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I’ve gotten bored with Duncan. I’ve picked all the low hanging fruit, and the only thing that’s left is the more complex stuff that only a crappy witness would get caught with. Also, there’s no more clearly winnable objection battles, so I’m kind of bored with it. Now I’m moving onto a direct. Which should hopefully be more fun, but I remember directs being kind of boring too. Here goes nothing.
Good evening.
Good evening.
Can you please introduce yourself to the ladies and gentlemen of the jury?
My name is Carey Connor, and I work as a special agent in the USCGIS south eastern region for the Coast Guard.
And what do you do for the coast guard?
I’m a special agent. This means that I have training in basic investigative procedures and specialized training in investigations related to maritime vehicles and underwater diving. As a special agent, I have experience with assorted criminal investigations. This experience includes investigation into six separate deaths at sea.
What qualifies you to perform these investigations?
I graduated from the United States Coast Guard Academy in 2005. After that I served as a
Coast Guard Petty Officer in the search and rescue division, where I received scuba certification. I then joined the USCGIS as a special agent.
How are you involved in today’s case?
At 1300 hours, I was dispatched to a position in the Mid Atlantic to investigate a missing diver at the Hepburn wreck. That missing diver was a Mr. Lee Allen.
Were you able to come to a conclusion in this case?
Yes, I was.
Did you have sufficient facts and data to come to this conclusion?
Yes. My investigation included witness interviews, my own inspection of The Hepburn and the surrounding area as well as an examination of all of the physical evidence in this case.
Did you use reliable principles and methods?
Of course. Conducting witness interviews, examining physical evidence and investigating the crime scene is standard practice in the Coast Guard.
Did you apply those principles and methods reliably to the facts of this case?
Yes.
Directing your attention back to the Hepburn wreck, have you ever been called to assist a diver at the Hepburn before?
Yes, in July of 2010 I responded to an SOS at the location of the Hepburn. A recreational diver who was part of a Neptune tour had panicked and surfaced too quickly, so he needed a decompression chamber to prevent the bends from setting in. The bends are a condition that arises when divers surface too quickly. Basically, when you dive you get put under more pressure than your body normally handles. This causes the gas in your blood to be forced into cells. When you surface, the gas that was forced in your cells starts to come out. If you make decompression stops while surfacing, then the gas will reenter your blood normally, but if you rush up too quickly like this diver did then the gas will come out so quickly that it can form pockets of air in your bloodstream. When these pockets of air disrupt blood flow we call that the bends. (Holy crap this is way too long of an answer).
What are some of the effects of the bends?
Well the bends have a variety of symptoms ranging from minor things like tingling and itching to long lasting and serious symptoms such as paralysis or even death.
How did Neptune’s employees respond to a customer who was suffering from this potentially deadly condition?
They said they were “ unconcerned and undeterred by the...incident”
Wow, that was a lot more boring than I thought it would be. But it’s still a solid intro (if a little long). I’ve laid all the foundation I need to.
Good evening.
Good evening.
Can you please introduce yourself to the ladies and gentlemen of the jury?
My name is Carey Connor, and I work as a special agent in the USCGIS south eastern region for the Coast Guard.
And what do you do for the coast guard?
I’m a special agent. This means that I have training in basic investigative procedures and specialized training in investigations related to maritime vehicles and underwater diving. As a special agent, I have experience with assorted criminal investigations. This experience includes investigation into six separate deaths at sea.
What qualifies you to perform these investigations?
I graduated from the United States Coast Guard Academy in 2005. After that I served as a
Coast Guard Petty Officer in the search and rescue division, where I received scuba certification. I then joined the USCGIS as a special agent.
How are you involved in today’s case?
At 1300 hours, I was dispatched to a position in the Mid Atlantic to investigate a missing diver at the Hepburn wreck. That missing diver was a Mr. Lee Allen.
Were you able to come to a conclusion in this case?
Yes, I was.
Did you have sufficient facts and data to come to this conclusion?
Yes. My investigation included witness interviews, my own inspection of The Hepburn and the surrounding area as well as an examination of all of the physical evidence in this case.
Did you use reliable principles and methods?
Of course. Conducting witness interviews, examining physical evidence and investigating the crime scene is standard practice in the Coast Guard.
Did you apply those principles and methods reliably to the facts of this case?
Yes.
Directing your attention back to the Hepburn wreck, have you ever been called to assist a diver at the Hepburn before?
Yes, in July of 2010 I responded to an SOS at the location of the Hepburn. A recreational diver who was part of a Neptune tour had panicked and surfaced too quickly, so he needed a decompression chamber to prevent the bends from setting in. The bends are a condition that arises when divers surface too quickly. Basically, when you dive you get put under more pressure than your body normally handles. This causes the gas in your blood to be forced into cells. When you surface, the gas that was forced in your cells starts to come out. If you make decompression stops while surfacing, then the gas will reenter your blood normally, but if you rush up too quickly like this diver did then the gas will come out so quickly that it can form pockets of air in your bloodstream. When these pockets of air disrupt blood flow we call that the bends. (Holy crap this is way too long of an answer).
What are some of the effects of the bends?
Well the bends have a variety of symptoms ranging from minor things like tingling and itching to long lasting and serious symptoms such as paralysis or even death.
How did Neptune’s employees respond to a customer who was suffering from this potentially deadly condition?
They said they were “ unconcerned and undeterred by the...incident”
Wow, that was a lot more boring than I thought it would be. But it’s still a solid intro (if a little long). I’ve laid all the foundation I need to.
