Defense attorney Frederick Rarick told the court on Friday that he intends to call five witnesses on behalf of his client, Richard D. Hanes, the man standing trial for the July 24, 2018, murder of 47-year-old Raymond L. Morgan.
Rarick said he plans to bring forward Danielle Case, Michael Elmore, Bonnie Cortright and Hanes’s mother and father. Though the trial will most likely last until Tuesday or Wednesday of next week, Hanes is not anticipated to testify in his defense.
Case made the initial 9-1-1 call to emergency responders after the bludgeoning of Morgan occurred around 11:15 p.m. at 111 Liberty St., Batavia. Case reportedly said “That’s Ray” when an unknown male dropped from Morgan’s second-floor window and fled the scene before he could be identified.
Elmore was the resident of the Liberty Street house who allegedly posted photos of the bloody crime scene to social media before the landlord could secure Morgan’s room. At the time, Elmore apparently posted that Morgan was the killer.
No major developments arose during the cross-examination of Batavia PD Detective Thad Mart Friday afternoon. District Attorney Lawrence Friedman is expected to call the final witness for the People, Detective Sgt. Kevin Czora, to attest to his account of the murder investigation.
Witness testimony will begin at 9 a.m. Monday in Genesee County Court. Once the prosecution and defense rest, jurors will hear summations and legal elements of the second-degree murder charge before entering verdict deliberations. If found guilty, Hanes faces a life sentence.
