DNA evidence introduced, defense points to alternative theory

WORCESTER – The third week of Mathew Locke’s quadruple murder trial began Monday, with prosecutors beginning to introduce DNA evidence and an attorney pressing a witness about an apparent alternate theory of the crime.

A forensic expert testified about a component of saliva she said was found in the private areas of both the mother and daughter who were found murdered in their home at 10 Old Warren Road, West Brookfield, on February 28, 2018, while a woman living in the house stayed The house next door faced intensive surveillance from the defense that evening.

The woman, Christine Tatro, denied telling her ex-husband that the man who owned the house next door had left for an extended period of time the night of the crimes, or that he smelled of fuel.

Neither the ex-husband nor the neighbor has testified in the case so far. Tatro testified that her relationship with her ex-husband was contentious.

Jury hears start of DNA evidence

Jurors heard the beginnings of what is expected to be key forensic evidence against Locke Monday morning and afternoon.

Prosecutors have said DNA evidence links Locke, 38, to the murders of Sara Bermudez, 38, and her three children: 8-year-old Madison, 6-year-old James and 2-year-old Michael.

Locke is a cousin of Sara Bermudez’s husband, Moses, who was away for work at the time of the murders and testified at the trial.

State police forensic expert Kelley King testified at length Monday about items she tested from the master bedroom of the Bermudez home where authorities found all four victims had been repeatedly stabbed and burned by fire.

The fire, which they have suggested was started with diesel fuel, did not burn out, and prosecutors have struggled to incorporate dozens of pieces of evidence found in the room into the evidence.

King tested many of the items, from bloody and burned articles of clothing to a piece of blood-caked rope that was found partially burned at the scene.

As jurors watched in silence, she testified about dozens of individual bloodstains found on walls, the carpet, a lamp and other objects.

The central part of her testimony turned out to be a component of saliva called amylase. She said she found both Sara and Madison Bermudez’s genitals inside and outside.

King, who has worked in the laboratory for more than 15 years, took the judges through the process she uses to carry out her work, from sterilization and protective equipment to a simplified explanation of the tests she performed.

King testified that she tested swabs from various parts of the mother and daughter’s bodies for semen and saliva.

No semen was found, she testified. Amylase, an enzyme present in saliva, was found in swabs taken from the inner and outer vaginal areas of both mother and daughter, she said.

King testified that she prepared samples of these and sent them to the DNA laboratory for further testing.

Under cross-examination, Locke’s attorney, Jeffrey S. Brown, pressed King on her work, as well as the meaning of the test.

King, after a pointed series of questions, agreed that the test she performed was a “screening test” that did not confirm the presence of saliva but indicated that it might be present due to the detection of amylase.

She said the samples have been sent to a DNA analyst for more conclusive testing. That analyst is expected to testify later this week.

Brown also questioned King about photos she took of the positive screening tests for amylase. He projected them onto a screen and suggested that at least one of the tests did not appear to have a line where she indicated it did.

King said her tests were accurate and confirmed by others. She acknowledged that she did not take photos of some of the tests she used to reach her conclusions, saying that this was allowed under state police policy because another qualified person present had certified the results.

The photos of the tests were difficult to see clearly from the courtroom gallery.

Contested cross-examination

Jurors in the afternoon heard from Tatro, a woman with ties to both the Bermudez family and their immediate neighbor.

Tatro said, after her direct questioning by prosecutors who called her, that she knew Sara and Moses Bermudez because she had worked for one of Moses’ aunts at Mason’s Grille in Warren.

Tatro testified that she met Sara and Moses Bermudez when they came to the restaurant, and that her children had play dates with the Bermudez children several times.

Tatro testified on February 28, 2018 that she and her husband were estranged and, while living with their children, had other people.

She said she saw a man at the time who lived right next to 10 Old Warren Road and had spent the night there when prosecutors accused Locke of killing the family.

Tatro told prosecutors that she and the man she was seeing went to bed around 8 p.m., slept through the night and didn’t hear or notice anything out of the ordinary.

Under cross-examination, Brown peppered her with questions about several things he suggested she told her ex-husband.

Tatro denied a number of questions, including the suggestion that she had told her ex-husband that the man she was seeing had left the house for a while that night and returned for fuel.

The timing of her alleged statements to her ex-husband was not clear from the testimony, which was tense and controversial at times and included references to multiple previous police interrogations.

Tatro told prosecutors that her relationship with her ex-husband was contentious and that she did not confide in him at the time of the murders.

Brown suggested through questioning that Sara Bermudez had sent Tatro’s ex-husband an email about Tatro’s relationship with the neighbor, and that the neighbor was angry with Sara Bermudez.

He also asked Tatro if Moses Bermudez and the neighbor had ever had a physical altercation at Mason’s Grille.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Tatro replied.

After Brown’s questioning, prosecutors asked Tatro whether, with her ex-husband’s knowledge, she had had sleepovers with their children at a neighbor’s house after the murders; Tatro replied that she had.

Tatro also said the neighbor had heart problems and was unable to engage in long-term physical activity.

Brown — who asked a question that raised skepticism about that claim — will get a chance to call his own witnesses after prosecutors rest their case.

The trial is expected to last next week.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Mathew Locke trial: DNA evidence introduced, defense theory emerges