Police officer says Raleigh murder scene was worst he's seen in 10-year career
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Raleigh police officer Roy Smith returned to the witness stand Friday for continued cross examination by the defense in the Jonathan Broyhill murder trial.
In his testimony, Smith has described the crime scene he found on April 22, 2013 at 1705 Tealwood Place in north Raleigh as the worst he's seen in a 10-year career. Smith said he and other officers found blood everywhere.
"Mr. Broyhill's response was, 'I just want to die.' And he was very upset and began to cry and he just spoke about wanting to die," said Smith.
The home belonged to prominent North Carolina Democratic strategist Jamie Hahn and her husband, Nation. Broyhill is accused of attacking them with an eight-inch knife before cutting his own wrists and abdomen.
Officer Smith testified that Broyhill had deep lacerations to both wrists and a cut to his abdomen that was deep enough that his intestines were spilling out.
The Hahns were able to run from the home to get help from neighbors, but 29-year-old Jamie died at WakeMed two days later after multiple surgeries that failed to save her life. Nation Hahn suffered serious cuts to his hands fighting off Broyhill, and had to undergo surgeries and rehabilitation.
Broyhill's attorneys don't deny that he attacked the Hahns. He's charged with first-degree murder, but the defense maintains the attack was not premediated, and therefore he should be convicted of second-degree murder.
MOTIVE?
Broyhill was a long-time friend of Jamie Hahn and her husband, Nation. He met Nation in their mutual hometown of Lenoir, North Carolina on a church trip in 2000. They stayed close after Nation left to attend college at UNC and served as best man at Nation and Jamie's wedding in 2009.
After graduation, Jamie Hahn formed a political consulting firm called Sky Blue Strategies and took on the job of fundraising for the campaign of Congressman Brad Miller. Jamie did the fundraising, and she hired Broyhill to do the accounting and financial reporting to the Federal Election Commission.
Broyhill's attorneys admit that between 2011 and 2013, he wrote himself checks from the campaign account totaling more than $46,500.
Not only that, over the years of their friendship, he told the Hahns he had multiple sclerosis, needed gall bladder surgery, and had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. None of it was true, and even though the Hahns drove him to doctor's appointments and waited for him, he never actually saw a doctor.
In 2012, Miller announced he was not running for re-election and the campaign began to wind down.
While Broyhill stopped working for Sky Blue at the end of 2012, he was still responsible for providing financial information to Jamie Hahn and for helping her prepare final financial statements for the Federal Election Commission.
He prepared a draft statement that said that Miller's personal loans to his own campaign had been repaid and that the campaign checking account had a balance of over $60,000 when it was actually overdrawn.
Jamie Hahn realized there was a problem when a Time Warner bill collector contacted her about an unpaid bill and said the check written to cover the amount had bounced.
Jamie and Broyhill were to meet at her home on April 22, 2013 to talk about the issues. Her husband Nation came home early that afternoon and saw them talking before heading upstairs. He next heard his wife screaming and came down to find her bloody on the kitchen floor and Broyhill standing over her with an eight-inch knife.
INTENT
In her opening statement Wednesday, defense attorney Caroline Elliot told the jury that Broyhill did not go to the Hahn's home with the intent to kill anyone but himself. Elliot called him a man with "deep problems" who lied repeatedly to his best friends and was "overwhelmed by life."
She said he brought the knife to the house to kill himself, but something in him "snapped."
"The undisputed evidence will show that Jon intended to take his own life," said Elliot. "It's all so irrational. It's all so bizarre. It doesn't point to a rational attempt to cover up his crimes."
The prosecution, however, counters that Broyhill purchased the knife and brought it with him to the home - pointing to premeditation.
Court insiders say that it could take two to three weeks to try the case.
Broyhill faces first-degree murder charges, two charges of attempted first-degree murder, and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury.
The jury of five men and seven women has to decide between those charges and a possible lesser charge of second-degree murder.
