DAY 2 AFTERNOON UPDATE #2 |
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (WJAC) — Following a brief recess, the jury heard testimony from two more members of law enforcement, who testified to Giles' alleged behavior after his wife was reported missing.
Former JPD officer Amber Noel took the stand and detailed an interview conducted with Giles on Nov. 1, 2018.
Noel testified that Giles was "cooperative" during the interview and reportedly stated that he did not know where his wife was at the time.
During the interview, Giles reportedly stated that he believed that his wife was staying with friends at the time.
Noel also testified that Giles allegedly provided her with a homemade document of "every interaction" he had with his wife.
Johnstown Police Detective Mark Britton also testified Tuesday and detailed a recorded interview that he had with Giles on Nov. 8, 2018.
Detective Britton told the jury that during the interview, Giles allegedly stated that he had no contact with his wife, from October 12 to Oct. 25, 2018.
6 News chief photographer Erik Grant also testified Tuesday about an interview that was conducted in 2018.
During the testimony about the various interviews, Giles' defense argued that he was "cooperative" and that he was not hiding from law enforcement.
6 News spoke with Giles again on Tuesday as he continues to maintain his innocence.
"I want to make sure that everybody in the proper position that did this crime is caught. I'm an innocent bystander...," Giles said.
When asked if he planned to testify during the trial, Giles said that he was unsure.
DAY 2 AFTERNOON UPDATE |
Testimony continued Tuesday afternoon in the trial of Brian Giles with a forensic pathologist, Willis Ennis, taking the stand.
Ennis told the jury that there was "no reason" to think that natural disease or any substance abuse played a part in Giles' wife's death.
In response to the alleged letter written by Giles to authorities, Ennis testified that Nancy's skull fractures were "not consistent" with a fall.
Ennis also noted that any of the fractures that Nancy suffered could have been fatal and stated that "it is possible that what was used to kill her may never be found" due to the level of decay of her remains.
Ennis also clarified that Nancy's cause of death was ruled as a "homicidal death from undetermined etiology."
After Ennis, Cambria County coroner Jeff Lees took the stand.
Lees testified that Nancy's remains were identified through dental records and a serial number on a "nerve stimulator" that she had implanted.
Lees also testified that when authorities went to notify Brian of his wife's death, he reportedly did not react or ask any questions and then requested that officials speak with Nancy's mother about handling any arrangements.
Following Lees' testimony, state police trooper Thomas Williams took the stand where he told the jury about a call he reportedly received from Brian.
Trooper Williams testified that the caller identified himself as Brian Giles.
The audio call, dated October 30, 2018, was played in court.
During the call, Giles reportedly told Trooper Williams that at the time, he had recently spoken with his wife, who had stated that she wanted to move back in with him.
Giles reportedly told police that his wife was not missing but that rather she was "in hiding" due to an alleged rape incident with an individual whom she had been staying with.
Trooper Williams told the jury that this call was the only time in his 18 years in law enforcement that he received a phone call from a spouse to report that their significant other was "not missing."
Giles' defense argued that there is no documentation of placed the phone call to Trooper Williams other than the caller identifying himself as Brian.
DAY 2 MORNING UPDATE |
Testimony continued Tuesday morning in the trial of Johnstown man Brian Giles, who is accused of killing his wife Nancy.
The jury heard testimony from Dr. Dennis Dirkmaat, a forensic anthropologist with Mercyhurst University.
Dr. Dirkmaat testified that Giles' wife suffered "significant trauma' to her head as her skull was reportedly found in fragmented pieces.
He testified that both the jaw and the back of the skull showed signs of fracture from blunt force trauma.
Dr. Dirkmaat told the jury that the injuries were likely caused by some sort of weapon, but he was uncertain of what weapon was used.
He also testified that Nancy's body showed injuries to her ribs but noted that the broken ribs may or may not have been related to her death.
Dr. Dirkmaat also provided details about where Nancy's body was found, noting that the grave was approximately 6 feet long, 3 feet wide and 2 feet deep.
It was also mentioned that investigators later returned to the grave scene, where they reportedly found clothing approximately 100 feet away, but stated that it was not determined whether or not the clothing was related to the grave.
TRIAL DAY 1 |
Testimony began Monday in the homicide trial of Johnstown man Brian Giles, who is accused of killing his wife, Nancy, several years ago.
Prior to opening arguments, one of the jurors was dismissed, at Giles' request.
During opening arguments, the prosecution stated that the case is a story of "manipulation and jealousy," arguing that Giles was very controlling of his wife. Witnesses say Giles did not allow his wife to talk to other men, take her medication, or wear her glasses. They also say Giles often accused her of cheating on him.
Prosecutors argued that Giles' behavior with his wife ultimately led to her death.
In response, Giles' defense argued that the evidence in the case is all circumstantial and that there is no physical evidence linking Giles to his wife's death.
Prosecutors then discussed a letter which investigators say Giles allegedly wrote to them after he was arrested in 2022.
Investigators testified that Giles admitted in the letter that "he and another person buried his wife in a shallow grave along a trail near the bottom of the Johnstown Inclined Plane after she reportedly suffered a seizure."
Nancy's mother then testified that she did suffer from seizures since she was a child. Her mother also testified that Giles would often prevent Nancy from calling her or seeing her.
Others close to Brian and Nancy's relationship testified that Brian was "verbally abusive" and that he had reportedly "kicked her out of their home" around the time of her disappearance.
Giles' defense argued that none of the individuals contacted police to report the alleged abuse.
One of the individuals then testified that he later asked Brian about Nancy's disappearance, to which he allegedly admitted to killing her.
Johnstown Police Detective Cory Adams then took the stand, where he testified to some of Brian's social media behavior around the time of Nancy's disappearance.
He stated that after she was reported missing, Giles reportedly deleted a joint Facebook account of he and Nancy, and then created a new account where he allegedly posted that he was "getting a divorce from his cheating wife."
At the end of Monday's testimony, 6 News spoke with Giles, who maintained his innocence.
"I am innocent. I want the world to know I'm innocent. What happened to my wife is tragic. I want to make sure that everybody understands that I may be accused of it, but they're accusing the wrong person."
The trial is scheduled to continue Tuesday at 9 a.m.
Prosecutors say the jury will hear testimony later this week on the evidence surrounding Nancy's death as well as the "various stories" that Giles allegedly told about her disappearance.
BACKGROUND |
The trial began Monday morning for Johnstown man Brian Giles, who is charged in the disappearance and death of his wife Nancy.
6 News recently sat down with Giles, at the Cambria County Prison, as he has continued to maintain his innocence in his wife's death.
In May of 2022, police charged Giles with homicide following a three-and-a-half year investigation into the disappearance and death of his wife Nancy.
Authorities say Nancy's body was found along the James Wolf Sculpture Trail in May of 2019, and Cambria County coroner Jeff Lees ruled her death a homicide.
Detectives say the lengthy investigation included interviews with several witnesses who had interacted with Giles since his wife was reported missing in 2018.
Investigators noted that during some of those interviews, police learned that Giles had made several statements about the crime scene and Nancy's death that "only the individual who killed her would have knowledge about."
Giles was also charged in a domestic dispute with another woman, Jilly Todaro, who was reported missing in December of 2020, and to date, Todaro has not yet been located.
His trial was delayed several times, for various reasons, with the jury being seated last week.
The jury, including alternates, consists of 9 men and 7 women.
Judge Tammy Bernstein says she expects the trial to end by Friday.
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