Eau Claire firefighter murder trial: DNA and security footage

BERRIEN COUNTY, Mich.-- Monday marked day four in the trial of Rigoberto Gomez, and ABC57 remains the only camera in the courtroom. The 47-year-old is charged with shooting and killing 36-year-old Chad Medlin, an army veteran and Eau Claire firefighter, in the early morning hours of Nov. 2, 2024.

The prosecution called up crime lab technicians and forensic scientists, who testified about the ballistics and DNA evidence in this case.

A South Bend Police Department Crime Lab Tool Mark Examiner, who Judge Gary Bruce qualified as an expert witness in the matter, testified that he test-fired about seven rounds from the gun found and admitted into evidence as the murder weapon. He then compared the test-fired rounds to the ones found at the scene, and concluded that the gun is the same one that fired the projectile retrieved from Leonardo DeMarco's arm, the second gunshot victim.

Next to the stand were the lab techs who prepared DNA swabs for testing and the forensic scientist who wrote two reports on the DNA findings of the case. She explained the word “match” isn’t used in forensics anymore, but her report says it’s highly likely Gomez’s DNA was present. Defense Attorney Caleb Grimes used cross examination to emphasize the gaps in DNA technology, like how it can’t tell us when exactly the DNA was left.

Next, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Kate Arnold called up the owners of businesses near the Hometown Bar and Grill in order to admit their security footage into evidence. It took significant time for Arnold to lay the foundation to admit the surveillance footage into evidence. She first had to call up the business owners, then the detective who aggregated and compiled all the footage.

Lieutenant Thad Chartrand from the Berrien County Sheriff's Office explained he had a "condensed," or edited, version made, showing just the relevant portions of each video. Arnold moved to admit that video first and play it for the jury, but Judge Gary Bruce ordered that each video must be played for the jury, in order.

Arnold subsequently had some technical issues playing the videos. One of them skipped, to which Chartrand explained it was probably a motion sensor camera. Defense attorney Caleb Grimes was quick to point out that the business owner who owned that camera previously testified to having 24/7 surveillance.

Chartrand's testimony will continue on Tuesday, where the "condensed" surveillance footage will be played for the jury.