WAUSEON — As the James D. Worley capital murder trial entered its second week on Tuesday, testimony detailed injuries on 20-year-old Sierah Joughin’s body and tire track evidence recovered from the alleged abduction scene.

Worley is accused of kidnapping and killing the Metamora woman after she disappeared July 19, 2016, while riding her bike.

Lucas County Deputy Coroner Dr. Cynthia Beisser testified about her findings from Ms. Joughin’s autopsy. Ms. Joughin’s official time of death is 9 p.m. July 22, when the Fulton County Coroner’s Office pronounced her dead, Dr. Beisser said, adding she could not offer a more precise estimate. 

DAY 1: Initial interviews with Worley played on first day of murder trial | DAY 2: BCI agent testifies during 2nd day of Worley murder trial I DAY 3: Testimony focuses on pornography searches I DAY 4: Financials, injuries focus of proceedings | DAY 5: James Worley trial centers on DNA, phone data

Dr. Beisser walked jurors through injuries Ms. Joughin sustained, including to her left leg and front and back of her head. The yellow gag that asphyxiated her had blocked airways from her nose and mouth, Dr. Beisser testified, depriving the brain of oxygen in a matter of minutes.

“By 10 minutes, I’d say the brain is plenty starved for oxygen,” she said.

Questioning from both sides centered around the possibility of the motorcycle helmet recovered as the cause of her head injuries. Testimony last week showed both Worley’s and Ms. Joughin’s DNA was on the helmet.

Defense attorney Mark Berling asked if a motorcycle helmet is the only object able to produce such blunt force injuries. Dr. Beisser said no.

“The possibilities are almost infinite,” she said.

Mr. Berling also asked if it was possible that the head wounds could have rendered the victim unconscious. Dr. Beisser said it was “possible” the injury to the back of her head did so, but she did not observe any brain trauma.

In response to another query from the defense, Dr. Beisser said she could not tell if Ms. Joughin was conscious when the gag was inserted, but said there was no evidence she was alive when buried.

Worley, 58, of rural Delta, is charged with two counts of aggravated murder — both with death-penalty specifications — as well as four counts of kidnapping, two counts each of murder, abduction, felonious assault, and having weapons while under disability, and one count each of possessing criminal tools, gross abuse of a corpse, and tampering with evidence.

Also on Tuesday, Daniel Davison, a forensic scientist with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, testified that casts of tire tracks collected at the alleged abduction scene had the same tread design and size as two tires on a green Dodge truck owned by Worley, and therefore “could have” made the impressions at the scene.

The other two tires on the green truck did not match, Mr. Davison said, nor did any of the tires on Worley’s red pickup.

Maj. Matt Smithmyer, who led the investigation for the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, reiterated several items of previous testimony, including actions taken during the search of Worley’s property and the items recovered there.

Prosecutors are expected to rest their case Wednesday morning after one last witness testifies, Fulton County Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey Robinson told jurors. There will be no testimony Thursday and the defense will present its case Friday. After closing arguments, the jury is expected to begin deliberating Monday.

Contact Lauren Lindstrom at llindstrom@theblade.com, 419-724-6154, or on Twitter @lelindstrom.

First Published March 20, 2018, 5:37 p.m.