6th August 2025
Case Background:
A Pennsylvania man named Nicholas Kassotis was arrested and charged for the killing of his wife Mindi Kassotis, he was extradited from Lancaster County to Georgia to stand trial. The prosecution and the defense presented their theory of the case in the trial and a few witnesses took the stand and we shall be going through key parts of their testimony.
Case Info
Courthouse: Liberty County, Georgia
Charges:
- Malice Murder – Guilty
- Felony Murder – Guilty
- Aggrevated Assault – Guilty
- Concealing The Death Of Another – Guilty
- Possession Of A Knife During Felony – Guilty
- Possession Of A Tool during a Crime – Guilty
- Removal Of Body Parts – Guilty
- Tampering With Evidence – Guilty
- Verdict Rendered: 14th August 2025
Judge: Charles Rose Jr.
Prosecutor: ADA Laurie Baio, ADA Billy Joe Nelson
Defense Attorneys: Douglas Weinstein
The Deceased: Mindi Kassotis
Today’s Witnesses:
- Witness #5 – Brett Dickerson – Special GBI Agent –
- Witness #6 – Lindsay Smith – Special Agent
- Witness #7 – Kelly Lawson – Forensic Artist
- Witness #8 – Peter Hershey – Salesperson
- Witness #9 – Dean Glover – Public Works Riceborough
- Witness #10 – Brittany Gresham – Forensic Toxicologist GBI
- Witness #11 – Keith Lemarr – Medical Examiner
Witness #5 – Brett Dickerson – Special GBI Agent
Cross Exam
- He testifies that he went there at 9:15 on the scene. He says that there was a lot of thrash and they didnt pick up these thrash that was on the scene but had picked up the cigarette marlborough pack.
- Purpose of this line of questioning by the defence was to show that they werent as thorough in collecting everything from the scene as he claimed on direct but rather selective so they could have made a mistake and missed important evidence. [My thoughts]
- The defence also asked the agent what he would be looking for if the body was dismembered in the scene.
- The defence highlights that there are two wipes attached together that were collected were not tested for DNA.
- This move by the defence was to show that they werent as thorough with their investigation as there could have been DNA on the wipes that could have been discovered with further testing. [My Thoughts]
Redirect Exam
- The state highlights that water can get rid of DNA and he testifies that that even towel can destroy DNA.
Recross Exam
- The defence highlights that he collected much evidence that was far from her Torso including the cigarette pack and the agent agrees that he may have overlooked the thrash.
Witness #6 – Lindsay Smith – Special Agent
Direct Exam
- She testifies that she processed the maggots given to her and says she did that so that they could get a better idea how long they were out there. This is the first time she has had to do this.
- She testifies to commissioning the drawings to be done to aide in identifying the victim. She says that a photograph of Mindi’s head was submitted to Miss Lawson who was tasked with autopsies.
- She testified that sketches were sent back from Miss Lawson of the autopsy and what the victim may have looked like.
- She testified to her having to conduct the genealogy process and provided the division a sample of blood that was recovered from the autopsy. They didnt know who the dismembered body was before this process.
Cross Exam
- Defence asked the witness what she was hoping that could have been collected and she said she was hoping that more items were tested like the Clorex wipes. She also says that the departments were short staffed so not all items could have been tested.
- This shows the importance of testing those wipes for DNA as it may have captured something from the knife it supposedly wiped clean. Also shows limitations the department had with their staff shortages going to the defence theory on why the investigators were not as thorough. [My Thoughts].
Redirect Exam
- State asks what type of items the lab test, and she responds saying that the items they test are critical items.
Recross Exam
- She says all items collected are considered critical.
Witness #7 – Kelly Lawson – Forensic Artist
Direct Exam
- She testified to drawing the photos required to identify the victim.
No cross exam
Witness #8 Peter Hershey – Salesperson
Direct Exam
- He is the one that sold the ford explorer to Nicholas Kassotis. He testifies that the car was sold in 2022 and the car had bluetooth capabilities and had an AT&T modem. He also says that no car has the same VIN or identification sold. He says that the car was paid for by cash
- This shows the intent element for the state being met and the proving their theory that Nicholas Kassotis had money. [My thoughts]
Cross Exam
- He testifies that its possible for a phone to be paired to the car and you can see where the car is and you dont even have to be near the car.
- Defends highlights that there could be future recalls but the sales company would likely not have known at the time of sale. The asserts that there was a 2024 recalls for engine fires. He testified that Ford often does recalls
Redirect Exam – Nothing Of Note
Witness #9 Dean Glover – Public Works Riceborough
Direct Exam
- He testifies to working at Bington Ferry same as Jones Road at Riceborough where the hunting club was. He gave CCTV to law enforcement of events on the 29th November 2022.
- He testifies to overseeing CCTV footage that was captured at the hunter club and still images of a Ford Explorer entering and exiting the hunting club were shown to the jury.
Cross Exam
- Defence highlights that he cant see who is driving the vehicle. He testifies that the camera rewrites itself after 30 days.
No redirect exam
Witness #10 – Brittany Gresham – Forensic Toxicologist GBI
Direct Exam
- She was proferred as an expert witness. She testifies that dismemberment can affect the integrity of a blood sample and says that decomposition of the body skews the alcohol level of the body. She testifies that after death alcohol levels exude and affect the blood levels to acquire
- Overall, this testimony was to show the limitations the investigators had with extracting key samples from the autopsy due to the dismemberment [My thoughts]
Cross Exam
- Defence highlights that there can be spleen blood could be acquired. Says that the spleen blood is not what was.
No redirect exam
Witness #11 – Keith Lemarr – Medical Examiner
Direct Exam
- He testifies to performing autopsies for 26 years. Licensed as a forensic pathologist and says he performed autopsy on the 4 body parts that was brought in.
- Testifies to taking photographs of the interior of the head saying that there was significant scalp bruising.
- He testifies the leg has been cut clean from the body, the femur specifically, says it was cut through.
- He testifies that animals have gotten into the body and had eaten parts of the body like the chest cavities and lungs based on the defects. He says that this did make things difficult for him to identify injuries.
- This testimony aids the state in proving their separation of body element and the malice murder element.[My Thoughts]
- He testifies that there were injuries to the face and chest that are caused by sharp objects. He testifies that based on the bruisings, its likely that it was defensive injuries.
- This likely means she tried to put up a fight against the assailant. [My Thoughts]
- He says he was able to differentiate between bruising and decomposition.
- He testifies that the injury were likely post mortem. He says that if the person is dead there would be less bleeding.
- This testimony suggests Mindi was already dead before she was dismembered. [My Thoughts]
- He testifies that they couldnt get enough blood to do a toxicology testing says that the upper heart was missing. He determines traumatic injuries as the cause of death and the manner as homicide.
Cross Exam
- The defence highlights what may happen if someone is hit on the head and the have lacerations there should be blood running through their head.
- The defence also highlights if there was testing done on her fingernails, he said no.
Redirect Exam – Nothing Of Note.
Court Adjourned For The Day!
Hope you are now caught up with the substance of what happened in court on Day 2.
Thanks for reading xo
Sources:
Trial Footage, Available on Youtube via @TheTrialChannel_ , Youtube playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLq-6my_qlf9vhXw9gMoqIo3Fv4xMbs1W&si=MzCUlpWmKdK6mrjn
All court filings pertaining to the trial courtesy of @Happily_Angry_Lawyer aka Jim Robichaud, Available online, PDFs: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/15yaqe8kwjoNnIq2dfFCD0Bi1vqP_4hb7
