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Dianne Vanleeuwen trembled in her chair as prosecutors offered a clinical summary of the case against Ryan Robinson, explaining to a Salt Lake County jury the path of a bullet through the victim's head and promising expert testimony from medical examiners and blood-spatter analysts.
The spattered blood belonged to Vanleeuwen's daughter, Shantelle Reid. Vanleeuwen sobbed in the courtroom.
"Ryan did it," Vanleeuwen recalled saying to her other children on April 9, 2012, when she learned 25-year-old Reid had been shot to death in Murray.
Vanleeuwen was the first witness to take the stand as Robinson's trial began Wednesday afternoon. Robinson is accused of shooting Reid in the head after a domestic dispute and later pointing a gun at a Murray police officer.
Defense attorney Heidi Buchi said Reid's shooting was a "tragic, tragic accident" that occurred when Robinson handled his new gun — given to him for his birthday one day earlier — "like a toy."
"He did not intend for Shantelle Reid to be hit by a bullet and killed," Buchi told the jury.
But prosecutors depicted a darker side of the couple's relationship, calling neighbors to speak about the fight they had seen earlier in the afternoon Reid died. LuAnn Abeyta and her son Alex described watching Robinson chase Reid down the street, dragging her by her hair and punching and kicking her. LuAnn Abeyta said she told Robinson to stop, when Robinson took several "lunging" strides toward her.
Alex Abeyta called police, and the couple returned to Robinson's parents' home down the street, where the couple was house-sitting at the time of the shooting.
Police said they went to the Robinsons' house and knocked and waited for about a half-hour before Ryan Robinson came outside.
"He came out, and he was quite agitated," said Kenny Bass, an officer at the scene. "He did not want to talk to us. He told us he didn't like the police."
Eventually Robinson let officers inside and called to Reid to "come up and let the cops know I didn't hurt you," Bass said.
Officer Margaret Rowland said she interviewed Reid, who denied that the fight was physical. Rowland said she also examined Reid for any injuries or evidence of a fight, but she could find none.
"[Reid] was very unemotional," Rowland said.
The officers, unable to corroborate the Abeytas' 911 call, left the home.
Rowland returned less than two hours later on reports that Reid and Robinson had been shot; Reid by Robinson, and Robinson by Murray Officer David Stallings. Stallings confronted Robinson after dispatchers received a call that Reid had been shot; Robinson ran away, again passing the Abeytas.
"Ryan told us to go inside," LuAnn Abeyta said.
Moments later, she heard gunfire. Prosecutor Chou Chou Collins told the jury Robinson had pointed a gun at Stallings, who fired twice at Robinson, striking him in the abdomen.
When Rowland returned to the scene, she was told to go help investigators in the Robinsons' basement. She said she recognized Shantelle Reid immediately.
"I saw blood on the stairs ... and she was no longer with us," Rowland said.
Robinson's trial is scheduled to continue Thursday morning. He is charged with first-degree felony murder, third-degree felony aggravated assault and third-degree felony possession of a firearm by a restricted person.
Twitter: @erinalberty