The alleged victim in the assault trial of Marshall man Christopher Luke Pratt painted a picture of a man who sometimes behaved like an animal as she spent most of today on the witness stand detailing her relationship with the former fiance of missing Marshall woman, Mary Denise Lands. From their first dinner date in March 2006 when he allegedly answered his door in hunter's cammoflage clothing and rabbit blood on his hands to the next day when he showed up at her home and urinated on her privacy fence stating that he was "marking my territory," her testimony included many other descriptions of bizarre behavior that emerged during their 18 month relationship that ended on June 24 when he allegedly threw chairs at her, squeezed her so tight in a bear hug that her finger bled and threw her keys over the head of her 10 year old son while trying to prevent her from leaving their Fredonia Township home. She said he angrily paced during the altercation and that at one point he even growled as well as laughed. One day as she sat at the dining room table paying her bills, he allegedly said to her "out of the blue," 'have you ever been zip tied and left in the woods?'" During another argument, he allegedly said to her, "Go ahead and leave but your spine will be all over the back yard before you can get to the car." Pratt's attorney, however, tried to paint the victim as someone who has a habit of calling police on her boyfriends, saying she'd made 47 complaints to the Marshall Police Department, 11 to the Jackson Police and repeated police reports to the Calhoun County Sheriff's office over the years about other men in her past. Also testifying today were her two sons, ages 14 and 11 and Michigan State Police Trooper Richard Pazder who testified he took firearms, knives and zip ties out of Pratt's "game room" which he would not allow the victim to enter. One knife, he said, was sent to the crime lab for DNA testing "because..." but he did not finish the sentence.
Lands, 39, was living with Pratt in Marshall in March 2004 when she vanished after he said they fought over his custody issues. That case has not been permitted as part of the current trial in which Pratt's ex wife, Su Harrington testified yesterday she too was also a victim of abuse in the home as she was questioned during a pretrial motion hearing. She is expected to return to the stand to testify before the seven man, seven woman jury.
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3 comments:
It's about time that the truth about Mr Pratt's domestic violence comes out. Thank God, Ms Parker had the courage to press charges before he had the opportunity to do something much worse.
I have no idea how this trial will end? However, we do hope it will be with a conviction of Mr. Pratt on all four counts. The prosecutor does seem to have even more facts than we knew, which would be the proper protocol for any court presentation. Many names were mentioned in court and it was quite clear an attempt to smear the victim. The prosecutor had an ongoing objection to much of the information supplied by the defense attorney. The victim does not deny she has made poor judgements in the past but that does not indicate the charges against Mr. Pratt are false. In my opinion, if it walks like a duck, it quacks like a duck, and looks like a duck; it is a perpetrator of domestic violence. That is being proved in court, and those proofs will again be shown today, and next week.
You’re entitled to support any friend or family member in any matter. It is worth noting however, I saw real tears in the eyes of Clifford & Anita Marshall during the testimony by the victim. You can only speculate how they were comparing this case with similarities of the abuse that was endured by their daughter? I didn’t see any of the Pratt posse wiping tears off their faces.
I also found it interesting that the MSP trooper testified he had to secure guns found in Chris' "game room” which is normal in domestic violence incidents. Some were even loaded. He also mentioned three knives found in the house, one secreted down in a sofa near a position he would not permit anyone to sit except himself. The trooper testified that one knife was sent to the crime lab for DNA analysis? I wonder why they would do that and who’s DNA were they looking for?
It has been stated many times as an analogy with Mr. Pratt, “Your Own Worst Enemy has come to town”. It has, and we’ll soon know the result?.
Jim Carlin
Justinian Investigative Services
Battle Creek, Michigan
www.JusticeforMary.blogspot.com
I have been reading the articles regarding this trial and the testimony about things Mr Pratt said and did is much more sickening than I ever could imagine. How can his family and friends not be sickened by it? Maybe they are, but from their actions and words, one would never guess it.
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