Day 3 of the Sabrina Limon murder trial continues today.
UPDATE (September 13, 2017 3:10 p.m.): After a break for lunch, the trial resumes with Jonathan Hearn's mother and father being called to the stand.
Carol Hearn was first to take the stand. She said in April of 2013 Jonathan asked her to pray for a situation involving a relationship. She later said when she heard about Robert's murder she sent Sabrina Limon a sympathy card and would send bible verses. The card she sent said, "Sabrina please know I am praying for you. I do not know what to think or believe about what is going on but I know you can use prayer. May God help you to see himself clearly."
She said she met Sabrina Limon after the murder of Robert Limon at a pizza place.
Carol said Jonathan asked her to pray for him because he was going to call a woman's husband to apologize for being too close to his wife.
Carol also says that letters Jonathan wrote from jail made her have suspicions that his hands were not clean.
Jonathan's father, Mike, then took the stand. He was asked about bible verses.
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UPDATE (September 13, 2017 11:58 a.m.):
Richard Terry begins the cross-examination of witness, Emily Hearn. He starts with questions about the Hearn family's religious background.
Emily testifies that while her brother had dated women for long periods of time in the past, he never called them his "girlfriend".
Emily discusses the speed at which Sabrina and Jonathan's relationship grew following Robert Limon's death. She says she believes that Sabrina moved on from her husband "rather quickly". Emily says Jonathan told her that Sabrina was not in a good marriage and based on the time that Sabrina told her about the "wild parties, loose lifestyle and how Rob would make her drink more than she wanted too", she came to the same conclusion.
Emily testifies that Sabrina and Robert's children were welcoming to the idea of another family and father figure.
Emily Hearn is asked whether her opinion of Jonathan has changed since learning that he killed Robert Limon. She becomes emotional, starts crying and says that her image of him has not changed. She says her brother was loyal and kind but the relationship between them is strained.
She says that she did not know that her brother was capable of murder until she learned of his confession. Emily says that their family's reaction to finding out that Jonathan killed Robert Limon was that "everyone is capable of things that you don't think they're capable of".
Emily Hearn is excused from the witness stand. Court is going to lunch and will resume at 1:30 p.m.)
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UPDATE (September 13, 2017 11:35 a.m.):
Emily Hearn testifies that she told her brother, Jonathan, that he would be under a lot of scrutiny because he spent so much time with Sabrina Limon before her husband's death. She says that she questioned Jonathan about his whereabout the night of Robert's murder.
Emily cries as she recalls the time Sabrina told her that she wanted to move on after Robert's death and said, "The best is yet to come."
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UPDATE (September 13, 2017 11:30 a.m.):
Emily Hearn says that she delivered a bouquet of flowers to Sabrina Limon's home after learning about Robert's death. The siblings visited Sabrina at her Helendale home a few times after Robert's murder. Says she had "a soft spot" for her and her family.
She says that after Robert was killed she thought Johnathan was "trying to fill a void emotionally, financially" for Sabrina's kids.
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UPDATE (September 13, 2017 11 a.m.):
The prosecution calls Emily Hearn, Jonathan Hearn's younger sister, to the witness stand.
Emily says Robert introduced her to Sabrina Limon while the two were at Costco where Sabrina worked, around Christmas 2013.
Emily says Johnathan would talk about Sabrina Limon's home life. He told her that Sabrina was married with children and through light conversations, told her that Sabrina's life wasn't as great as it may appear.
Hearn's sister says she was at Costco with Jonathan when Sabrina's supervisor told them about Robert Limon's death. She says Jonathan was visibly shocked.
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UPDATE (September 13, 2017 10:30 a.m.):
The prosecution calls Daniel Flatten Jr. to the witness stand. Flatten is BSFN's Director of Client Relations. He discusses survivor/child benefirs after an employee dies on the job.
Flatten says that he went to see Sabrina Limon on August 18, 2014, the day after Robert was killed, to deliver survivor/child benefits package. Flatten also says he indicated that BNSF wanted to help with Robert's funeral arrangements. He says BNSF ultimately paid for funeral arrangements.
During Flatten's cross examination, he testifies that BNSF pays up to $15,000 for funeral arrangements. Says Sabrina Limon said that if the funeral costs were less, she wanted the remainder donated to her church.
Flatten discusses the difference between retirement benefits and a settlement. He says settlements average between hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars, but that this is the monetary average for BNSF employees that are killed while performing their job duties.
Flatten says within the two months following Robert Limon's death, Sabrina asked about a settlement with BNSF twice. Says that he told he that not enough time had lapsed to discuss benefits.
Flatten testifies that "no monetary settlement" was ever reached between Sabrina and BNSF after Robert's death.
Flatten is excused from the stand.
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UPDATE (September 13, 2017 10:15 a.m.):
Gates is excused from the witness stand. The prosecution calls Nicolas Denny, BNSF Railway Mechanical Foreman. Denny discusses scheduling of BNSF rapid responders.
Denny is excused from the stand.
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UPDATE (September 13, 2017 10 a.m.):
Gates reviewed cell phone records of Sabrina Limon's primary cell phone and "burner cell" as well as Johnathan Hearn's primary cell.
Gates testifies that there were 1,605 text messages sent between Johnathan Hearn and Sabrina Limon's "burner phone" between August 1, 2014 and August 13, 2014.
Gates said that there were two phone calls and six text messages between Sabrina Limon and Johnathan Hearn. One of the phone calls lasted 134 minutes.
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UPDATE (September 13, 2017 9:40 a.m.):
Kern County Sheriff's deputy Shawn Mountjoy has been excused from the stand. The prosecution calls BNSF Police Captain Thomas Gates to the witness stand.
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UPDATE (September 13, 2017 9:20 a.m.): Kern County Sheriff's deputy Shawn Mountjoy is back on the stand. Court wrapped Tuesday with Mountjoy on the stand. He's answering questions about investigating cell phone records from Sabrina Limon and Jonathan Hearn in 2014.
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