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Neulander Trial Day 7: An Expert in Bloodstain Analysis Testified Neulander Trial Day 7: Expert in Bloodstain Pattern Analysis

The expert suggested that Robert Neulander murdered his wife.

By Anthony Tartaglione

BEN BLESSINGTON: Our top story tonight, updates from day 7 of Robert Neulander’s re-trial. The former doctor was accused of murdering his wife Leslie Neulander almost ten years ago.
He was released from prison in 2018 after his initial 2015 conviction was thrown out due to jury misconduct. With the re-trial well underway, NCC News’ Anthony Tartaglione is on Montgomery Street just outside the Onondaga County Courthouse. What updates do you have for us, specifically who did the court hear from today?

ANTHONY TARTAGLIONE: Yeah, so as the seventh day of the trial continues today right behind me. The prosecution decided today to bring in Kenneth Martin who is an expert in bloodstain pattern analysis. Pretty much what he did was create a crime scene reconstruction and broke it down into every single part of the bedroom and the bathroom and pointed out different facets of where bloodstains were and in which directions they occurred. One occurred near the nightstand and another one occurred to the right of the bed next to the wall. They were trying to do this in order to show that the bloodstains originally and the injury that occurred to Leslie Neulander’s head originally occurred in the bedroom and moved to the bathroom instead of the original testimony of Robert Neulander which said it went from the bathroom into the bedroom.

JARED REESE: What is Neulander’s attorney Jonathan Bach doing during the cross examination?

TARTAGLIONE: Yeah, so the defense decided to come back they actually still are deliberating right here behind me right now until 6 p.m. the judge said tonight it will go to 6 p.m. But what the defense is trying to say here is that Leslie Neulander only had one laceration in her head so therefore with there being two spatters which is what Kenneth Martin decided to say today that there is no possible way that both spatters could have been from the same fall.

REESE: That was Anthony Tartaglione, outside of the County Courthouse updating us on the Neulander trial.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – Leslie Neulander’s fatal wound to her head may have happened in the bedroom and not the bathroom. This claim, from an expert not heard at the previous trial of her husband, former Dr. Robert Neulander, came during Day 7 of the murder trial in the Onondaga County Court Tuesday.

Kenneth Martin, an expert in bloodstain analysis from the biochemistry department at Boston University, reconstructed the crime scene and found two separate blood spatters in the bedroom of Robert Neulander’s home.  The prosecution is still presenting its case.

Martin concluded he believed Neulander struck his estranged wife Leslie at least once in the bedroom, and that strike caused a spatter on the right wall and part of the ceiling. He also alluded to the fact that the second spatter near the bed may have occurred  from a struggle.

Neulander’s attorney, Jonathan Bach,  claimed that Neulander’s wife slipped and fell in the shower. He argued that because there were two spatters and only one laceration, that  Martin’s opinion was not justifiable.

Bach said that the evidence showed that she was moved from the bathroom to the bedroom. Martin argued back and said that multiple spatters can occur from one blow, using examples of previous injuries to back up his claim.

The retrial of Neulander began last week.  In 2015, he  was convicted and sentenced to prison for the 2012 murder, appealed his conviction.  After an appeals court overturned that verdict due to jury misconduct, he  was released  from prison in 2018.  The retrial was delayed due to the pandemic.

Martin, hired in 2020 by the district attorney, conducted this research  and created a slideshow in which he showed  five components of bloodstain patterns: size, shape, number of stains, distribution, and location.

The presentation contained an analysis of the crime scene and showed 3D models and images of the blood spatters.

The prosecution questioned Martin until after lunch time. The cross examination being so late only allowed the court to have one witness testify.

The court dismissed around 4:40 p.m. and the trial will continue tomorrow.

 

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