The prosecution began presenting testimony Tuesday afternoon in the Marion County murder trial of Ricky Norwood of Centralia. Norwood is on trial for the August 2015 shooting death of Dustin Rhynes whose body was found near an alley off the 800 block of East Haussler Street in Centralia.
In his opening statement, State’s Attorney Tim Hudspeth told the jury there were no eyewitnesses but there were a series of incidents that occurred after Norwood’s sister came over to a card game and BBQ upset and complaining to Ricky about Rhynes and another man. Norwood later left the BBQ with another person. A gunshot was then heard by those at the BBQ before Norwood returned 15 to 20 minutes later. Hudspeth says a gun was also gone from the BBQ. Rhynes body was then found the next morning.
The first prosecution witness was retired Centralia Police Officer Billy White who was among the first called to the 800 block of East Haussler when police received a report of a person found passed out behind a garage. He said upon arrival he found a person with no pulse who appeared to have been there for a while. White said he began interviewing those in the area and called State Police Crime Scene Investigation.
Now retired Crime Scene Investigator William Fritchley said he was called to the scene to gather evidence. He saw blood and a wound to the victim’s back which he described as a hole that resembled a gunshot. Fritchley also recovered a wallet that contained Rhynes ID. On cross-examination, Fritchley said they did not find a weapon. Five photos Fritchley took of the scene were shared with the jury.
Pathologist Dr. James Pattertchik testified the autopsy showed the cause of death as a homicide as a result of a gunshot wound to the chest that entered Rhynes’ back below the shoulder, went through the left lung, and came to rest in the chest cavity. He reported there was blood in the lungs and chest area. Dr. Pattertchik said Rhynes had a blood alcohol level of 0.141, nearly double the legal level of intoxication. He estimated Rhynes time of death at 4:30 am if not earlier, but on cross-examination said he could not provide a more exact time.
The prosecution is scheduled to continue presenting its case Wednesday morning.
Norwood was taken into custody at a federal facility in New Jersey in March of last year on a Marion County warrant charging murder. Hudspeth said at the time some additional evidence had surfaced that he felt justified the first-degree murder charge being filed.
