Nathaniel’s university soccer fantasy have been shattered. He had been going to stay trial for murder.

The test

On Feb. 13, 2013, a year-and-a-half after Lauren Astley’s murder, her ex-boyfriend Nathaniel Fujita’s test started.

“there is two differing people,” friend Genevieve Flynn stated. “there is, like, the Nate that has been in twelfth grade with us, who had been, like, within my homeroom, that would joke around beside me, who was simply in the track group beside me. There is that Nate. Then there is, like, the Nate whom We have just actually observed in handcuffs as well as in a court space.”

Expected exactly exactly just how he looked in court, buddy Hannah Blahut told Smith, “He mostly kept their face down. As soon as he looked up, he seemed simply not like most Nate that we’d ever understood.”

Prosecutor Lisa McGovern wastes no right amount of time in spelling out why Lauren ended up being murdered.

“This defendant is bad exactly as charged,” McGovern addressed the court inside her opening declaration.

“Nathaniel Fujita ended up being harmed by Lauren Astley perhaps perhaps maybe not finding its way back to him and then he killed her,” McGovern told “48 Hours”

Defense lawyer William Sullivan, in his opening statement, admits Nathaniel killed Lauren.

“In many murder situations, the real question is whom? Whom made it happen? That isn’t this full situation,” the told the court. “This case there’s– there is gonna be two concerns, why and exactly how. “

“so how exactly does a son . there is no actual proof of him ever laying a little finger with this young woman . how exactly does he make a move similar to this?” Sullivan remarked to Tracy Smith. “we told the jury, ‘you’re gonna notice and view some really annoying facts.'”

“. she passed away because of the blend regarding the strangulation and also the incised wounds . to her throat,” health Examiner Henry Nields testified.

Nields stated after Lauren had been strangled with a bungee cable, she then suffered quantity of trivial wounds to her neck before her neck was cut.

“Why these shallow, superficial wounds? He did that to harm her,” McGovern told “48 Hours”. “Why did he deliver the gaping, deep injury? He did that to destroy her.”

The prosecution questioned Genevieve Flynn and Lauren’s other friends about 2011 — the month between high school graduation and Lauren’s murder june.

“we saw Lauren select her hands up and push them down her part as if she ended up being saying, simply steer clear of me,” Hannah testified.

Hannah Blahut testified about this graduation celebration where Nathaniel punched a pole keeping up the party tent.

“Nate got furious that Lauren was not speaking with him,” close friend Chloe Jacques told “48 Hours”. “He had been aggressive because he had been extremely drunk.”

McGovern thinks Nathaniel’s display of rage had been a prelude that is ominous killing Lauren.

“that is a violence murder that is domestic. This is perpetrated because of this relationship, that has been a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship,” McGovern told “48 Hours.”

“The prosecution is painting this as being a domestic violence that is violence-dating,” Smith noted to Sullivan. “Proper,” he responded.

However the protection disagrees.

“Nathaniel . did not stalk her. Did not drive by her household. Was not calling her. Was not texting her. And none of this ended up being present,” Sullivan told Smith.

The protection wishes the jury to pay attention to Nathaniel’s behavior after graduation prior to Lauren’s murder:

Bill Sullivan: throughout that time those three days, be reasonable to express you don’t look at defendant at all.

R.J. Bolivar: I do not think therefore.

“their buddies was in fact saying they did not would you like to spend time with him any longer because he previously been acting differently,” Chloe told “48 Hours”.

Bill Sullivan: he is perhaps perhaps maybe not getting together with you dudes anymore, right?

Connor Murphy: Appropriate.

Friends Connor and R.J. testify Nathaniel had dropped from their social group.

Bill Sullivan: could it be reasonable to state that folks had been commenting that Nathaniel was not around?

R.J. Bolivar: some social everyone was, yeah.