Police work questioned in day two of murder trial - wave3.com-Louisville News, Weather & Sports

Police work questioned in day two of murder trial

Posted: Updated:
By Jaimie Weiss - bio | email
Det. Jon Lesher Det. Jon Lesher
Joseph Banis Joseph Banis
Police photo of the scene in the basement where Jamie Carroll's body was found buried. Police photo of the scene in the basement where Jamie Carroll's body was found buried.
Police photo of the plastic container Jamie Carroll's body was buried in. Police photo of the plastic container Jamie Carroll's body was buried in.
Jamie Carroll Jamie Carroll

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - Defense attorneys fired questions at the lead detective in day two of the trial of Joseph Banis, the man charged with killing one of his boyfriends and burying him in the basement.  

Lead detective Jon Lesher was questioned about everything from his experience at the time Jamie Carroll's body was found in June 2010 to the access he gave to a film crew from the television show, The First 48, during the investigation. 

Lesher was brought into this case after Banis was arrested during a domestic dispute between him and his other boyfriend and co-defendant, Jeffrey Mundt. Banis told the arresting officers he wanted to talk to someone in homicide about a body.  

On the stand, Lesher admitted he didn't believe Banis' story at first, but once Banis started giving more specifics about the crime he thought he might be telling the truth.   

Things got intense during the questioning Wednesday when defense attorney Darren Wolff asked Lesher about whether or not he thought Mundt was telling the truth during his police interview in June 2010. 

"You don't know though, detective, whether or not Mr. Mundt was telling you the truth or not. As you sit in that chair there, you don't know if he was telling you the truth?" asked Wolff. 

"Sure I do," replied Lesher. After a moment of silence, Lesher continued, "Can I finish because you're trying to put words in my mouth and I don't know where you're going with this." 

Banis' attorney is trying to prove to the jury that it was Jeffrey Mundt who killed Carroll, not Banis. He questioned Lesher about Banis' help in their investigation including drawing a map that led them to the body in the basement of the Old Louisville home where Mundt and Banis' lived.  

Mundt is expected to testify against Banis, but is expected to have his own trial in May.

Copyright 2013 WAVE News. All rights reserved

  • Most Popular StoriesMost Popular Stories

  • Friday, May 24 2013 12:31 AM EDT2013-05-24 04:31:35 GMT
    LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - Louisville Metro Police Chief Steve Conrad has asked his men and women to wear mourning bands for a former officer shot in the line of duty. It was more than four decades ago when
    Louisville Metro Police Chief Steve Conrad has asked his men and women to wear mourning bands for a former officer shot in the line of duty.  It was more than four decades ago when Detective Bobby Branham was critically wounded.  His widow, Mary Carroll Burnett tells us, her husband had a lot of scar tissue from multiple surgeries after the 1972 shooting and those complications led to his death May 14.

  • Thursday, May 23 2013 10:56 PM EDT2013-05-24 02:56:56 GMT
    MOUNT VERNON, Wash. (AP) - The Washington State Patrol says the Interstate 5 bridge over the Skagit River at Mount Vernon has collapsed, dumping vehicles and people into the water.      Trooper Mark Francis
    The Washington State Patrol says the Interstate 5 bridge over the Skagit River at Mount Vernon has collapsed, dumping vehicles and people into the water.

  • Friday, May 24 2013 12:28 AM EDT2013-05-24 04:28:07 GMT
    The Kentucky State Fair Board is waiting to hear from the state's Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction on how safe or unsafe Cardinal Stadium may be.
    The Kentucky State Fair Board is waiting to hear from the state's Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction on how safe or unsafe Cardinal Stadium may be.
    •