The man who a pair of Minot men are accused of robbing at gunpoint took the witness stand Tuesday in Grand Forks.
Tyrone Tynsdell told a jury, made up of a local residents, that Bradley Davis and Antonio Stridiron robbed him as he left Davis' bachelor party in July 2007.
Tynsdell said he was opening his friend's car door when he felt something cold on his neck. "I knew immediately it was a gun," he said.
Tynsdell said he turned around, glancing to see a man pointing a 9-mm handgun at him. That man, he said, was Bradley Davis.
Stridiron eventually showed up, pulled down Tynsdell's pants and took $61 from his wallet, said Keri Ness, who accompanied Tynsdell to the party.
ADVERTISEMENT
Ness took the stand Tuesday after Tynsdell, giving her version of the incident to the panel of 12 jurors and one alternate.
She said that after the cash was grabbed, Davis passed the gun to Stridiron, who pointed it at Tynsdell's face.
"I thought for sure I was going to see Tyrone's head blown off," she said.
Ness said Stridiron pistol-whipped Tynsdell, cutting his head and sending a stream of blood down the side of his face.
The attorneys for Davis and Stridiron worked throughout the day to expose inconsistencies in the testimony of Tynsdell and Ness and discredit them as witnesses.
During the opening statements, the defense attorneys said they plan to highlight a lack of physical evidence in the case, including the absence of incriminating fingerprints and DNA on the handgun.
This trial was moved to Grand Forks because of the attention given to a trial in which Davis was convicted of aggravated assault and Stridiron was found guilty of murder in the death of 27-year-old Joshua Velasquez. Authorities said Velasquez was killed in a Minot alley about 24 hours after the robbery.
The prosecution plans to bring more witnesses Wednesday. Both defense attorneys said they plan to base their cases solely on cross examinations of the prosecution's witnesses. Closing arguments are expected to begin Thursday morning.
ADVERTISEMENT
Ingersoll reports on crime and courts. Reach him at (701) 780-1269; (800) 477-6572, ext. 269; or send e-mail to aingersoll@gfherald.com .
