GPS data, surveillance photos shown to jury in Eisenhauer murder trial

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Va. – 4:46 p.m. UPDATE: Court has been adjourned for Thursday.

4:35 p.m. UPDATE: The trial has been paused as attorneys from both sides have left to speak outside.

LOOKING BACK TO WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY IN THE TRIAL

COMPLETE COVERAGE OF THE CASE

TIMELINE DETAILING THE PAST TWO YEARS OF EVENTS IN THE CASE

4:30 p.m. UPDATE:  The Commonwealth called Blacksburg Police Department Detective Desiree Twigger again to testify about data collected from Eisenhauer's and Keepers' phone.

Twigger began giving information about Keepers KIK account known as “Rachel GoldSparrow” under username “hugsalskdgfhg.”

The defense asked to address the court without the jury present in the room.

Defense attorney John Lichtenstein said that evidence is hearsay and said it should not be allowed in court.

4:07 p.m. UPDATE:

After Nicole Harold completed her testimony about her DNA analysis of evidence collected in the case, Commonwealth's Attorney Mary Pettitt called Cory Bartoe, a fingerprint specialist with the Virginia Department of Forensic Science, to the stand.

Through his testimony, the court learned that six latent fingerprints were found on the cleaning wipes container found in the trunk of Eisenhauer’s vehicle.

Bartoe said he was able to match six of those prints to Eisenhauer. He also said the bloody palm print on the shovel belonged to Natalie Keepers.

He also testified that he was able to match three fingerprints found on another Clorox container discovered in the back of Eisenhauer's vehicle to Natalie Keepers.

2:10 p.m. UPDATE:

Forensic Examiner Travis Harvey with the Blacksburg Police Department was called to testify Thursday about the forensic exam was that performed on David Eisenhauer when he was arrested.

Evidence taken by a forensic nurse from Eisenhauer's body was entered into evidence.

Detective Mike Czernicki, with the Blacksburg Police Department, was called back to the stand after Harvey entered that forensic evidence into the courtroom.

Czernicki testified that the evidence was securely kept and unopened since its recovery.

Nicole Harold, the forensic biology section supervisor at the  Virginia Department of Forensic Science, was called to testify next.

She explained what DNA was to the jury. Multiple items collected during the investigation were entered into Harold's department for DNA analysis by investigators.

Harold examined some of those items and prepared a certificate of analysis confirming her findings.

She explained that certificate compares DNA samples taken from evidence and DNA taken from suspects in the case.

Harold said she obtained blood samples from Nicole Lovell, David Eisenhauer and Natalie Keepers and used those samples to compare against evidence taken.

She said during her investigation she found DNA under Nicole Lovell's fingernails. She said that she can eliminate Natalie Keepers' DNA from that evidence, but could not eliminate David Eisenhauer's DNA.  

Eisenhauer's DNA matched that evidence enough that Harold said she would only find that exact DNA one time out of 2.3 billion Caucasian people.

Using those same type of statistics, Harold also said the blood found on and in the car, as well as the blood found on items in the trunk, such as wet wipes and cleaning supplies, belong to Nicole Lovell.

Blood found on the shovel also belongs to Nicole Lovell.  

1:25 p.m. UPDATE:

Julie Wesel, a Virginia Tech employee who works at the Hokie Passport Office, was called to testify by the Commonwealth Thursday.

Wesel explained that a Hokie Passport is used for access to resident rooms, gyms, meal plans and used to show visual identification for services across campus. She said passports and are issued to students, faculty and staff.

Wesel testified that the use of Hokie Passports are also electronically recorded when they are used to enter a campus building or facility. She says those logs are kept by the Virginia Tech for 365 days.

During her testimony, evidence was entered that shows a log of David Eisenhauer's and Natalie Keepers' use of their Hokie Passports for January 1, 2015 to February 4, 2016.

Wesel testified that on January 26, 2016, the night Lovell was taken from her home and scheduled to have a date with Eisenhauer, he used the card at the Ambler-Johnston West dorm building at 11:21 p.m.

His next login to the dorm was January 27 at 2:32 a.m. 

According to that same testimony, Natalie Keepers' last log on January 26 was at 11:05 p.m. at Lee Hall dorm. Her next time she logged into the system using her Hokie Passport was at 11:35 a.m. into Lee Hall the next day.

11:45 a.m. UPDATE

Sgt. Kale Craver with the Blacksburg Police Department was called to testify about securing evidence recovered by Virginia Tech police officers. Craver described evidence found that day to the jury as photos of the evidence were shown. Among the items found were wads of red-stained Clorox wipes, napkins, paper towels, and numerous rubber gloves. Craver talked going into the dumpster to recover many of the items himself including a rubber, kitchen-style glove.

Defense attorney Tony Anderson questioned Craver about the process of collecting that evidence. Craver said the evidence was collected and stored in their collections department at the Blacksburg Police Department.

Anderson also questioned Craver about a "green-handled knife" that Carver collected from the pond by the Vet Medicine Clinic on Virginia Tech's campus.

This is the same pond that Nicole Lovell's iPhone 4 was found in by an investigative dive team. Investigators made a brief mention of that knife during testimony on Wednesday.

11:20 UPDATE

Virginia Tech Police Officer Austin Sumners was called to the witness stand to testify about photos of evidence he collected from a dumpster outside of overflow parking near Duck Pond Road on Virginia Tech's campus. Photos were shown of that evidence. He and another officer found a blue plastic glove and a Walmart bag with an empty bleach bottle inside.

Virginia Tech Police Officer Jason Brooks was also called to testify about additional evidence he found in those same dumpsters that day. Brooks said he found a wad of paper towels, and used Clorox wipes with brownish red stains. Pictures of that evidence were shown to the jury in court.

10:45 a.m. UPDATE

Both the Commonwealth's attorneys and defense attorneys focused questions on clothing Natalie Keepers was wearing in those photos. The defense specifically honed in on the types of boots that she was wearing in each photo. The photos show several outfits were worn.

Through Twiggers testimony the jury learned Keepers' boots and pants were recovered.

10:30 a.m. UPDATE

Desirae Twigger with the Blacksburg Police Department was called to the stand Thursday for a second time to testify in the case. During her testimony surveillance photos were entered into evidence that show Eisenhauer's and Keepers' whereabouts on January 26 and 27. 

Twigger identified both in photos at the Christiansburg Walmart on January 26, then later at Cook-Out in Blacksburg. They were again identified in surveillance photos purchasing cleaning supplies at the Walmart in Wytheville the next day.

10:05 a.m. UPDATE 

Chance Harrington, who worked security for the Walmart in Wytheville, was called by the Commonwealth to testify about video surveillance taken the night of January 27 around 8 p.m.

Harrington testified about items that were purchased that night. He read aloud items that were listed on a receipt he was asked to pull by investigators. 

"It was cleaning supplies, " Harrington said.

The items purchased were a set of medium gloves, a set of large gloves, disinfecting wipes, and bleach cleaner.

Harrington was also asked to show surveillance video of the two people seen purchasing those items. The photos show a male and a female.

9:55 a.m. UPDATE

The first witness to be called to the stand Thursday morning was Deana Jones, an intelligence analyst with the Blacksburg Police Department.

Jones analyzed data that was taken from Eisenhauer's Garmin GPS on January 26 and January 27, the same time Lovell went missing and was believed to be killed. 

Jones created a map presentation to show where Eisenhauer traveled that night based on information from that GPS. The GPS was found in his Lexus, the same vehicle where investigators discovered a shovel along with blood evidence on and in the trunk of the vehicle.

Jones testified in court about the data she found. Using the map presentation, Jones explained the GPS recorded Eisenhauer's vehicle traveling to Walmart in Christiansburg. Evidence shows that Eisenhauer purchased a shovel from Walmart shortly after his vehicle arrived there. The Commonwealth's Attorney asked Jones to read a Walmart receipt aloud with a time stamp that shows when Eisenhauer purchased the shovel.

From there the GPS logged travel back to Blacksburg on Virginia Tech's campus. Jones explained the GPS tracked his vehicle driving off campus starting around 9:47 p.m. to Craigs Creek Road. 

That is the same area where investigators say Nicole Lovell was killed.

Eisenhauer's Garmin also tracked his vehicle to Fairfax Road, the same road Nicole Lovell's home is located. The GPS shows he arrived shortly after midnight on January 26. From there it tracked travel back to Craigs Creek Road.

Jones testified that the GPS later showed travel back to Virginia Tech where his vehicle made multiple stops, particularly on or around a roundabout.

The next day, the GPS shows the vehicle traveled to Walmart in Wytheville. After that stop, the GPS recorded travel to Interstate 77 and the log ends off of Carrollton Pike.

A new log begins on the Blue Ridge Parkway and later shows travel back to Interstate 77.

The Defense attorney John Lichtenstein questioned Jones about GPS tracking that happened the night of January 26.

Jones was excused after testimony.

ORIGINAL STORY 

The jury trial for accused murderer David Eisenhauer resumes Thursday morning. 

Eisenhauer is charged with luring Nicole Lovell, a 13-year-old Blacksburg girl, out of her bedroom window and killing her in January 2016. Autopsy results show Lovell was hit with a shovel and had been stabbed 14 times. Most of the wounds were to the head, but she also had wounds in the neck and chest area. 

Eisenhauer, 20, was a freshman at Virginia Tech at the time of the murder. 

Natalie Keepers, who was also a Virginia Tech student at the time of the murder, is accused of helping Eisenhauer murder Lovell, and concealing her body. Keepers is expected to take the stand in this trial. 

Keepers told investigators that Eisenhauer met Lovell at a high school party. She also said he worried that he might have had sex with Lovell, but claimed he could not remember because something caused him to black out at the party. He allegedly woke up in a ditch the next morning remembering nothing.

Lovell was not pregnant, according to the Medical Examiner's Office. 

So far, the jury has seen interrogation videos and physical evidence. Lovell's mother has testified, as have forensics experts. Click here for Wednesday's coverage on the physical evidence presented. 

Details will develop throughout the day. Check back for updates.