Nick Hytrek
SIOUX CITY -- Until Thursday, evidence from inside the apartment where Suzette Occhibone was believed to have been killed was mostly based on descriptions from police officers.
As the third day of Jessica Bino's murder trial proceeded, crime scene photos provided a more detailed picture of the scene and what investigators found there.
Bino, 33, has pleaded not guilty in Woodbury County District Court of first-degree murder for the Oct. 26, 2023 stabbing and beating death of Occhibone, her 77-year-old grandmother. Bino and her mother, Angela Bino, are accused of killing Occhibone inside their apartment at 607 Virginia St.
Occhibone suffered eight stab and cutting wounds to her face and neck and numerous blunt-force trauma wounds to the head, face and torso. Among her injuries were a punctured lung, trachea and esophagus, a broken nose, skull fracture and two broken facial bones. A medical examiner testified that any combination of those wounds could have been fatal, and he said her death was caused by sharp-force and blunt-force injuries.
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Sioux City Police crime scene investigator Jasmine Gray-McLane on Thursday reviewed dozens of photos she took at the crime scene. Among items she photographed were a hammer and scissors found in the bedrooms, a knife found in a kitchen trash can and a broken glass candlestick found in a living room trash can. All items had suspected blood on them. Evidence previously entered showed that Occhibone's blood was present on all four items, and Jessica Bino's DNA was found on the hammer and scissors. The knife had a DNA mixture from two people, but the sample was too weak to determine whose DNA it was.
Gray-McLane's photos also showed signs of a disturbance that several officers had previously described: a blood trail on the floor leading from the living room to the front door, a recliner with blood stains near the head rest, broken and overturned items in the living room.
"Things were just kind of in disarray," Sioux City Police Officer Jason Braunschweig said.
Just before the trial's lunch break, Woodbury County Attorney James Loomis told District Judge Steven Andreasen the state had two witnesses remaining.
Defense attorney Brendan Kelly told Andreasen he would have Bino brought to the courtroom to determine if she will testify. Bino on Wednesday asked she be allowed to not be present for the remainder of the trial after sitting through the first day.
Bino previously waived her right to a jury trial, and Andreasen will decide if she's guilty or not guilty.
The defense is expected to call witnesses, among them an expert who will testify to Bino's condition at the time of Occhibone's death. Kelly has filed a notice of a defense of intoxication.
A police officer who encountered Jessica and Angela Bino more than five hours before police were called to their apartment to investigate Occhibone's death has said he believed both were intoxicated when he met with him. Several officers who responded to the apartment later that night said that, based upon their observations and encounters with Jessica and Angela Bino, they did not believe they were intoxicated.
Angela Bino, 60, also has pleaded not guilty of first-degree murder. She is scheduled to stand trial in March.
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Court Reporter
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