Witnesses give testimonies on day 3 of Christmas Eve shooting trial

(ABC 6 News) – Wednesday was day three of the trial for Phillip Turner, the man accused of shooting his girlfriend in the head back on Dec. 24, 2022.

Prosecutors allege Turner shot 37-year-old Jessica Riedel in front of her two children, leaving her to die on Christmas Eve before finally being found by police 16 hours later.

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The prosecution called more than 10 witnesses to testify Wednesday.

The jury heard from a number of people, including multiple Rochester Police officers who both processed the crime scene as well as those that arrested Turner later on Christmas day.

The most shocking moment of the trial thus far was the body camera footage that was shown to the jury from the officer who initially responded to Riedel’s apartment for a welfare check on Christmas morning.

The video showed Officer Ryan Sillers knocking on Riedel’s door. Her 5-year-old son answered, telling police his mom was covered in blood and possibly dead.

The footage showed Riedel lying facedown on her bedroom floor in a puddle of blood but showing signs of life. Riedel’s body was twitching, she was breathing and even making sounds at the call of Officer Sillers.

Officers found a shell casing, a live ammunition round and evidence of drugs near Riedel’s head, but no gun was recovered at the scene.

Witnesses on the stand revealed that Turner and Riedel had met and started an “unlabeled” relationship while working together at Dominos Pizza in Rochester.

The jury also saw surveillance video from her Rochester apartment building, the Valhalla Condos, showing Turner, Riedel and two others entering her complex around 1 a.m. on Christmas Eve.

While two friends left about an hour and a half later, Turner is not seen leaving the building until 8 p.m. that evening, hiding his face from the surveillance cameras with a music stand.

Throughout the testimonies, witnesses were rarely cross examined by Turner’s defense team, attorneys Amanda Lindberg and Milind Shah.

The jury also heard from Riedel’s mother who gave an update on Jessica’s condition.

Karen Riedel says her daughter needs 24-hour care and her mental state closely resembles that of a 5-year-old.

“Her hair won’t grow where she had the bullet wound,” she said. “We had to get extensions for her because she is upset with how she looks. Jessica knows she was hurt, but does not remember how.”

Karen Riedel described what it was like to finally see her daughter in the hospital on Dec. 25.

“Her head was bandaged, hair caked with blood, she had a breathing tube and her eyes were so black and swollen,” she said. “It did not look like her.”

Riedel also says thankfully that her daughter is finally starting to recognize her own two children this week.

Trial resumes Thursday at the Olmsted County Courthouse at 9 a.m.