Two self-described best friends were called Tuesday as the final witnesses at the Michael Ball murder trial.
Ball, 24, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in connection with the death of Erin Howlett, whose remains were found in a duffel bag in the Grand River in July 2013.
First up Tuesday was Chris Smith, whose testimony was heard in the form of an audio recording from a pretrial procedure.
On the tape, Smith said that he was acquainted with Ball and Howlett. He said that Ball had sold him drugs in the past, while he knew Howlett through her ex-boyfriend James Baechler.
He then testified about a bizarre coincidence, in which he was asked by a property management company to go through Ball’s apartment after his arrest.
Smith said that he stole a number of items from the apartment, and lied to both his boss and Ball’s father about the theft.
Many of the items were later returned, with the exception being some harmonicas that he passed on to Baechler.
Jurors heard that when Baechler later learned where the harmonicas came from, he threw them into the river.
Baechler was the day’s second witness.
He told the court that he and Howlett briefly dated in 2008, and then reconnected five years later – a couple of months before her disappearance.
In his testimony, he noted that Howlett “used more drugs” than he did.
Three days before Howlett vanished, jurors heard, she and Baechler were doing drugs together at a friend’s house.
Baechler testified that he then took Howlett to his brother’s house, where she spent the night, and came back to take her home the next day.
He also said that he frequently used Smith’s black truck to take Howlett to and from Ball’s apartment, when she was visiting him to get drugs.
The trial continues Wednesday with more testimony from Baechler.
