The murder trial for Issiah Ross continues on Wednesday in Orange County.
Wednesday morning's court proceedings began with the selection of alternate jurors and then opening statements followed. The first round of witnesses was called to the stand, which included the parents of the two killed teenagers and the people who found their bodies.
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Ross is charged with killing 18-year-old Devin Clark and 14-year-old Lyric Woods in 2022.
Here's the latest on the trial:
4:55 p.m.: The judge dismissed the jury for the day. The trial will resume with more witnesses on Thursday.
4:30 p.m.: Baldwin underwent further questioning from the defense and prosecution. Trapp questioned the shell casings that were found at the crime scene and how they compared to those found during a test firing.
3:10 p.m.: Photos of a vehicle, a 2017 GMC Terrain, are shown to the jury. Baldwin explained how he collected swabs for DNA from vehicle surfaces along the interior and exterior.
3 p.m.: The prosecution continued to show jurors photos of the scene and Woods and Clark's bodies, along with shell casings at the scene. Some photos showed a trail of blood. Many were taken to the state crime lab.
2:45 p.m.: The defense considered objecting to the evidence since Baldwin was not the last person to handle and open the items. After a discussion between defense attorney Jonathan Trapp and judge Stephanie Reese, the defense decided not to object. The jury left the courtroom for about 10 minutes during this period.
2 p.m.: Baldwin re-took the stand and described the process of searching the bodies for wounds, collecting evidence and searching the scene for evidence. Baldwin described the various pieces of evidence at the scene to the jury.
12:30 p.m.: Court is in recess for lunch. They will return at 2 p.m.
12:10 p.m.: The prosecution called up Zack Baldwin, an investigator with the Orange County Sheriff's Office, to testify. He has been responsible for scene processing and evidence collection since 2020.
11:50 a.m.: The defense cross-examined Susann.
11:38 a.m.: The prosecution called up their fifth witness, Philip Susann, who is employed with the Orange County Sheriff's Office. He was the first to respond to the missing persons report for Woods, which was reported by her stepfather and mother.
Susann said while authorities were doing their initial investigation of the roadway leading to the bodies, they found small, shiny shell casings.
11:36 a.m.: The defense cross-examined Dexter Clark.
11:26 a.m.: The prosecution called up their fourth witness, Dexter Clark Jr., Devin's father, to the stand.
Dexter explained that he reported his 9mm firearm was missing when he found that Devin was missing. He said that he and Devin would go shooting on the weekends with a local shooting club sometimes, and that the gun that was missing was the one Devin would use.
The last time he saw the gun was a week or two before Devin's death. He has not seen it since.
11:15 a.m.: Lyric Woods's mother, Elizabeth Cannada, is called to the stand as the third witness after the court returned from a 15-minute recess.
Cannada said that it was not like Woods to "worry her" when she saw that Woods was missing from her bedroom. She said she assumed someone kidnapped Woods when she didn't return home the next morning.
"It's so far-fetched that someone would want to hurt her," Cannada said after testifying that she was told by local fire department chiefs that one of the bodies was her daughter.
Cannada said that Woods never mentioned Devin Clark to her.
10:52 a.m.: The court paused for a 15-minute recess.
10:48 a.m.: The defense begins cross-examining Wilson. He said that instead of calling 911 at the scene, they waited because he was afraid that they both could be in danger if they stayed any longer. Wilson said he went to his father's house about two miles away, told his father about what they found, and then they called 911.
After the call, Wilson, Kiser and Wilson's father went back to the scene to meet up with law enforcement.
10:42 a.m.: The prosecution called their second witness who found the bodies with Kiser, Jordan Wilson, to the stand. He said they were about five feet from the bodies when they found them.
10:40 a.m.: Ross's defense attorney starts cross-examining Kiser about the day they found the bodies.
10:30 a.m.: Joseph Kiser, the first witness, was called to the stand. Kiser is one of the two people who first found the bodies of Devin Clark and Lyric Woods.
10:20 a.m.: Opening statements to the jury began. The prosecution asked the jury to find Ross guilty, depending on the timeline, physical evidence and Ross's confession.
Ross's defense attorney said he is not guilty. He said that all three, Ross, Clark and Woods, had communication in the hours before their deaths. He said that Ross took his mom's car without permission to meet up with the other two, although Ross allegedly did not know Clark.
His attorney argues that Clark shot Woods, hinting that the gun used in the shooting belonged to Clark's dad. When the gun was turned over to Ross, he allegedly left with the "tough decision to save himself," which caused him to flee the state.
10:15 a.m.: The judge lists the rules and conditions for the now selected jurors and alternates in the case, including that they are not allowed to read about the trial in the news or on social media.
10 a.m.: Alternate jurors were set, and the court released the rest of the juror pool. The court is waiting for potential opening statements to start.
9 a.m.: The court began its session to first choose the alternate jurors.
On Tuesday, a 12-person jury was selected in the trial.
Over the course of multiple rounds of questions, the state asked to excuse a total of four jurors, and the defense asked to excuse a total of six jurors. After excusing three jurors after the first round of questions, around 12 p.m., the state told the court they were satisfied with the remaining 12 potential jurors.
All prospective jurors in the case are expected to return to Orange County Court on Wednesday morning.
