Videotape Focus of Kelsey Smith Hearing

A dispute over a department store surveillance videotape on which a Kansas teen was abducted was the focus of a court hearing in the murder case of Kelsey Smith. Defense attorneys for Edwin Hall got a surprise when they protested that prosecutors had not given them a copy of the video from the Overland Park Target store.

The prosecution turned over the tape last September, they said.

District Attorney Phill Kline said copies of the Target video had been made available to the defense months earlier. Kline's assistant testified the defense had picked up the tapes in September.

Kline told the court it was possible the defense did not realize they had the tapes because of the voluminous amount of material turned over to them.

A forensic expert testified in the hearing that the videotape as originally viewed over Target's equipment left out details because the files were digitally compressed. When viewed over proper equipment, the tape shows Kelsey Smith walking to her car, opening her passenger-side door to put her packages in and walking around to the driver's side.

Abduction Caught on Tape

A blurry figure appears in the video as she walked to the driver's side and pushes her inside, Eddie Burns testified.

Edwin Hall, 27, of Olathe, Kansas is charged with abducting, raping and strangling Kelsey Smith, who disappeared about 7 p.m. after leaving the Target store on June 2. Her body was found June 6 near Longview Lake, about 10 miles away.

See Also:
Video From Target Shows Kelsey Smith Was Abducted, Forensic Expert Testifies

Background:
The Murder of Kelsey Smith

Forum:
Discuss The Kelsey Smith Case

^{Photo: Mug Shot}