Special to The Herald-Sun
RALEIGH -- State investigators say DNA evidence connects former pastor Robert Reaves to the vehicle of the North Carolina Central University student that he is accused of stabbing to death, according to testimony Friday in Reaves' murder trial.
The car was found abandoned before the Jan. 30, 2008, discovery of 21-year-old Latrese Curtis' body on Interstate 540 in Wake County. Curtis had been stabbed dozens of times.
The forensic evidence capped three days of often sordid testimony that prosecutors intend to use as proof that Reaves killed Curtis in a jealous rage because she was sexually involved with his roommate, whom Reaves had made sexual overtures toward.
DNA swabs taken from Curtis' Nissan Sentra showed that Reaves likely came into contact with the vehicle's steering wheel, N.C. State Bureau of Investigation forensic agent Michelle Hannon told the jury Friday.
Testimony also centered around a knife and screwdriver that a state trooper found in the back seat of Reaves' Chrysler Pacifica nine months after the murder. Reaves' Pacifica was discovered abandoned on I-540, too, and prosecutors say he can't explain why.
Testing on the knife and screwdriver "failed to reveal the presence of blood," according to Ivy McMillan, another SBI forensic biologist working the case after Curtis was found dead.
Central to the prosecution's case against Reaves is his relationship with his roommate Steven Randolph. Randolph testified this week that he had slept with Reaves and been offered free rent in exchange for sexual favors, an offer he says he declined.
Prosecutors said Randolph was having sex with Curtis, and she had been at his home the night before her death.
Testimony this week also included additional female sexual partners of Randolph, who say they were harassed by an unknown person.
Reaves was a minister at Durham's Cedar International Fellowship church. If convicted, he could face life in prison because prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty.
Testimony is expected to stretch into next week at Raleigh's Wake County Courthouse with Reaves' defense attorneys presenting.
