Testimony got underway in the murder trial of Issiah Ross, the man accused of killing Lyric Woods and Devin Clark in 2022.
On Wednesday, the defense argued Devin Clark, not Ross, shot Lyric Woods. The parents of both murder victims also took the stand.
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The case moved quickly, with the final jury members seated on Wednesday morning. Opening statements got underway just after 10 a.m. and were over within 15 minutes.
Orange County District Attorney Anna Orr began by laying out the timeline of the evening of Sept. 16, 2022, when she said Woods snuck out of her mom’s house to meet up with Clark.
“Investigation revealed they were killed at approximately 2 a.m. on Sept. 17, just a few hours after their parents said goodnight to them," Orr said. "And approximately 36 hours prior to the discovery of their bodies.”
She said that a series of experts and evidence will prove Ross took their lives, and that the man who called in a tip to police will tell us how Ross confessed to the crime.
Testimony was focused on the evidence in this case, with a specialist from the Orange County Sheriff's Office on the stand. There were a lot of tears in the courtroom as Lyric and Devin's parents testified and talked about the last time they saw their children.
"It's just so far-fetched that someone would want to hurt her," said Elizabeth Cannada, Lyric's mother.
Lyric told her mother she was going to take a shower that Friday night.
"I told her 'don't take an hour' because she always took really long showers ... and that was the last time I saw her," Cannada said.
Devin's father, Dexter Clark, thought he was with friends.
"I didn't want to think anything was wrong, so I just pushed it to the side a little bit," Dexter Clark said.
Both families reported their children were missing. It wasn't until Sunday afternoon when two witnesses found their bodies that they learned what had happened. Both were dead from gunshot wounds.
"And then we went from there, planned a funeral," Cannada said.
During opening statements for the defense on Wednesday, Ross's attorney Jonathan Trapp told the jury that Clark, not Ross, shot Lyric, and Ross acted in self-defense.
"The person who shot Lyric Woods was not Mr. Ross," Trapp said. "It was Devin Clark."
He also had an explanation for Ross going up to Delaware after the incident. Ross was apprehended by the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force on Oct. 5, 2022, at an apartment in Dover, Delaware. Two women were also arrested at the apartment complex for hindering prosecution.
