Taylor Blake

Q: What is your background in the police force as a detective?

A: I am now a detective with the Lincoln County Police Department in Lincolnville, Illinois. I am also a mall enforcement officer volunteer. I have experience answering calls from shoplifters and night suspicious activities.

Q: Detective Blake, I now ask you: what occurred this evening ? 

A: Yes, I got a call on October 27, 2021 at approximately 7:03 pm where I was investigating robberies in the local graveyard. Then Dispatch sent me to Lincolnville Community Theater. This was different from my usual cases of night suspicious activities!

Q: Were you involved with this case?

A: Yes. I was the one who met Logan at the scene and followed my proper crime scene procedures. I efficiently collected all the evidence and I knew I was qualified

Q: Were you involved with this case?Q: What was the scene at Lincolnville Community Theater? (Talk about what you saw specifically when you first arrived) 

A: When I got to the scene, I met Logan Emerson.  The stage was set up for a Western play. He was fairly calm, but looked very pale. Emerson pointed to the body, but didn’t move and I instructed him with Myers outside to the west exit

Q: Can you tell us who Myers is? 

A: He is an officer I asked to take Emrson out of the crime scene to the parking lot because I knew I could not rule anyone out as a suspect and would discuss more later with him.

Q: After Emerson is taken from the crime scene, what did you see at the theater?

A: Rory was unconscious on the stage with a considerable amount of blood pooled on the stage with some blood already dried, but the lighting was low so I could only see so much. Near Rory was the firearm that I dust for fingerprints and photographed the gun and surrounding areas.

Detective Blake, are you familiar with exhibit 7? 

Yes, I am

Detective Blake, can you describe what exhibit 7 displays? 

Yes, it's a photo of the very old firearm Logan has his fingerprints on and was used to fire at Rory on. This firearm was placed near Logan

Detective Blake,  could you tell us who prepared this exhibit? 

I followed the procedure, closing down anything that might compromise the scene.  So I took photographs of anything I know would be important in this theater including the gun and prop cart, exactly as they were placed. Later I gathered fingerprints.

Is this gun similar to a prop gun that has been described? 

This gun looked like a stage prop with its old design, but appeared to be real on closer inspection.

Detective Blake, can you tell the jury what this exhibit is?

Yes, it is a set of text messages exchanged between the defendant and witness Drew Jordan.

Can you tell us how you are familiar with this exhibit? 

Yes, upon working on this case I became familiar with many pieces of evidence and exhibit 3-C is one of them

In this set of messages, did Emerson ask if they locked the prop table at night?

Yes, he did 

Did he also state “may try to fix the rory problem, need the gun emoji” 

Yes, he did after the witness Drew Jordan said that the table is usually not locked 

So Emerson was aware of the possibility of being able to use the guns against Rory?

It appears that, yes, he was.

What else did Emerson state in those texts?

He asked Jordan for a large mop and fan ASAP in his dressing room

Detective Blake, are you familiar with what I am showing you which is exhibit 10?

A: Yes, I am

Q: Do you mind telling us what it is? 

A: It is an Interview with Logan Emerson that I conducted, reviewed by Sergeant Ronnie Woo Wickers at the Lincoln County Police department

Q: Detective, you interviewed Emerson, correct? 

A: Yes, I interviewed Logan at the police department. 

Q: Can you tell us about this moment?

A: Oddly, he asked for something stronger than water and began rambling nervously about what happened the night of. Right when I was asking him to be more specific on how he went to the theater, he urgently asked for a lawyer. 

Q: How did Logan act during the interview?

A: He looked both uncomfortable and upset by the way he wasn’t making eye contact with me. It felt like he was trying to hide something from me.

Q: How did Logan act during the interview?

A: He looked both uncomfortable and upset by the way he wasn’t making eye contact with me. It felt like he was trying to hide something from me.

Q: Were there any specific statements he made that caught your attention as a detective?

A: Yes. He confirmed he knew he was aiming high with the gun and that he couldn’t stand Rory. He also asked me if the scene looks like a total and complete accident.

Q: Is it true that the defendant Logan Emerson states “this looks like a total accident, right?” in your interview?

A: Yes, he was adamant in his attempt to get confirmation from me that he would be let off the hook and that this would not seem like intentional doing.

Q: Detective Blake, can you recognize what is displayed in Exhibit 11?  

A: Yes, I can. 

Q: What is being displayed?

A: It is the Lincoln County Autopsy Report.

Q: Detective, would you be able to explain what Exhibit 11 shows? 

A: Yes, it is the autopsy report provided by Dr. Slone, the Chief Medical Examiner.

Q: Considering you saw Rory upon arrival at the scene, do these wounds resemble those you saw? 

A: Yes, they do 

Q: Can you tell us more about the wounds found on Rory's body by the chief medical examiner?

A: She has 2 gunshot wounds to the head, the one in the front shows an abrasion ring, and has been identified as the entrance wound. 

Q: Based on your familiarity with exhibit 11, could you tell us what an abrasion ring indicates? 

A: Yes, an abrasion ring indicates the range of the firing, with this one being only 2mm, it indicates that the gun was likely held close to Rory, and was held steadily, not unintentionally.

Q: Detective, could you explain the pathway this bullet took? 

A: Yes, the examiner report indicates the path of the shot is slightly upwards. The bullet passed through the skull and the back of the victims head with minimal displacement. 

Q: Would you be able to explain what minimal displacement means? 

A: Yes, it suggests that entry of the bullet took place at a close range as per the Chief Medical Examiners report. 

Q: Does anything in Dr. Slone’s examination suggest an accidental shooting? 

A: No, nothing does.

Q: What does the report suggest? 

A: It indicates that Rory was shot at close range intentionally with a clean entry and exit wound, with an upward trajectory of the bullet. 

Q: Detective Blake, are you familiar with exhibit 15? 

A: Yes, I am 

Q: Can you tell us what that exhibit is? 

A: It is the part of the script where Rory and Logan were said to be practicing the day of the crime scene.

Q: Is it true that the script highlights that the goats hands move and draw two pistols, however, the pistols aim “for sawtooths feet”, and only “clips sawtooths boot.”?

A: Yes, that is true

Q: Is it true that despite this being what was stated to be rehearsed, evidence suggests the opposite?

A: Yes, evidence such as the medical examiner suggests that the gun was shot at the victim's head, far from her feet. 

Q: Taking in your expert witness, without a doubt, what do you believe happened this night Detective Blake? 

A: The defendant intentionally shot Rory Hollis with knowledge of the harm caused by use of the firearm pointed at her head.