After emotional testimony from a friend of Kevin Olsen’s accuser, the prosecution rested its case Thursday morning. Hayley Reynolds testified that her friend and former roommate told her that she had been raped and hit by Olsen.
During her testimony, Reynolds described her friend’s injuries. Those injuries included a bruise around her eye and bruises to her arms and back. While she was describing the injuries, Olsen’s accuser became emotional and exited the courtroom.
Reynolds also described accompanying her friend to the hospital so she could undergo a sexual assault exam. When they returned from the hospital, Reynolds says the two packed bags and went to stay with family.
“I needed to be with her and she needed to be alone,” Reynolds said. “We didn’t feel safe staying there.”
Reynolds said they worried Olsen might show up to the house. Reynolds also testified that at one point the three were very close friends and that Olsen had confided in her he had suicidal thoughts.
After the defense cross-examined Reynolds, the prosecution rested its case.
The defense called its first witness to the stand, CMPD detective Christina Cougill. Attorney George Laughrun questioned the detective about the day Olsen was arrested. He pointed out that Cougill had asked Olsen to come to the station for questioning, which he did so voluntarily. Laughrun said what Olsen didn’t realize was that he wasn’t going to leave the police station that day because Cougill already had warrants for his arrest.
During the prosecution’s cross-examination of Cougill, Assistant District Attorney Kristen Northrup asked her if she had ever seen Olsen’s phone. Cougill said she had not. Olsen wouldn’t voluntarily hand over the phone and she didn’t have a warrant.
Northrup asked Cougill why a detective would want to see a victim's and suspect's phones. Cougill said it could help to corroborate a victim or show the innocence of the suspect.
Cougill said she had told Olsen “this could either hurt you or help you.”
Then, Northrup asked Cougill a question about another woman, which spurred Laughrun, the defense lawyer, to immediately object. After asking the jury to leave the room and debating the subject, Judge Eady-Williams allowed for Cougill to answer the question with the jury present again. Cougill identified the woman as Olsen's ex-girlfriend. Laughren objected to this as well. The judge then cleared the courtroom again.
“She [Cougill] has no information that is admissible for this court as to who this lady is,” Laughrun said.
Northrup disagreed and said the only other question she was going to ask is whether Cougill attempted to speak with the woman.
The two sides continued the back and forth without the jury present.
Laughrun said it insinuated something negative about his client.
“The best example: Bill Cosby gets convicted because five other ladies come forward, you got the Kavanagh hearings going on right now with other people coming out of the woodwork like roaches saying ‘OK, here’s what’s going on,’ ” Laughrun argued. “That’s the insinuation. We have to be real careful in this 'MeToo' generation that you don’t leave a negative impression. That, ‘OK, there is an ex-girlfriend …’ ”
The judge stopped him. Laughrun said he didn’t mean any disrespect. The judge pointed out that those were separate cases and separate situations and she respectfully disagreed. Judge Eady-Willaims then called a lunch recess.
