MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) — Testimony in the murder trial of Jeffrey Willis, who's accused of kidnapping and killing Jessica Heeringa five years ago, will continue Friday afternoon.
Willis' ex-wife is expected to take the stand after the trial resumes around 1:30 p.m. She also testified during Willis' previous trial for the murder of Rebekah Bletsch.
Jessica Heeringa went missing from the Norton Shores gas station where she worked on April 26, 2013.During the third day of testimony Thursday, nearly six hours was devoted to witnesses who are experts in DNA, despite the fact that there's not much DNA evidence in the Heeringa case. Though many people know the basics of DNA, explaining the science to a jury is still an exhaustive process.
Nearly all of the DNA evidence presented Thursday was inconclusive. None of it drew a direct line between Willis and Heeringa, who disappeared from the Norton Shores gas station where she worked on the night of April 26, 2013.
Other evidence found in Willis' minivan did link him to Bletsch, who was shot and killed while jogging in June 2014. Willis was convicted of her murder last year and sentenced to life in prison.