CLARKSVILLE, Ark. (KTHV) -- The second murder trial continues in Clarksville for a man accused of murdering an Arkansas Tech student in 2005.
Tuesday, Kevin Jones' mother, Janice Jones and friend, Ryan Whiteside took the stand. They were with Jones, when he found his girlfriend's naked body in floor of her apartment living room.
Whiteside was a friend and classmate of Dirksmeyer for years before her death. The defense highlighted Whiteside's difficulty recalling specific details of December 15 when he met Jones' at Dirksmeyer's apartment to check on her.
He was unable to recall when he had dialed 911, what he said or when he said it. Whiteside responded saying he simply did not remember.
The defense took the same approach with Jones' mother, Janice Jones. She became emotional, describing the scene at Dirksmeyer's apartment that night, saying it was the most horrible thing she had ever witnessed. She testified her son was in shock. He held Dirksmeyer, cried, and tried to revive her while she spoke with a 911 dispatcher.
The defense hammered Janice Jones when she could not remember specific details of the days leading up to murder and the moments after Dirksmeyer was found. Her testimony compared to Whiteside's was exceptionally different.
Carol Dipert, Dirksmeyer's mother, took the stand as well.
She said, "When I first heard what happened, I thought she may have hurt herself."
Dipert testified that her daughter struggled with depression, but was just coming out of it around the time of her death. In the hours after Jones found her body, Dipert said she hugged him and said, "I know you did not do this".
It was not until the evening of her daughter's funeral visitation, four days after her death, that she was told Kevin Jones was a suspect. She testified that she then trusted the authorities' judgment.
The trial will resume Thursday with expert testimony regarding the DNA evidence reportedly linking Gary Dunn, Dirksmeyer's upstairs neighbor, to the crime scene.
Dunn is not facing the death penalty in this trial and will take the stand for the defense later in the proceedings.
This is Dunn's second trial in the case. A mistrial due to a hung jury was ruled in April 2010.
Last week, the jury heard testimony from several teachers and friends of Dirksmeyer, establishing a timeline leading up to her death on December 15th, 2005.