Testimony

MARTINSBURG, W.VA. - Investigators found 38 stab wounds on Debra Ann Fielder's dismembered body, a West Virginia medical examiner testified Wednesday during the murder trial of the woman's ex-husband, Stephen R. Fielder. The 47-year-old woman's remains yielded evidence that her death was caused by "assault-type" sharp force injuries and blunt force trauma - including several cracked ribs and bruises, said Nabila Haikal, a West Virginia deputy chief medical examiner. After the victim died, an animal appeared to be "feeding" on the body, causing a loss of tissue from her left ear and two fingers, Haikal told jurors seated for the trial in Martinsburg, W.Va.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. ? Prosecutors spent the first day of Pov Srun's trial in Franklin County Court trying to link two rapes committed in Pennsylvania with two similar crimes for which the former Hagerstown man was convicted in Maryland. The jury of eight men and four women heard testimony from 15 witnesses Monday, including the two Pennsylvania victims and two victims from Maryland. Each woman testified to being attacked as they got into their vehicles by a man who in three cases obscured his face with pieces of duct tape.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - After two days of testimony in an appeal on a rejected land development plan for a fireworks store in Antrim Township, Franklin County Judge John R. Walker said it will be a few weeks before he makes a decision on whether the project can go forward. "I'm going to be looking at parking space now whenever I pull into a store," Walker said, referring to the extensive testimony on parking issues in the land development plan for Sky King Fireworks Inc. That company's plan for a store at Mason-Dixon Road and Mountain View Drive near State Line, Pa., was denied Jan. 9 by the Antrim Township Board of Supervisors.

MARTINSBURG, W.VA. - The sloppily written note affixed to the sliding-glass front door of the home shared by Raymond E. White Jr. and his son announced to friends that they had left the state and for them to "call if it is important. " On the afternoon of Sept. 14, 2005, important to William "Chris" Barrett when he arrived at his friends' house at 1734 Paynes Ford Road was the work on his 1987 Porsche parked in the backyard. Barrett's desire to know about the progress being made on the car led to the discovery that White, 64, and his son, Raymond E. White IV, 20, had not left town, but were lying dead inside, beaten and shot.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - The husband of a 41-year-old Berkeley County woman who was murdered last year testified in court Thursday that his son offered to confess to the crime to shield his father from any more scrutiny by police. Thomas A. Dawson is on trial for first-degree murder, felony murder, first-degree arson and burglary. Before Dawson, 22, was arrested Sept. 5 and charged with his stepmother's murder, Howard J. "Jimmy" Dawson was questioned about the death of his wife, Jeannette K. Dawson.

MERCERSBURG, Pa. - Edward Klassen will share Christian instrument music with a Paraguayan harp and also will give testimony at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 25, at Mercersburg Mennonite Church. For information, call 717-329-9282.

ANNAPOLIS - The Washington County Board of Education's vice president testified Wednesday in Annapolis against a bill to consider changing how the school board is elected. Wayne Ridenour said that switching from an at-large format to representation by districts is unnecessary because the board serves the community well. The Washington County delegation to the General Assembly is sponsoring the bill, which calls for a public referendum in November 2008 on whether to form a task force to study a change.

The issue: Three Jefferson County developers are renewing their attempt to remove Todd Baldau from the Jefferson County Planning Commission over alleged misconduct. Among the arguments from the developers is that Baldau has claimed that planning commission members can deny subdivisions because they act with discretion rather than acting in a ministerial capacity, which is rendering decisions within standards set up in county land use laws. Lawyers for the developers say planning commission members must act in a ministerial capacity.