TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The trial for Elijah James, a Tallahassee man accused of murdering his girlfriend, continued Wednesday as prosecutors called on their witnesses.
The first witness was Sgt. Mike Reed, a lead investigator on case. He said he asked James if he had ever hurt his girlfriend, Danielle Brown.
James reportedly replied, "No I didn't hurt my girlfriend, I wouldn't never do that, I didn't know where she was or what happened to her."
The prosecution also showed surveillance video of James from the Circle K on Bannerman and Thomasville Road. The video was recorded February 6 at 5:46 a.m., just hours after Brown disappeared. It shows James and his friend, Solomon Miller, getting out of Brown's car, a silver Buick sedan.
The surveillance video shows him purchasing beer and cigarettes from a large amount of cash that was possibly stolen from Brown. The first witness, Sgt. Reed, says James smelled of alcohol when he interviewed him. Reed added that James admitted to taking drugs and passing out that night.
Brown was reported missing in 2010. Her body was never found, although her car was found burned in South Georgia. As a result of that incident, James is currently serving a 20 year prison sentence for arson.
This case marks the first time in Leon County that a person is facing the death penalty without investigators recovering a body.
ABC 27/WTXL Reporter Brittany Jones is in the courtroom and will bring you the latest details from the ongoing trial. For more information on this and breaking news stories, follow her on Twitter by clicking here.
