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Brandon Biggs Takes Witness Stand In Defense Of His Father In Windshield Death Trial
Aired June 25, 2003 - 14:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: More now on the windshield death trial in north Texas that we've been telling you about. The prosecution has rested and our Ed Lavandera is in Fort Worth? He joins us with the latest on the trial -- Ed.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Miles.
We're in the middle of a lunch break right now, but when we do come back here, in a short while, the defense will start putting on its case.
Now the prosecution wrapped up by putting on the witness stand Brandon Biggs, the 20-year-old son of 37-year-old Greg Biggs, who was hit by the car that Chante Mallard was driving back in October of 2001. He was on the stand just a short time but enough to kind of paint a picture of what Greg Biggs' life was like.
Kyra asked me a little while ago about how he got into a homeless situation. His son said that he had been working as a bricklayer, started his own company, but his parents were divorced when he was young. His father was then dating another woman who came into financial trouble so he decided to help her out. He ran out of money, couldn't make the payments on his car, which is helped him put that business together and he also eventually lost his business and lost his home and had been homeless for about the last two years.
Chante Mallard listening to this testimony became very emotional, although he was up there for a short time. We'll let you listen into a little bit of what he had to say this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRADON BIGGS, MURDER VICTIM'S SON: He was very hardworking. He was very friendly, although he didn't have many friends, he was very friendly. And he was very, very loving.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAVANDERA: That was Brandon Biggs describing what his father was like. He also said that Mr. Biggs suffered from bipolar condition and a mild schizophrenia which also hindered his ability to be able to do his job.
Now when the defense begins putting on their case here later on this afternoon, we expect that they will continue to pursue some of the issues that they have already been able to bring up during cross examination and in their opening statements. And that is that Chante Mallard had been drinking, had been doing drugs the night she drove into Greg Biggs and that that was what caused her to become hysterical and panic and not exactly do the right thing.
So we'll see if they continue to pursue that line of questioning when they start calling witnesses here in a short while -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Ed, as that rather emotional testimony was occurring, did you have a chance to look at the jurors and see if there's any emotion there?
LAVANDERA: Well, there has been a lot of emotion from them as they pay close attention to what these witnesses have been saying. Perhaps, not so much because Brandon Biggs wasn't on the witness stand that terribly long. For them I think what so far has been the most emotional part and the picture and parts of the car that were brought in yesterday showing the blood splatter all over the inside of Chante Mallard's car.
That, perhaps, the most emotional part and the most shocking pictures that they have had to look at but clearly what Brandon Biggs was able to provide is a picture of what Greg Biggs was like in his life since there's so many unanswered questions about what he was like.
O'BRIEN: CNN's Ed Lavandera, thank you very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
In Windshield Death Trial>
Aired June 25, 2003 - 14:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: More now on the windshield death trial in north Texas that we've been telling you about. The prosecution has rested and our Ed Lavandera is in Fort Worth? He joins us with the latest on the trial -- Ed.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Miles.
We're in the middle of a lunch break right now, but when we do come back here, in a short while, the defense will start putting on its case.
Now the prosecution wrapped up by putting on the witness stand Brandon Biggs, the 20-year-old son of 37-year-old Greg Biggs, who was hit by the car that Chante Mallard was driving back in October of 2001. He was on the stand just a short time but enough to kind of paint a picture of what Greg Biggs' life was like.
Kyra asked me a little while ago about how he got into a homeless situation. His son said that he had been working as a bricklayer, started his own company, but his parents were divorced when he was young. His father was then dating another woman who came into financial trouble so he decided to help her out. He ran out of money, couldn't make the payments on his car, which is helped him put that business together and he also eventually lost his business and lost his home and had been homeless for about the last two years.
Chante Mallard listening to this testimony became very emotional, although he was up there for a short time. We'll let you listen into a little bit of what he had to say this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRADON BIGGS, MURDER VICTIM'S SON: He was very hardworking. He was very friendly, although he didn't have many friends, he was very friendly. And he was very, very loving.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAVANDERA: That was Brandon Biggs describing what his father was like. He also said that Mr. Biggs suffered from bipolar condition and a mild schizophrenia which also hindered his ability to be able to do his job.
Now when the defense begins putting on their case here later on this afternoon, we expect that they will continue to pursue some of the issues that they have already been able to bring up during cross examination and in their opening statements. And that is that Chante Mallard had been drinking, had been doing drugs the night she drove into Greg Biggs and that that was what caused her to become hysterical and panic and not exactly do the right thing.
So we'll see if they continue to pursue that line of questioning when they start calling witnesses here in a short while -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Ed, as that rather emotional testimony was occurring, did you have a chance to look at the jurors and see if there's any emotion there?
LAVANDERA: Well, there has been a lot of emotion from them as they pay close attention to what these witnesses have been saying. Perhaps, not so much because Brandon Biggs wasn't on the witness stand that terribly long. For them I think what so far has been the most emotional part and the picture and parts of the car that were brought in yesterday showing the blood splatter all over the inside of Chante Mallard's car.
That, perhaps, the most emotional part and the most shocking pictures that they have had to look at but clearly what Brandon Biggs was able to provide is a picture of what Greg Biggs was like in his life since there's so many unanswered questions about what he was like.
O'BRIEN: CNN's Ed Lavandera, thank you very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
In Windshield Death Trial>
