Marine Murder Trial Day 4: Prosecutors say a New York Yankees hat could link defendants to murder

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ)- It is day 4 of the capitol murder trial for the two suspects charged with the shooting death of 26-year-old marine Jonathan Price.

26-year-old Quincinio Canada and 34-year-old Dawan Mulazim are accused of shooting Price and his wife outside of Austin City Saloon during a robbery back in 2014.

Today the prosecution continued calling witnesses to the stand including several who spoke to what prosecutors say is a crucial piece of evidence, a New York Yankees baseball hat.

Prosecutors really focused on that New York Yankees hat by bringing up multiple witnesses who spoke to where they saw that hat, whose hat they think it was and where police ultimately found the hat.

The prosecution called up two witnesses who work at the apartment complex they say Dawan Mulazim lived in back in the summer of 2014.

Both witnesses described seeing Mulazim’s wife pulling into the complex one morning, a few weeks after Price’s murder, cleaning out her car and dumping some items into a trash bag and into a dumpster nearby.

The witnesses both said they called police who came out to the complex that day removed the items from the dumpster and canvassed other dumpsters in the area where they found a New York Yankees baseball hat inside a nearby dumpster.

Police say they believe that hat is the same one Mulazim was wearing when he was caught on video surveillance minutes before the shooting at Austin City Saloon.

“In reviewing the video, in the angle that you saw the drive through did you see an image of person who appeared to be wearing a New York Yankees hat?” said the prosecutor.

“Yes I did,” said said Det. Franz Wolff, a detective with the Lexington Police Department.

“Were you aware that Shalonda Mulazim has thrown a hat in the dumpster?” said the prosecutor.

” Yes I was,” said Det. Wolff.

The detective said that hat was sent to Kentucky State Police for DNA analysis.

The jury has not yet heard what the results of that DNA test was.

The defense remained hard on its argument that just because the two were caught on surveillance video near the scene doesn’t mean they were involved in the shooting.

There was not enough time Tuesday for the defense to cross examine the lead detective, so that is where this trial will resume Wednesday at 9 am.