Once again, testimony at the Michael Ball murder trial on Tuesday was largely focused on the duffel bag Erin Howlett’s remains were found in, and a similar bag purchased by a detective investigating her death.
Jurors heard from a man who said his company supplied K-W Surplus with ‘World Famous’-branded duffel bags on multiple occasions in 2013.
Howlett’s remains were discovered in June 2013, inside one such bag.
The trial has previously heard that weeks before her death, Ball said he was going to buy “the biggest duffel bag he could find” at K-W Surplus, to be used “for Erin’s body.”
He was upset with her over a nude photo of another man on her phone and because he believed he was stealing drugs and money from him, jurors were told.
Also testifying Tuesday was an employee of K-W Surplus, who said that items purchased from the store weren’t always identified properly on receipts, and the police detective who was asked to look through the store’s receipts and find details of sales of duffel bags and duct tape.
Ball has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder and committing an indignity to a dead body.
