The second day of the Steve Molin trial starts shortly. There will be more testimony from police, including an accident reconstructionist who is expected to say that the accident that Steve Molin described that night couldn't have happened the way he said it did.
There will also be testimony from people who know Steve Molin. People who have seen him dote on and attempt to care for his aging mother Emily while she lapsed into dementia and incontinence.
They see him as a devoted, if somewhat incompetent, son and caregiver. What they don't see him as is a willful murderer.
The most serious problem the defense faces in this case is that Emily Molin did, in fact, die horribly while in the care of her son. He drove her out of the state without the permission of her court-appointed guardian and she ended up dead. Even if you believe everything, Steve says, he is guilty of being woefully irresponsible.
So far, it has been made clear by the prosecution that Emily Molin needed more and better medical and personal care than her son could provide at their home. Stories about her urine-soaked diapers and the family cats eating her food, suggest that the county made the correct decision to place in in a nursing home.
Still to testify is the woman, Steve hired to help take care of his mother. The minister from his church is also here. So is his aunt, who doesn't believe for a moment Steve would intentionally kill his mother.
Nevertheless, it seems a long shot that a jury hearing these facts, won't find Molin guilty of something. First degree murder may be a long shot. But second degree seems, to me, quite likely.
I'm off to court.
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