Three witnesses testified Thursday that they saw a man who looked like John Wilson Jr. not far from the south suburban home where a 14-year-old girl was murdered.
Wilson is accused of stabbing Kelli O'Laughlin in her Indian Head Park home in the 6300 block of Keokuk Road on Oct. 27, 2011. Prosecutors said O'Laughlin walked in on Wilson after he broke into the home and was stabbed multiple times with an 8-inch carving knife from her kitchen.
The witnesses said they saw the man not far from the O'Laughlin house on the afternoon of the murder.
On the second day of testimony in the trial, the courtroom was packed with supporters of the family, many of them wearing these bracelets in honor of O'Laughlin.
Supporters said that while they were in court for the testimony, they weren't focused on the teen's death but on her life. They continue to raise money for a scholarship fund in her name.
Prosecutors used the day to establish what investigators found at the crime scene, going through detailed pictures and descriptions of the blood-stained kitchen, the knife allegedly used in the murder and rescuers' efforts to treat the high school freshman.
Assistant state's attorney Guy Lisuzzo said this week Wilson used a landscaping rock wrapped in a knit cap to break into the family's home and that Wilson's DNA was found on the cap.
Lisuzzo said Wilson then made his way back to his Chicago home by paying for the cab ride with coins stolen from the family's home.
The incident was described as horrific when it happened, not only because of the nature of the murder but also because of taunting texts attributed to the alleged killer sent to O'Laughlin's mother from the teen's cell phone.
Defense attorneys on Thursday made a point to ask at least one investigator if O'Laughlin's family told them the teen might have committed suicide.
