Adeowale "Wally" Adelowo died on Nov. 6, 2009, of multiple gunshot wounds to his back, hip and stomach, according to Dr. Daniel Konzelmann, associate medical examiner for the Arkansas Crime Laboratory.
The doctor testified Wednesday during the first-degree murder trial of Cordell Wells, 24, who is charged with Adelowo's murder.
The victim had a total of eight gunshot wounds, the medical examiner testified, but only five bullets were recovered from Adelowo's body. Some of the wounds had corresponding exit wounds, he told the jury and Prosecuting Attorney Scott Ellington.
The wounds were to Adelowo's center back, the left hip, the right buttock, the back of the right thigh, the left side of the abdomen, the right arm, lower left stomach, and left hand.
The back wound caused injuries to the stomach, liver and other organs before coming to rest in the lower back of the chest cavity, the doctor testified. The abdomen wound caused injuries to the small bowel, pancreas, liver, diaphragm, cardiac sac and the heart.
There was no evidence that any of the bullets were fired from close range, the doctor said.
Under cross examination by defense attorney Bill Stanley, Konzelmann explained the trajectory of the wounds, or the direction from which the gun was fired.
Using his co-counsel, Ray Nickle as a model, Stanley had the doctor demonstrate the angle of each shot and suggested that the shooter would have to be kneeling or lying on the ground to fire from the right angles.
In further testimony, Ellington, using his deputy, Curtis Walker Jr. as a model, demonstrated how the shots could have been fired from a normal, standing position if the victim were trying to get away from the shots.
Ellington asked Konzelmann Adelowo's height. The answer was 6 feet, 5 inches tall.
The defendant, it was later learned, is 5 feet, 11 inches tall.
Zach Elder, a firearms expert from the crime lab, testified that he examined the bullets which were removed from Adelowo's body and given to him by Dr. Konzelmann.
The bullets were consistent with those fired from the weapon found in Wells' possession on the night of the murder. Elder said he could not, however, decisively say that the bullets had been fired from the same weapon because the way the weapon is made.
He explained that the Glock company, which manufactured the gun, doesn't "mark" the bullets the way other guns do.
Elder did determine that the shell casings found at the scene were fired from the weapon taken from Wells.
Several Blytheville police officers testified their actions with the case, but the final witness of the day was Jason Eddings, a criminal investigator with the BPD, who testified about the more than 40 photographs he took of the evidence and the collection of the evidence for submission to the crime lab.
Eddings also interviewed Wells after his arrest. After the interview, Eddings performed a gunshot residue test on Wells, which helps determine whether the person has fired a gun or not.
While performing the test, Eddings said Wells asked the officer, "How much time do people get for murder?"
Eddings was grilled for several more minutes on the stand by Nickle, who chastised Eddings for continuing the interview with Wells after he had asked to speak with an attorney.
The taped recording of the interview reflects Wells' asking to speak with his father and shows that Eddings spoke to the defendant's father as well.
The tape recorder was turned off at the end of the interview before Wells asked Eddings about the consequences of the charge.
Testimony began again at 9:30 a.m. with the last witness for the prosecution. The defense will then present its case and witnesses to the jury.
dhilton@blythevillecourier.com