DAVIDSON COUNTY, TENN. — The trial of David Swift, the man believed to be responsible for the death of his former wife Karen Swift in Dyer County, Tennessee in 2011, is now in its second week.
Prior to the jury’s arrival, Tennessee Bureau of Investigations Special Agent Joel Wade, an expert in cyber crimes, presented evidence from a search on David Swift’s laptop.
Special Agent Wade revealed that Swift had visited dating sites, predominantly Match.com, approximately 280 times shortly after Karen went missing, during the intense search for the mother of four.
Defense Attorney Daniel Taylor objected to this testimony, arguing that visiting the dating sites did not prove David Swift’s guilt in his wife’s murder.
Assistant District Attorney Tim Box maintained that Swift’s actions on the dating sites indicated that he was aware his wife would not return, even while the search for her was ongoing.
Judge Mark Hayes decided that the internet site visits were not admissible as testimony.
When the Jury arrived, they were permitted to hear limited testimony from Agent Joel Wade regarding other content found on Swift’s laptop, including a tattoo image and pictures allegedly downloaded from Karen’s cell phone on the morning of October 30.
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During the previous week, a tire technology expert testified that the screw found in Karen’s SUV tire seemed intentionally placed, causing the deflation before the vehicle was abandoned near her Dyer County residence.
On Friday, DNA analysts stated that only Karen Swift’s DNA was found in her fingernail clippings and on the undergarments she was wearing when discovered deceased on December 10, 2011.
District Attorney Danny Goodman highlighted inconsistencies in David Swift’s statements to investigators, pointing to the tire expert’s testimony, cellphone pings near the body’s location, and concerns regarding Swift’s knee injury being premeditated.
Goodman also mentioned that Swift allegedly used bleach to clean blood in the garage where prosecutors claim he killed his wife.
The prosecution believes they have sufficient evidence to continue with the trial, as Judge Mark Hayes denied the motion for acquittal.
It remains uncertain if David Swift will choose to testify.
Updates on this developing story will follow.
