Defense attorney attacks witnesses, victim in Columbia arson trial
The defense attorney for a Columbia man charged with paying another man to set fire to a mobile home sought to discredit witnesses and the woman who lived in the trailer during opening arguments Wednesday.
Fotoohighiam is accused of paying an employee $500 in December 2014 to set fire to Marcia Green’s home. A jury acquitted the employee, James Hall, in July 2018. Green was awarded more than $2.75 million in a civil case last September for her injuries and damage to her property.
Philip Groenweghe, a special prosecutor called in from St. Charles County, began his opening statements by recreating the scene at Marcia Green’s trailer the night it caught fire, Dec. 15, 2014.
Groenweghe said prosecutors have evidence to prove Fotoohighiam attempted to flee from police and tampered with a witness. Groenweghe provided a list of witnesses to the jury, including multiple employees of Fotoohighiam.
Defense attorney Scott Rosenblum sought to discredit state witnesses and Green, saying her story has changed multiple times from the moment the fire started through the investigation.
He said this case started with “a completely botched investigation” from investigators on the night of the fire.
The first witness to take the stand was Tim Bach, the now retired Columbia Fire Marshall who investigated the fire the night it happened.
Both sides asked Bach about the cause and location of the fire, the investigation, and how Green could have sustained the injuries and burns she did.
Next, a 911 call from a witness of the fire was submitted as evidence to the jury.
The last witness to take the stand was Marcia Green, the victim of the fire. She fielded questions from both sides with a calm demeanor, while saying statement such as, “I really thought I was going to die.”
During her testimony, Green said she has a “very spotty” memory of the night of the fire. She also said she never had verbal problems with Fotoohighiam before the alleged arson.
Judge Steven Russell Ohmer, a visiting judge from St. Louis, is conducting the trial in Boone County.
The 12 jurors and 6 alternates were selected Tuesday from a pool of 107 gathered from Boone County.
Judge Ohmer said the trial could last well into next week.
Fotoohighiam was charged in December 2017 with murder conspiracy and attempted murder on accusation that he offered inmates at the Boone County Jail money to kill two people, including a circuit judge. It’s not clear when the trial on the other two counts will take place.
The trial continues Thursday, starting off with a testimony from Jennifer Wilson, a woman who was staying with James Hall when the fire happened.
Follow ABC17 News as the trial continues.
