Heated Exchange In Court Between Ashley Fallis' Mother, Defense
GREELEY, Colo. (CBS4)- The parents of Ashley Fallis -- the woman at the center of the murder trial of former Weld County Deputy Tom Fallis who is accused of murdering his wife -- took the witness stand in a sometimes heated exchange on Thursday.
Ashley's mother Jenna Fox was on the stand for nearly two-and-a-half hours on Thursday. She went head-to-head with the defense during a heated exchange. When she was asked about her feelings for the Evans Police Department, which initially ruled Ashley's death a suicide, Fox said they didn't do their job.
"They reached the conclusion in day one or two, so no I didn't feel like there was an investigation that took place at all whatsoever," Fox said.
Both Fox and Ashley's father Joel Raguindin, took the stand Thursday afternoon detailing the details of the night their daughter died.
Their testimony mainly focused on the behavior of Ashley's husband Tom. Both say he was visibly angry at a party just before her death.
"Something, it just ... exploded," Raguindin testified.
Fox told the court, "He was yelling and cussing and screaming."
Fox told the court she left her daughter's home shortly after the blowout but was worried, and even sent a text message in which she asked Tom not to forget there were kids in the house.
She then decided to turn around and go back to the house.
"I ran into where the railing was and I could see in the bedroom, the blood on the wall," Fox said.
Initially, Ashley's death was ruled a suicide but Fox and her family have questioned the findings from the start.
The defense made that point when cross examining Fox. They said she doesn't and hasn't ever accepted that was a possibility.
"I've never had anything indicate that it was a suicide," she responded.
The defense continued to question Fox about her family's history of suicide and mental illness. They claim that Ashley was depressed and that lead to her death.
Prosecutors argue there was no indication that Ashley was unhappy and have built their case around Tom's anger toward Ashley that night, saying his rage led to the shooting.
Court will resume Friday morning starting with the cross examination of Ashley's father.
Tom and Ashley's children are also expected to testify.
Karen Morfitt Joined the CBS4 team as a reporter in 2013. She covers a variety of stories in and around metro Denver. Connect with her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter @karenmorfitt or email her tips.
