AUTHOR’S NOTE: This story will be updated frequently throughout proceedings in the punishment trial of Amber McDaniel. Refresh this page often for the latest.
FORT WORTH (KFDX/KJTL) — The prosecution will call their second witness to the stand when testimony resumes in Amber Nichole McDaniel‘s sentencing trial on Wednesday, September 13, 2023, in Auxiliary Trial Room E in the Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center in Fort Worth.
McDaniel, 33, of Wichita Falls, pleaded guilty in April 2023 to the felony charges of endangering a child and tampering with evidence related to the 2018 murder of her 2-year-old son Jason Wilder McDaniel. She faces a sentence ranging from probation to more than a decade behind bars.
The prosecution, led by Wichita County District Attorney John Gillespie, is expected to call Chad Nelson, a detective with the Wichita Falls Police Department, as their next witness when proceedings resume on Wednesday morning.
Detective Nelson served as the lead investigator in the case of Wilder McDaniel’s death from October 2018 until May 2020. In March 2023, Detective Nelson testified during the capital murder trial of James Irven Staley, III, spending about six hours on the stand that included a lengthy and often heated cross-examination from Staley’s defense team.
Following Staley’s capital murder trial, Gillespie discussed multiple aspects of the trial with Digital Reporter Josh Hoggard, including Detective Nelson’s testimony beginning around 6:30 into the interview.
Wednesday will also mark the first pieces of evidence that are exclusive to McDaniel’s trial when three interviews between McDaniel and the WFPD conducted after Wilder’s death will be shown in their entirety to the court. The evidence entered during Tuesday’s proceedings was also used during Staley’s trial.
KFDX Weekend Anchor Markeshia Jackson will provide a summary of Wednesday’s proceedings live from Fort Worth during KFDX 3 News at 6 o’clock.
A running live blog of proceedings on Wednesday, September 13, 2023, in the punishment trial of Amber McDaniel can be found below.
Judge McKnight dismisses Vickers from the stand and the jury from the courtroom. The Court will be in recess until 9 a.m. on Thursday, September 14, 2023.
5:00 p.m. — Gillespie asked Vickers if she would be comfortable allowing someone around her kids who had sent her the kinds of messages Staley had sent McDaniel. Vickers testified that she personally would not.
Barber passes the witness to Gillespie for further cross-examination.
5:00 p.m. — Barber asked Vickers if she had the context regarding some of those messages. Vickers testified she did not.
Gillespie passes the witness back to Barber for further questioning.
4:59 p.m. — Gillespie asked Vickers if she thought McDaniel was intelligent enough to not bring her child around someone who had texted her the type of things Staley had texted her. Vickers testified that McDaniel is intelligent.
Barber passes the witness to Gillespie for further cross-examination.
4:59 p.m. — Barber asked Vickers if dumb women are the only individuals who get into toxic relationships. Vickers testified that is not the case, and that intelligent women can also get into toxic relationships.
Gillespie passes the witness back to Barber for further questioning.
4:58 p.m. — Gillespie asked Vickers if McDaniel graduated from Midwestern State University and if during their time together, she seemed like an intelligent person. Vickers testified McDaniel was intelligent.
Barber passes the witness to Gillespie for further cross-examination.
4:58 p.m. — Barber questioned Vickers about why individuals with difficult upbringings tend to get into toxic relationships. Vickers testified that it can feel like a normal situation for people from those backgrounds.
Gillespie passes the witness back to Barber for further questioning.
4:58 p.m. — Vickers testified that she has dealt with selfish parents during her time working for CPS. She testified that if a parent isn’t going to protect their child, the State of Texas has to step in.
Barber passes the witness to Gillespie for cross-examination.
4:56 p.m. — Barber questioned Vickers about toxic relationships and why individuals involved in toxic relationships stay in them longer than they should. Vickers testified that several reasons could play a role, and that people involved in toxic relationships
4:54 p.m. — Vickers testified that she would imagine losing a child is one of the most difficult things a person could go through in their life.
4:52 p.m. — Vickers testified that she has been seeing McDaniel in a professional capacity since near the time Wilder died, up until August 7, 2023. She testified that McDaniel is still dealing with a significant amount of grief following the death of her son. She testified that there is no timeline for grief and that McDaniel is a cooperative patient.
Mark Barber calls Amanda Vickers, a licensed professional counselor to the stand.
Judge McKnight dismisses Detective Nelson from the stand and informs him he is subject to being recalled. Judge McKnight then informs the court that a defense witness is going to be questioned out of order due to scheduling issues. Gillespie has no objections.
Gillespie passes the witness to defense attorney Mark Barber for cross-examination. Barber informs the Court that he wishes to recall Detective Nelson during his case in chief and will be saving his cross-examining questions for that time.
4:48 p.m. — Gillespie offers a transcript of McDaniel’s testimony during Staley’s capital murder trial into evidence, and it is admitted into evidence without objection. Gillespie read a section of the testimony in which McDaniel said she kept Wilder out of daycare on September 3, 2018, due to the bruising on his face out of fear people would assume he was being abused.
4:45 p.m. — Detective Nelson testified that during their interview, McDaniel said she didn’t have enough information to know what happened to Wilder on August 31, 2018, that led to his head and face being bruised. He testified that if police were aware of text messages from Staley that mentioned harming Wilder, they potentially could have arrested Staley after the alleged fall from the bed incident for injury to a child.
4:40 p.m. — Detective Nelson testified that McDaniel knew that detectives needed to know everything she knew, yet she continued to lie. He also testified that McDaniel never informed police that she had deleted text messages from Staley. He also testified that while McDaniel was lying to detectives and keeping information from them, she was campaigning for “Justice For Wilder” on social media.
4:36 p.m. — The video of the third interview ends. Judge McKnight informs Gillespie he may continue questioning Detective Nelson.
4:35 p.m. — In the video of the third interview of McDaniel by Detective Nelson, McDaniel tells Detective Nelson, “Never in a million years did I think this was possible,” and now she looks back and wonders how she was so stupid. She says she doesn’t care what happens to her or if people judge her, because there’s nothing else that can happen to her that’s worse than what’s already happened to her.
4:32 p.m. — In the video of the third interview of McDaniel by Detective Nelson, McDaniel is told that detectives are trying to exclude her as a suspect. McDaniel was then asked if she killed Wilder, and she said no. She says she’s sat in bed since Wilder’s death and thought about how things ended up this way.
4:27 p.m. — In the video of the third interview of McDaniel by Detective Nelson, Detective Nelson said “It doesn’t look good” that Staley had texted horrible things about Wilder yet McDaniel still stayed at his residence with him and didn’t leave. Detective Nelson asks McDaniel if she’s willing to take a polygraph test and she says yes.
4:19 p.m. — In the video of the third interview of McDaniel by Detective Nelson, McDaniel continues to tell Detective Nelson about some of the erratic behavior of Staley during their brief relationship.
4:13 p.m. — In the video of the third interview of McDaniel by Detective Nelson, McDaniel says she knows she could get charges of endangering because of what she had said during the interview, but she didn’t care because she knew Staley did something to Wilder.
4:11 p.m. — In the video of the third interview of McDaniel by Detective Nelson, McDaniel says there were some fun times with Staley and that “it wasn’t always like that” in regard to Staley saying derogatory things about her son. She also says Staley would use the excuse that he hadn’t taken his medicine when he’d insult Wilder.
4:10 p.m. — In the video of the third interview of McDaniel by Detective Nelson, McDaniel says that she continued dating Staley after he said terrible things about Wilder because she thought he was saying those things to get under her skin. She also says that Staley would apologize after saying the things he’d said about Wilder.
4:05 p.m. — In the video of the third interview of McDaniel by Detective Nelson, McDaniel tells Detective Nelson about an interaction between her and Staley prior to Wilder’s death that took place at a bar. She says “It was like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with him” when she describes what Staley’s mood was like during that interaction.
3:58 p.m. — In the video of the third interview of McDaniel by Detective Nelson, Detective Nelson asks McDaniel about a group text that was sent to her after Wilder’s death, containing a group message conversation in which Staley called Wilder derogatory names. Detective Nelson then asks McDaniel if Staley had said anything like that about Wilder to her up to that point, and McDaniel says no.
3:56 p.m. — In the video of the third interview of McDaniel by Detective Nelson, McDaniel tells Detective Nelson about an instance in which she was chasing Wilder and playing with him. She says that eventually, Wilder began to really scream out of fear, and she then noticed that Staley was filming the interaction and that Wilder screamed because Staley was there.
3:50 p.m. — In the video of the third interview of McDaniel by Detective Nelson, McDaniel tells Detective Nelson about the formation of her relationship with Staley and how they ended up living together.
3:39 p.m. — In the video of the third interview of McDaniel by Detective Nelson, McDaniel says Staley got angry with his daughter for telling her Staley had kicked Wilder off the bed. She says Staley spanked his daughter and said, “You’re lying”, and his daughter replied, “No I’m not.”
3:36 p.m. — The jury returns to the courtroom and the video of the third interview between McDaniel and Detective Nelson resumes playing. McDaniel tells Detective Nelson about the picture of Wilder while he was bruised from allegedly falling off the bed in September 2018. She says she thought Wilder’s face was bruised in too many places for a fall to explain it. She says she asked Staley’s daughter what happened, and she told McDaniel that Staley kicked him off the bed. She says she spoke with Staley’s mother about the bruising, and Staley’s mother asked if Staley was back on drugs.
Judge McKnight dismisses the jury for an afternoon break. The Court is in recess until 3:30 p.m. when testimony is set to resume.
3:11 p.m. — In the video of the third interview of McDaniel by Detective Nelson, McDaniel tells Detective Nelson that she never witnessed Staley hurt Wilder in any way. She says on some occasions, Staley had spanked Wilder, but she was present during those times. She says she never witnessed Staley hit Wilder or throw things at him.
3:06 p.m. — In the video of the third interview of McDaniel by Detective Nelson, McDaniel discusses things posted by other people on social media following Wilder’s death and funeral, including that she’d been on drugs at the time of Wilder’s death and that her son overdosed.
2:55 p.m. — The video of the third interview of McDaniel by Detective Nelson has been playing for about an hour and a half. In the video, Detective Nelson questions McDaniel further regarding the information she gave him earlier in the interview.
2:29 p.m. — In the video of the third interview of McDaniel by Detective Nelson, McDaniel says she received a message on Snapchat from Staley after Wilder’s funeral that said he was sad about losing the life they’d planned on having together. She says she thought it was weird that Staley never mentioned Wilder’s name in the message.
2:25 p.m. — In the video of the third interview of McDaniel by Detective Nelson, McDaniel says she thought Wilder’s death was an accident initially until Detective Nelson informed her about the blood on Wilder’s pillow. She says she went back and forth in her mind not believing that Staley had murdered her son and thinking he had something to do with Wilder’s death. She says Staley never attempted to console her.
2:19 p.m. — In the video of the third interview of McDaniel by Detective Nelson, McDaniel says she picked up Wilder’s lifeless body and ran through the house screaming for Staley to find her a phone. She says Staley just stood there at first, but then found a phone and threw it at her. She says while she was on the phone, Staley took Wilder from her and attempted to perform CPR. She says she told Staley to stop. She says she didn’t remember when the police or paramedics arrived at the residence. She says Staley told authorities at the scene that he’d checked on Wilder the night before at around 11:30 p.m. and that he was alright at that time.
2:16 p.m. — In the video of the third interview of McDaniel by Detective Nelson, McDaniel says she woke up in a panic the next morning because her alarm never went off and she thought she was running late for school. She says she went to check on Wilder, and when she went into the room, she didn’t see Wilder in the crib. She says she caught a glimpse out of the corner of her eye and noticed Wilder face down on the floor. She says she initially thought he’d gotten out of his crib to play and that she didn’t process what she was seeing at first. She says when she went to pick Wilder up, he wasn’t breathing.
2:14 p.m. — In the video of the third interview of McDaniel by Detective Nelson, McDaniel says she came inside and put on one of Staley’s long sleeve shirts, then laid in bed. She says she doesn’t remember if she plugged in her phone or not. She says she was expecting Staley to come into the room and apologize, but he never came to bed that night.
2:11 p.m. — In the video of the third interview of McDaniel by Detective Nelson, McDaniel says Staley again commented about how Wilder would ruin a vacation if he went with them. McDaniel says she told Staley to stop talking about her son. She says Staley went outside angrily, then asked if she was coming swimming with him. She says she brought the wine outside, and when she got to the pool, Staley was already in. She said she got in with him and when she tried to make conversation, he was short with her.
2:08 p.m. — In the video of the third interview of McDaniel by Detective Nelson, McDaniel says she went into Staley’s room and asked him what his deal was. She says Staley told her he had been up for two days, he had been moving, and that Wilder treats him like a [expletive] [expletive]. She says she told Staley not to call her son names. She says she then took a portion of the shot Staley had poured her and then began drinking her wine. She says she went into the kitchen to open a new bottle of wine. She says Staley told her he was thinking about taking a trip to Mexico with her, just the two of them.
2:05 p.m. — In the video of the third interview of McDaniel by Detective Nelson, McDaniel says she was attempting to find a stuffed animal for Wilder. She says when she went to go into Wilder’s room again, Staley told her not to go back in there because she’s just going to wake Wilder up and he’d start crying.
2:04 p.m. — In the video of the third interview of McDaniel by Detective Nelson, McDaniel says when Wilder saw Staley in the bathroom, he said, “No James.” She says Staley lost his temper and began yelling at Wilder and mocking him. She says Staley told him to “shut the [expletive] up.” She says after the bath, when she was laying Wilder down for bed, Wilder again said “No James.” McDaniel says she told Wilder not to say that, then asked Wilder if he was scared because Staley had yelled at him. She says Wilder said he was.
2:01 p.m. — In the video of the third interview of McDaniel by Detective Nelson, McDaniel says while she was givng Wilder a bath, loud music was playing somewhere in the house. She says Staley was taking shots of liquor and asked if she wanted one. She says she told Staley she just wanted a glass of wine. She says Staley came into the bathroom with a glass of wine and a full shot. She says when Staley offered the shot, she refused, to which Staley said, “Quit being a [expletive] baby.”
2:00 p.m. — In the video of the third interview of McDaniel by Detective Nelson, McDaniel says she and Wilder were back at Staley’s residence on Irving Place watching Spongebob. She says when Staley arrived at the residence, Wilder grabbed her hand and said, “I hold you Mama.” She says this angered Staley, who then said “Spongebob is [expletive] stupid.” She says she then went to take a shower with the intention of giving Wilder a bath after.
1:58 p.m. — In the video of the third interview of McDaniel by Detective Nelson, she tells Detective Nelson about a trip she and Wilder made to Walmart. She says she was on the phone with Staley, who had gone to Red Robin for dinner. She says Staley had asked her to buy paper towels from Walmart for her.
1:55 p.m. — In the video of the third interview of McDaniel by Detective Nelson, she tells Detective Nelson about a time while she was at the Staley rent house helping Staley clean things out that Staley had left, and when he returned to the residence, she says Staley was yelling and was acting short with everyone.
1:52 p.m. — In the video of the third interview of McDaniel by Detective Nelson, McDaniel describes the events of October 10 and 11, 2018. She tells Detective Nelson that on the evening of October 10, 2018, she and Wilder went to Target, then over to a rent house that was owned by Staley. She tells Detective Nelson that she was going to help Staley move some of his stuff out of the residence.
1:45 p.m. — In the video of the third interview of McDaniel by Detective Nelson, McDaniel is read her Miranda warning by Detective Nelson. She is also informed by her attorney, who is present for the interview, that talking with the police could be harmful to her by damaging her reputation or leading to charges being filed against her.
1:40 p.m. — Testimony resumes in McDaniel’s punishment trial, with Detective Chad Nelson still on the stand. A video of a third interview between Detective Nelson and McDaniel is offered into evidence by Gillespie with no objection from the defense.
Judge McKnight dismisses the jury for their lunch break. The court will be in recess until 1:30 p.m. at which time testimony is set to resume.
12:01 p.m. — Detective Nelson testified that McDaniel emailed her a photograph of Wilder’s bruised face that was taken after the alleged fall off the bed in September 2018. The photo is admitted into evidence with no objection from the defense. The photo is shown to the court, with heavy bruising observed on Wilder’s forehead and temple area.
11:58 a.m. — Detective Nelson testified that he never received the notebook back from McDaniel. He testified that another officer reported McDaniel had the odor of alcohol on her on the morning of Wilder’s death.
11:56 a.m. — Detective Nelson testified that the exchange was from August 2018, roughly two months before Wilder’s death. He testified that McDaniel told him that this exchange was an isolated incident and not something that regularly happened.
11:52 a.m. — Gillespie and Detective Nelson read through the Facebook message exchange between McDaniel and Staley, with Gillespie reading messages sent by Staley and Detective Nelson reading messages sent by McDaniel. This exchange is when Staley said that Wilder “needed to be culled.”
11:50 a.m. — Gillespie asked Detective Nelson if McDaniel had his email address to send him anything she thought may help with the investigation. He testified that she did. Detective Nelson then testified that other than the Facebook exchange and a picture of the bruising on Wilder’s face from when he allegedly fell off the bed.
11:48 a.m. — Gillespie offers several foam boards containing demonstrations of the Facebook messages between Staley and McDaniel as evidence. All are admitted into evidence with no objection from the defense.
11:44 a.m. — Detective Nelson testified that during Wilder’s autopsy, the medical examiner asked if CPR had been performed on Wilder. He testified that he questioned McDaniel regarding Staley performing CPR on Wilder for this reason.
11:42 a.m. — Gillespie continued questioning Detective Nelson following the conclusion of the video. Gillespie asked Detective Nelson if he found it shocking that McDaniel, who was in a sincerely emotional state, was already lying to him. Detective Nelson testified that it was.
11:40 a.m. — The interview between Detective Nelson and McDaniel ends with Detective Nelson telling McDaniel he’s sorry for her loss, then exchanging contact information with McDaniel’s attorney.
11:39 a.m. — During the video of the second interview between Detective Nelson and McDaniel, Detective Nelson briefly leaves the interview room. McDaniel begins to sob, burying her face in what appears to be a blanket, and says a few phrases that are unclear. When Detective Nelson returns, he hands her the notebook they spoke about earlier.
11:36 a.m. — During the video of the second interview between Detective Nelson and McDaniel, Detective Nelson asks McDaniel if she has any reason to believe that Staley killed Wilder. She says she just knows in her heart he did it.
11:35 a.m. — During the video of the second interview between Detective Nelson and McDaniel, McDaniel tells Detective Nelson that Wilder never wanted to be around Staley. She then tells Detective Nelson that Wilder would often say, “No James,” a phrase that became a key element for the prosecution during Staley’s capital murder trial.
11:33 a.m. — During the video of the second interview between Detective Nelson and McDaniel, Detective Nelson tells McDaniel that he’s going to be gathering more information over the coming days and weeks. He says the investigation may take a few months or longer.
11:30 a.m. — The interview appears to be nearing its conclusion. Detective Nelson asks McDaniel to not think about things for a while, which he admits is impossible. He says he’s going to give McDaniel a notebook and he asks her to write down anything she might think of over the next few days.
11:28 a.m. — During the video of the second interview between Detective Nelson and McDaniel, Detective Nelson asks McDaniel questions to clarify the timeline of events on October 10, 2018. She says she gave Wilder a bath at around 8:30 p.m., then laid him down, then she and Staley went outside to go swimming. She says she and Staley were drinking after Wilder went to bed.
11:25 a.m. — During the video of the second interview between Detective Nelson and McDaniel, she tells Detective Nelson about an encounter she had with Staley in which Staley got angry with her for “babying” Wilder too much.
11:23 a.m. — During the video of the second interview between Detective Nelson and McDaniel, Detective Nelson asks McDaniel to send her screenshots of a Facebook conversation between her and Staley.
11:20 a.m. — During the video of the second interview between Detective Nelson and McDaniel, Detective Nelson says he still has a lot of questions and that things aren’t adding up. He says he plans on conducting an interview with Tara Campisi, the mother of Staley’s daughter. He also says the autopsy on Wilder’s body is being conducted.
11:17 a.m. — During the video of the second interview between Detective Nelson and McDaniel, Detective Nelson says that the Facebook messages he’s seen show animosity towards Wilder from Staley. McDaniel says Wilder didn’t like being around James, but she’d just assumed it was because he wasn’t used to him yet.
11:14 a.m. — During the video of the second interview between Detective Nelson and McDaniel, she says Staley had been “up for two days” but that he was acting completely normal in the hours before Wilder was found dead.
11:13 a.m. — During the video of the second interview between Detective Nelson and McDaniel, Detective Nelson asks McDaniel to give as many details as possible about the night before Wilder was found deceased. She says the night before was normal between her and Staley. They’d gone swimming after Wilder went to bed and had not been fighting.
11:07 a.m. — During the video of the second interview between Detective Nelson and McDaniel, Detective Nelson tells McDaniel about a screenshot he received from her stepfather containing a message between Staley and McDaniel. Her attorney shows Detective Nelson more Facebook messages between the two.
11:04 a.m. — During the video of the second interview between Detective Nelson and McDaniel, McDaniel tells Detective Nelson that she can’t stop thinking about finding Wilder. She says she thinks “James hurt my baby.” She says Staley would never touch Wilder, but he would yell at him and that when they would fight, he would call Wilder derogatory names.
11:01 a.m. — During the video of the second interview between Detective Nelson and McDaniel, Detective Nelson says he’d just finished speaking to Bubba McDaniel, Wilder’s father. He says Bubba couldn’t say enough nice things about McDaniel and how she was as a mother. He says right now, we have a lot of questions but no answers.
10:59 a.m. — During the video of the second interview between Detective Nelson and McDaniel, a third person is seen sitting next to McDaniel. Earlier, Detective Nelson testified the person was Jeff Eaves, an attorney who was representing McDaniel at the time.
10:56 a.m. — A video of a second interview conducted on October 12, 2018, between Detective Nelson and McDaniel is offered as evidence by Gillespie and admitted with no objection from the defense. The video is then played in the courtroom.
10:51 a.m. — Detective Nelson testified that it was difficult to interview a grieving mother the day her deceased child was found. Gillespie asked Detective Nelson if at any time during the initial interview conducted on October 11, 2018, McDaniel told him about the “psychotic” text messages sent by Staley regarding Wilder. Detective Nelson testified that she did not.
10:47 a.m. — The jury returned to the courtroom and Gillespie began questioning Detective Nelson regarding the interview with McDaniel on the day Wilder was found deceased.
10:45 a.m. — Before the jury is brought into the courtroom, Martha “Bea” Staley is sworn in as a witness and is placed under the witness rule. Bea Staley is the sister of James Staley, who was convicted of Wilder’s murder in March. She is expected to take the stand sometime during the trial.
After the interview concludes, Judge McKnight dismisses the jury for a morning break. The Court will be in recess until 10:45 a.m. when testimony is set to resume.
10:31 a.m. — In the video of Detective Nelson’s interview with McDaniel, McDaniel gives consent for Wilder’s medical records to be released to the WFPD.
10:28 a.m. — In the video of Detective Nelson’s interview with McDaniel, Detective Nelson asks McDaniel if she took any pictures of Wilder’s bruising from the incident in which Wilder allegedly fell off the bed. She says she did, but they’re no longer on her phone because she recently had to reset it. McDaniel says she took the pictures because she had a suspicion that something else had actually happened. She says when she asked Staley about it again, he said Wilder had fallen off the bed. She tells Detective Nelson that something didn’t look right about the bruising.
10:25 a.m. — In the video of Detective Nelson’s interview with McDaniel, she tells Detective Nelson that there wouldn’t be any reason any medications would be in his system. Detective Nelson tells McDaniel that Wilder’s body will be sent off for an autopsy. Detective Nelson asks McDaniel if she hurt her child, and she says no. He asks if she’s ever hurt her child, and she says no. She tells Detective Nelson she’s observed Staley spank Wilder in the past.
10:21 a.m. — In the video of Detective Nelson’s interview with McDaniel, she tells Detective Nelson about the formation of her relationship with Staley, including how they met and when she decided to stay at his residence overnight.
10:19 a.m. — In the video of Detective Nelson’s interview with McDaniel, she tells Detective Nelson that the night before, she and Wilder had gone to Target before eating a burger.
10:16 a.m. — In the video of Detective Nelson’s interview with McDaniel, she tells Detective Nelson that they’d recently transitioned Wilder into a crib. She says he never had issues with climbing out of the crib in the past.
10:10 a.m. — In the video of Detective Nelson’s interview with McDaniel, she says Wilder’s body was cold and stiff. She then begins sobbing, leans over, and rocks back and forth. Her answers become less coherent after this point.
10:07 a.m. — In the video of Detective Nelson’s interview with McDaniel, Detective Nelson tells McDaniel to let him know if she needs a break. He then asks her about that morning, when she found her son deceased. She begins crying a bit harder at this point. As Detective Nelson begins asking about Wilder’s body, she appears to grow increasingly distressed.
10:03 a.m. — In the video of Detective Nelson’s interview with McDaniel, she tells Detective Nelson that Wilder’s father, Bubba McDaniel, had last seen his son about a week to a week and a half prior.
9:58 a.m. — In the video of Detective Nelson’s interview with McDaniel, Detective Nelson asks McDaniel about her pregnancy with Wilder, and she tells him she didn’t drink or take drugs during her pregnancy. The two then discuss at length Wilder’s medical history.
9:55 a.m. — In the video of Detective Nelson’s interview with McDaniel, she says other than the injury on Wilder’s face after he had fallen off the bed, she hadn’t seen any other injuries on Wilder prior to his death.
9:54 a.m. — In the video of Detective Nelson’s interview with McDaniel, she tells Detective Nelson that Wilder would typically take children’s melatonin before he went to bed, but they didn’t give him any that night. She appears to have calmed down but is still crying with her head in her hands.
9:52 a.m. — In the video of Detective Nelson’s interview with McDaniel, Detective Nelson asks McDaniel if Staley ever behaved in a way that showed he wanted to hurt Wilder or if anything had happened in the past. She tells Detective Nelson about a time when she was working when Staley called her multiple times and told her Wilder fell off the bed. She says when she asked Wilder about it, he told her he’d fallen off the bed.
9:50 a.m. — In the video of Detective Nelson’s interview with McDaniel, Detective Nelson asks McDaniel if there’d be any reason why blood would be on Wilder’s pillow. McDaniel asks, “Was there blood?” Detective Nelson says he hasn’t seen it but there was blood found. “Did James do something?” McDaniel asks. She begins screaming and crying, repeating “Oh my god” several times.
9:48 a.m. — In the video of Detective Nelson’s interview with McDaniel, Detective Nelson asks McDaniel if she saw blood anywhere. She says, “Yes” and begins to cry again. Her emotional state during this interview is one of extreme distress.
9:47 a.m. — In the video of Detective Nelson’s interview with McDaniel, she says she can’t remember exactly what time she gave Wilder a bath or when she went to bed. She says she and Staley stayed up and drank some wine.
9:45 a.m. — In the video of Detective Nelson’s interview with McDaniel, Detective Nelson asks McDaniel what took place the night before Wilder’s body was found. She says she gave Wilder a bath, that she and Staley went swimming, and that the last time she saw Wilder was when she put him to bed that night.
9:44 a.m. — In the video of Detective Nelson’s interview with McDaniel, she buries her face in a jacket and begins sobbing. She tells Detective Nelson that she started screaming and she couldn’t find her phone. She says she asked Staley for her phone and he gave it to her, and she called 911. She again buries her face in the jacket and sobs.
9:42 a.m. — In the video of Detective Nelson’s interview with McDaniel, she begins answering a question asked by Detective Nelson, but as the interview continues, her response becomes more incoherent. She is clearly emotional during the interview.
9:40 a.m. — Detective Nelson testified that he conducted a voluntary interview with McDaniel at the Wichita Falls Police Department on October 11, 2018. He testified that due to her emotional state, she was unable to answer many of the questions asked. The video of their interview is admitted into evidence and played in the courtroom. McDaniel was observed becoming emotional as the interview began playing.
9:38 a.m. — Gillespie and Detective Nelson continued their review of the photographs and discussed evidence taken from the scene, including the bloody u-shaped pattern found on the floor of Wilder’s bedroom, the blood on the pillow found in Wilder’s crib, and the possible partial bloody handprint found on that pillow.
9:32 a.m. — Gillespie continued to review photographs taken from the scene with Detective Nelson for the jury. Many of the details discussed as photographs are being reviewed were discussed during the testimony phase of James Staley’s capital murder trial.
9:24 a.m. — Gillespie reviewed photographs taken from the scene with Detective Nelson. A photograph of Wilder’s deceased body on the couch is shown in the courtroom. McDaniel was observed becoming very distressed and was heard crying heavily when this image was shown.
9:23 a.m. — Gillespie asked Detective Nelson if McDaniel wanted to let go of Wilder’s body at the scene. Detective Nelson replied, “No, not at all.”
9:20 a.m. — Detective Nelson testified that his opinion of McDaniel at the scene on October 11, 2018, was that she was acting as a grieving mother. He testified that he spoke with McDaniel several times after Wilder’s death. He testified that “most certainly” McDaniel was acting appropriately in the situation and Staley was acting strange.
9:17 a.m. — Gillespie submitted several photographs of the residence on Irving Place in Wichita Falls from 2018, where Wilder was found deceased, and they were admitted into evidence without any objection from the defense.
9:10 a.m. — Detective Nelson testified that when he made contact with Staley, he was acting strange. He testified he was not consoling McDaniel or with her, but rather in a closet in a fetal position with a knife on the floor. He testified McDaniel was “beyond distressed” and distraught, and that it appeared to be genuine.
9:07 a.m. — Detective Nelson testified that a 911 call made by Amber McDaniel came in at 9:12 a.m. on October 11, 2018. He testified that he arrived on the scene at around 9:40 a.m. He testified that when he arrived at the scene on Irving Place, he heard screaming. He testified that upon entering the residence, he made contact with James Staley.
9:03 a.m. — Judge McKnight informs the prosecution they may call their next witness. Gillespie calls Detective Chad Nelson with the Wichita Falls Police Department to the stand. Detective Nelson served as the lead detective in the investigation into Wilder McDaniel’s death.
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