Mark Redwine trial: Attorneys debate motive, “compromising” photos

Mark Redwine’s oldest son confronted his father about photos that showed Redwine eating feces from a diaper months before 13-year-old Dylan Redwine disappeared while visiting his father in La Plata County, testimony in Redwine’s murder trial revealed Thursday.

The photos took center stage as Mark Redwine’s defense attorneys sought to undermine prosecutors’ claim that Redwine killed Dylan in a fit of rage when Dylan confronted his father about the photos in November 2012.

Prosecutors in turn worked to strengthen their argument by outlining an incident in which Redwine reacted strongly when confronted about the photos after Dylan’s death.

Dylan’s older brother, Cory Redwine, testified on cross-examination that he sent copies of the photos to his father in August 2012, while Dylan and Mark Redwine were alone on a trip together. The photos show Mark Redwine wearing women’s underwear and a diaper, and eating feces from a diaper. Cory called his father an “(expletive)-eating coward” and told him “you are what you eat,” according to text messages that were testified to Thursday.

Mark Redwine responded by asking Cory “not to hurt Dylan,” public defender John Moran said. Redwine also called Cory a thief and said he was “trying to hurt him” just like the boys’ mother, who was locked in a contentious custody battle with Redwine at that time.

Dylan, who knew about the photos, was not harmed on that trip, despite the texted confrontation between his brother and father.

Redwine is standing trial on charges of second-degree murder and child abuse in Dylan’s death. The boy disappeared at the start of a court-ordered trip to his father’s Vallecito home for the Thanksgiving holiday. His remains were found months later.

Redwine, who has maintained his innocence in Dylan’s death, has said he left his house to run errands on Nov. 19, 2012, and returned to find Dylan missing. Prosecutors allege Redwine killed his son on the night of Nov. 18, 2012.

The boy’s disappearance prompted an extensive search that drew national attention. One woman, who heard about the case on Facebook and then joined the search effort, testified Thursday about a confrontation she had with Redwine at his home around the time Dylan’s remains were found in June 2013.

Kathi Barry testified that she and another woman drove to Redwine’s house to confront him about a text he’d sent to his ex-wife and found him standing at the door. From inside their vehicle on the road, the women and Redwine began shouting and cursing at each other.

The argument escalated, and then Barry called Redwine an “(expletive)-eating (expletive),” at which point Redwine moved toward the women, picked up a log and lifted it as though he was going to strike the women’s vehicle, she testified.

“I said, ‘Eat more (expletive)’ and then hit the gas and we took off,” she testified.

She is expected to retake the stand Thursday afternoon for cross-examination.

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