Mock Trial questions (Jamie Bridger)

Can you please state your name for the jury?

My name is Jaime Bridger.

Do you know Bo Bridger, and if so, how?

Yes, I do. She is my daughter.

Before Bo became ill, had Bo ever had any pre-existing health conditions?

Yes, she has asthma.

 What type of treatment does she need for it?

Bo takes steroids, prednisone, which she was given when she was first diagnosed.

Did Bo live with you her whole life?

No, she was taken from me when she was 7.

When you lost custody of Bo in 2012, was it because of your drug addiction?

Yes.

When did you gain custody of Bo back?

On her 8th birthday.

Have you remained clean since you regained custody of Bo?

Yes.

What type of student was Bo?

Bo was smart and caught up on everything academically. She was taking her first AP classes.

Despite Bo’s health issues, was she athletic?

Yes, she excelled in cross country. She was recognized for her times during freshman year, ultimately making states.

From your statement, Bo’s times for running were dropping. What, if anything, did she do to improve her running times?

I told her to watch YouTube videos since we couldn’t afford a private trainer. Bo started changing her diet and began interval training. Bo began extreme training and seemed much happier as her times were improving. I started to think Bo began using drugs, but she knew better than to do that.

Do you know Kit Carson?

Yes, she is Bo’s best friend.

Did you permit Bo to go camping with Kit Carson in November 2023?

Yes, I did. The weekend after Thanksgiving, they were going to Kit’s family camp for the first time without adult supervision. They had gone up to the camp before, but with her family.

Did Bo become ill after returning from the trip?

Yes, a couple days after the trip she was feeling ill and on Thursday the 7th she ended up coming home early from school.

What were her symptoms that day?

She had stomach pain and then dealt with diarrhea and vomiting during the night.

Did you seek medical attention for Bo’s symptoms?

Yes, I called our family doctor, Dr. Colter, and spoke to his receptionist, Meri Lewis, who got us in immediately.

What day did you go in to see Dr. Colter?

Friday, December 8th.

Who treated her at this appointment?

Dr. Colter and Dani Boone.

Who is Dani Boone?

Dr. Colter’s nurse practitioner.

How did they treat Bo’s symptoms?

He didn’t seem concerned. They gave her rapid covid tests and Tamiflu for her fever, thinking her sickness was the flu or norovirus.

Did Bo improve over the weekend?

No.

Did Kit Carson visit at all during the weekend of Dec. 8th, 2023?

Yes, she came over to drop off homework and to see how Bo was doing.

Did Kit seem sick at all?

No.

Did you make any observations about Kit when she came to visit?

She was apologetic.

Based on your conversation with Kit, did you again question Bo about the camping trip?

Yes, she seemed concerned about doing something that was illegal. I confirmed it had nothing to do with drugs.

Did you have to revisit Dr. Colter’s office?

Yes, we went back on the 12th.

Did you see Dr. Colter at all during the visit?

Yes, he was shorter with us than he was on Friday.

How did he treat her?

He ordered bloodwork.

Were you ever advised as to the results of the bloodwork?

Yes, on Monday the 18th, Meri Lewis called and the bloodwork was negative for the flu, covid, norovirus, hepatitis, and tuberculosis.

What happened after that?

Dr. Colter wanted to see her again so we went back to the office.

Did you see Dr. Colter that day?

No, we met with Dani Boone.

How did Dani treat her condition at that time?

She advised Dr. Colter, thinking it would be a bacterial infection, and prescribed a 10 day prescription of amoxicillin.

Did Bo take the amoxicillin?

Yes.

Did it help her symptoms?

No, I called Dr. Colter’s two days later on the 20th to tell them Bo’s condition was worse.

 Can you describe how her symptoms got worse?

Bo’s muscles hurt when touched, she still had a fever, and had swelling around her eyes.

What were you advised to do?

Meri said she was going to relay the information to Dr. Colter and to take Bo to the emergency room if needed.

Did you end up taking Bo to the emergency room?

No.

Why did you decide not to take Bo to the emergency room?

I didn’t want to have to pay the copay, nor did I want to have to start over since Dr. Colter already knew everything. I was waiting for Dr. Colter to call me back, and while I was waiting Bo’s symptoms improved slightly.

Did Dr. Colter ever call you back on the 20th?

No.

You testified that her symptoms improved, did she continue to feel better?

No, the next day she was moaning all night in pain and I was up all night.

At any point, did you go through Bo’s backpack she used for her camping trip?

Yes, while I was up all night.

Did you find anything that concerned you in her backpack?

Yes.

What did you find?

Arrows, a rag with dried blood, and a book entitled M.E.A.T.

Can you elaborate on what book you found in her bag?

The book was called “M.E.A.T.: Maximum Energy, Animally Transformative”. It had a wild boar on its cover.

What did you do after finding this book?

I googled it and found two influencers, LeMond Pure, and how they preach a 100% raw protein diet. They claim that eating a raw animal within 30 minutes after it was killed was the best way to reach maximum energy.

I am handing you what has previously been marked at exhibits 4A and 4B. What is Exhibit 4A?

That is the book I found in her backpack.

What is Exhibit 4B?

That is the information I found when googling the influencers.

What did you proceed to do after googling the influencers?

I went through Bo’s email.

Did you find anything of interest while searching her email?

Yes, I found emails between Kit and Bo about LeMond Pure and their plan to eat fresh game on the camping trip.

Is it your testimony that you found out all of this information on Thursday, December 21st?

Yes.

What happened on Friday, December 22nd?

Bo went on a run that day. She seemed depressed, and she was dealing with muscle pain and a headache.

 Did you confront Bo about all of the information you discovered?

Yes. She said they only ate fish on the trip.

Did you again contact Dr. Colter’s office?

Yes, I called Meri and explained everything on December 22nd. The office was closing for the holiday so Dr. Colter and Dani were not available. She advised me to email the information. I sent a very long email explaining what I found in her backpack and I included the email between Bo and Kit.

I am handing you what has previously been marked at exhibit 6. Do you recognize this?

Yes.

What is this?

The email I sent Dr. Colter regarding the information I found.

Did anyone from Dr. Colter’s office ever contact you regarding that email?

Yes, Dani contacted me late that night or early that Saturday. She advised that a stronger painkiller had been ordered along with a new antibiotic. The concern seemed to be Lyme’s disease since she had been on a camping trip. It was believed that the running may be causing the joint pain, so Bo was prohibited from running.

How did Bo react to the new medicines?

Bo had trouble sleeping, and her stomach was bothering her. It wasn’t helping her.

 I’m going to draw your attention to December 28th, 2023. What happened on that date?

There was no color in Bo’s face, and her pulse was very faint. When I tried to wake her, she started screaming in pain and I could barely move her.  I immediately called 911 and had an ambulance take her to Laurel County Community Hospital.

Who was her doctor at the hospital?

Dr. Sylvan Hart

What did Dr. Hart eventuallly diagnose Bo with?

A parasitic disease, trichonosis.

What state did the parasite leave her in?

Her brain function is completely ruined.