Columbus trial begins in 2019 case of man accused of killing his mother

Opening statements began Tuesday morning in the trial of a man accused of fatally shooting his mother in 2019 at a Columbus apartment complex.

Caron Giles was 18-years-old when he was charged with murder in the October 2019 death of his mother, 45-year-old Lachasta Giles, at Springfield Crossing Apartments, the Ledger-Enquirer reported.

Caron Giles faces charges of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, according to court documents.

Prosecutor Meghan Bowden told the jury that evidence will show a projectile found at the scene came from a firearm found under Caron Giles’ mattress, and Caron Giles’ DNA was on the trigger. Bowden told jurors that while no gunshot residue was found on Caron Giles, he went unsupervised into the apartment he shared with his mother.

Regional Public Defender Angela Dillon shared the plot of the movie “The Sixth Sense,” starring Bruce Willis, to illustrate, “things are not always as they seem.”

Dillon said jurors will hear that a shell casing found at the scene didn’t match the weapon found in Caron Giles’ room.

Police officer testimony

Testimony began with Sgt. J. Alger of the Columbus Police Department who responded to the shooting on Oct. 1, 2019, at Springfield Crossing Apartments.

Alger’s body camera footage showed the officer responding to the scene where Lachasta Giles was critically wounded and was lying on her back. Alger attempted to find her pulse but was not able to, according to his testimony.

Alger testified Caron Giles attempted to retrieve the purse and cell phone lying near his mother, saying he needed to make a phone call. Alger said he had to physically remove the purse from Caron Giles and told him it was part of the crime scene and was considered evidence.

When Bowden asked whether this was an odd interaction, Alger replied, “Yes ma’am.”

When asked to explain why he thought it was unusual, Alger said, “Usually victims are very upset and they’re more concerned about their loved one and not concerned about the property.”

Dillon, representing Caron, asked Alger if he was aware Caron’s phone’s service was off at the time. Alger said Caron didn’t mention that.

Dillon asked Alger if he would agree that relatives of victims react differently in a crisis. He agreed.

Cpl. William Kerns is another CPD officer who responded to Springfield Crossing Apartments on the night of the incident. Kerns was tasked with staying with Caron Giles, according to his testimony.

Kerns said Caron Giles exhibited an agitated demeanor. Kerns’ body camera footage was shown to the court.

In the body camera footage Caron Giles can be heard saying, “Man, somebody shot my momma.”

Later footage shows Caron Giles walk to the apartment, enter the apartment and close the door. Kerns testified the apartment was locked after Giles entered. Kerns later testified that Caron Giles was inside for less than a minute.

In the footage, Caron Giles can be heard saying he needed to get his phone prior to going into the apartment.

Caron Giles can be heard in the footage telling Kerns he was on the toilet when he heard a singular gunshot.

In the body camera footage, Caron Giles can later be heard asking if he can go to the hospital with his mother and asks if he can ride in the ambulance.

When questioned by Dillon, Kerns said he didn’t notice any blood on Caron Giles’ clothing. Kerns testified it didn’t appear that Caron Giles had a weapon on him and that nothing appeared to be in his pockets, shorts or waistband.

When asked the area has a high level of crime, Kerns said, “People hearing gunshots is not unusual for that part of town.”

Kerns testified that he asked Caron Giles if his mother had trouble with anyone, to which Giles responded “no.”

911 caller testifies

Sharon Peterson, who called 911 the night of the shooting, testified Tuesday. She lived at Springfield Crossing Apartments at the time in a unit facing the parking lot where the shooting took place, according to her testimony.

Peterson testified she was lying in bed with her great-grandson when they heard a singular shot and proceeded to get on the floor away from the window. Peterson looked out the window two to three minutes later and saw a body lying outside, at which point she called 911, she testified.

Peterson’s 911 call was played in court. She told a dispatcher that she didn’t know who shot the victim and had only heard the gunshot.

Peterson said it wasn’t unusual to hear gunshots coming from an area near the apartment complex, later telling Dillon she hears gunshots probably three times a week.

Peterson later tried to console the defendant. She said Caron Giles was angry but added, “I understood that.”

Crime Scene Investigators testimony

Two crime scene investigators for the Columbus Police Department testified Tuesday. One of the investigators, Aretina Benning, was responsible for taking photographs of the scene in the parking lot and placing evidence markers the night of the shooting.

During Benning’s testimony, photos were shown of a bullet fragment retrieved from near where Lachasta Giles’ body would have been.

Other photos were shown of a shell casing, which Benning testified was found near a dumpster yards away from where Lachasta Giles’ body would’ve been.

Benning testified she later went to the hospital to photograph Lachasta Giles’ body. The photographs shown to the court showed a wound to Lachasta Giles’ left chest area with another wound on her left upper back area.

Cpl. Matthew Newsome, another crime scene investigator, was responsible for taking photographs inside the victim’s apartment. A photograph shown to the court showed a pistol and an extended magazine located underneath a mattress in one of the bedrooms in the apartment, according to Newsome’s testimony.

Newsome later collected DNA samples from the pistol, according to his testimony.

Phone data

Detective Sandra Hickey works in the Digital Forensic Unit at CPD, which among other things, extrapolates data from cell phones.

Hickey said investigators gave the unit multiple phones, including two that belonged to Caron Giles. Hickey said data was extracted from one of those phones and weren’t able to access the other phone, which was password protected.

Hickey also extracted data from a phone belonging to Arthur Alexander, another witness called in the case.

A log of calls between Alexander and a 909 area code number was shown to the court. The person the 909 number belonged to was not revealed in Tuesday’s testimony.

Hickey testified data showed a series of short phone calls between Alexander’s phone and from a 909 number, saved as “do not call.”

Hickey testified phone data from Oct. 1 also showed an incoming text message at 12:10 a.m. from the 909 number that said, “You can’t listen, so I’m not listening,” followed by an outgoing message at 12:11 a.m. that said, “I’m willing to listen, call me now.”

Arthur Alexander’s testimony

Alexander, who confirmed to the court he’s a convicted felon, testified that he takes medication that affects his memory.

Alexander testified he first met Lachasta Giles and someone she claimed was her son at a Marathon gas station, where he sold food he cooked there. They exchanged phone numbers, though he told a CPD officer he said he didn’t know her name. He just called her “Baby.”

Alexander said the woman and her son had visited him at his house, and her son played his Xbox while he and the woman went outside for a cigarette.

Alexander testified he never went to their apartment and didn’t know where the woman lived.

He said on the woman called him Oct. 1 and was going to come over to his place. Alexander said in the last phone call with the woman, he heard someone “holler” but nobody got back on the phone. He thought she hung up, so Alexander hung up the phone.

The woman never came to his place, according to Alexander’s testimony.

He testified that he learned about Lachasta Giles’ death from someone who worked at the Marathon gas station. That’s also who informed him police were looking for him.

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The trial is expected to continue at 9 a.m. Wednesday.