sample of the victim’s blood.