Recap of Charles Castle Trial Thursday July 14

The jury heard alot about DNA in the afternoon part of the Charles Castle Trial Thursday in Hardin County Common Pleas Court.

.Brianna Barga, a Forensic Scientist with the BCI lab in London, Ohio, took the stand.

She stated that she conducts the initial examination of the evidence taken to the lab.

After conducting the prep work at that stage, it is her job to determine what evidence advances to the next stage of testing at the lab.

The evidence included oral swabs and the DNA Rape kit.

Barga noted that extensive precautions are taken to prevent cross contamination of the evidence while at the lab.

.Logan Schepeler, Forensic Scientist, DNA Specialist with the BCI Lab in London, Ohio, stated that a sample taken in a private area of the girl showed a mixture of DNA.

The major contributor was the little girl. The other was inclusive.

Schepeler however said that after conducting an amplified test specific to the Y chromosome, meaning it was only looking for male DNA, data showed DNA consistent with Charles Castle was identified.

He said the frequency that it could be someone else was 1 in 4269.

Numerous other samples showed a mixture of DNA, but the minor contributor was insufficient to make an identification.

.Dr. Kristin Crichton, Child Abuse Pediatrician with Children’s Hospital in Columbus was called to the stand.

Dr. Crichton was involved with the physical exam conducted on the little girl when she was transferred there from Hardin Memorial Hospital late on November 12, 2021.

She testified that there was evidence of strangulation which led to numerous injuries including muscle loss and brain damage.

Some of the effects of the damage according to the doctor can be permanent.

She pointed out that the creatine kinase or CK level in the girl was over 4500, which is 10 times the level they would like to see in the blood.

This was caused by the traumatic injuries suffered by the girl during her ordeal.

.Licensed Independent Social Worker from Children’s Hospital, Alicia Daniels, then took the stand.

A video of an interview conducted by Daniels with the girl was then played for the jury.

The video was recorded in January of 2022, after the girl was released from the hospital.

It showed a very rambunctious seven year old at first.

She wanted to play games and even turned off the light in the room several times.

Daniels was able to ask her a question about why she was in the hospital, and the girl’s mannerism changed.

She answered, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

She then stated, “I got kidnapped and left in a place.”

Daniels then asked her who kidnapped her, to which the girl replied, “Someone named Chuck.”

Then she recounted being taken from her home in a silver van and taken to a camper.

Daniels noted that it is not uncommon that children of this age don’t want to talk about a traumatic event, and that it may take months or years for them to share more information.

Video of two interviews of Castle conducted by Jason Snyder, Special Agent for the Ohio Attorney General BCI was played for the jury.

The first was conducted in the afternoon of November 11, 2021, the day the girl was reported missing.

Castle insisted he has no idea where she was.

He told Snyder that he doesn’t drink but does smoke marijuana.

When asked where he was on November 10, he said he left the girl’s house on Leighton Street at around 7pm and went home because he wasn’t feeling well.

Testimony was provided this week that seems to contradict that.

Several people reported seeing Castle at a party at a residence on Scioto Street Wednesday evening November 10 and he was drinking whiskey.

In the second interview conducted Friday November 12 in the morning, Castle is asked again if he knows where the girl is, to which he said, “I have no idea, and the reason is “because I was drunk.”

His attorney asked Snyder if Castle was cooperative during the investigation, to which he said yes.

He consented to have his vehicle, camper, cell phone searched without a warrant, and even to have DNA swabs taken.

The trial is scheduled to run into next week.