Accused of Killing His Stepdaughter: Patterson Trial Begins

Monday, January 24th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

A jury hears testimony in the murder case of 15-year-old Tiffany Beverly. Oscar Patterson, her stepfather, was sitting in the defendantâ€™s chair on Monday, charged with killing her.

Mondayâ€™s testimony focused on the timeline. A timeline that prosecutors hope to use against Patterson and that defense attorneys believe will provide him with an alibi. Patterson walked into court facing a murder charge nearly three years after his stepdaughter's disappearance.

Detectives who investigated the case believe Patterson sexually abused Beverly, then killed her in order to cover it up. The girlâ€™s skeletal remains were found a year and a half after her disappearance. Patterson had said he had nothing to do with the disappearance. Pattersonâ€™s wife and Beverlyâ€™s mother believes he is innocent as she has maintained since the time of his arrest.

The defense hopes to show that Patterson went about his normal activities the day his stepdaughter disappeared. They also want to show that he simply didn't have time to kill his Beverly and hide her body. "It just couldn't have happened May 27th," said Pattersonâ€™s attorney David Phillips. "Because after that date, everybody is involved in trying to look for this young lady."

For much of the day, the prosecution and defense focused on the activities of the day in May 1997, when Beverly disappeared. Her younger sister testified she woke up early that morning to hear Beverly crying. She also testified that Beverly told her that Patterson had molested her.

Prosecutors believe to hide that crime, Patterson killed his stepdaughter. The trial is expected to last at least a couple of weeks.