The purple dolphin

Assistant prosecutor Ric Ridgway: "When you opened the door to Jessie's bedroom, what did you see?"

Mark Lunsford, Jessica's father, just gave testimony about his daughter's disappearance in 2005. His voice was a little shaky but he managed to keep his composure unlike Sharon Armstrong, a friend of the Lunsford family who had given testimony minutes earlier and broke down on the stand. She was one of the last people to see Jessica alive.

Ridgway asked Lunsford if there were any items missing from Jessica's bedroom.

He opened a large brown envelope containing a purple dolphin.

Lunsford recognized it as Jessica's favorite stuffed animal, the same one she was found clutching when her body was found.

Defense: Couey is mentally retarded

Assistant Public Defender Daniel Lewan has told the jury that his client is "mentally retarded." He said investigators ignored his pleas for a lawyer when he was taken into custody in connection with Jessica's disappearance and murder. "They took advantage of John Couey's mental health," Lewan said. "They took advantage of the fact that John Couey is retarded," to incriminate him. Lewan told the jury: "You should disregard all those statements." 

Lewan also blamed the media, saying Couey has been overwhelmed and influenced by the excessive coverage of Jessica's murder. Lewan raised questions about how Couey could have ever entered the Lunsford residence without being noticed by Jessica's grandparents who were home the night she was abducted. Lewan asked the jury to listen to all the testimony before they make a decision of guilt or innocence. 

The prosecution has started calling witnesses to the stand. Mark Lunsford is coming up.

Prosecution: The one man responsible for all of these acts is sitting right there

In his opening statement, assistant prosecutor Ric Ridgway is showing the jury of six men and six women images of the crime scene. He is describing in wrenching detail how Jessica's body was found wrapped in a plastic bag near John Couey's mobile home, her middle and index fingers poking out from the bag.

"She was smothered to death in a plastic bag," Ridgway said, adding later, "She was buried alive."

He  implicated Couey in her murder, saying Jessica's blood was found in the mattress that Couey slept on. The mattress also had his semen, he said. Jessica's fingerprints were found on the walls, he said.

Jurors listened attentively. One man had his arms crossed. One woman could not tear her eyes away from the images on display and another woman looked down several times, seemingly disturbed by what she saw.

Ridgway finished his opening statement by saying, "The one man responsible for all of these acts is sitting right there." He pointed at Couey.

A quick start

The first day of the trial of John Evander Couey began with a flurry of motions from the defense. Assistant Public Defender Daniel Lewan asked Circuit Judge Ric Howard to declare a mistrial, arguing that the jury was not chosen in a fair and impartial manner.

Denied, Howard said.

Lewan tried again for a mistrial, saying the selection of the jury had occurred in an illegal Florida courtroom because there is no visible state seal.

"Really?" replied Howard.

Assistant State Attorney Ric Ridgway reminded the judge that the U.S. flag in the courtroom carries the state seal. Howard shot down Lewan's second attempt.

Lewan then made a motion to ban cameras from the courtroom saying they violated attorney-client privileges. Anyone can read our lips," Lewan said. "This is not a legal trial if those cameras exist." Lewan referred to "hundreds of lip readers throughout this country" who could comprise the trial proceedings. Howard denied Lewan's motion.

The jury was sworn in a short while later. Assistant prosecutor Ric Ridgway is now several minutes into his opening statement.

Here we go ...

All rise. Court is in session.

Tears already

Sharon Armrstrong, the state's first witness, as reported here in this morning's Times, was like a mother to Jessica Lunsford. Tutored her in math. Took her to King's Kids youth group at First Baptist of Homosassa Springs. Scrapbooked with her. She cried a lot during the Times' visit last month at her Homosassa home -- and this morning, around 9:35 here in the courtroom, before anything official was going on, Couey was led in ... and there was an immediate reaction from Armstrong. She used her hands to cover her face, and it looked like she couldn't breathe, and there were quiet tears. She was helped out of the courtroom by 5th Circuit State Attorney Brad King. She's back now, sitting in her seat, holding her husband's hand, not looking to her left toward Couey.

-- Michael Kruse

Mark Lunsford: here, ready

Shortly after 9, in the hallway outside Courtroom 4-1, a Mark Lunsford appearance -- his first in Miami. Trademark long hair and dark wraparound glasses. Very UN-trademark blue suit. Someone must've tipped him off with some information about the hard wood benches inside: He's got a small pillow in a white plastic bag he's carrying.

-- Michael Kruse