Posted: Tuesday, January 10, 2012, 3:fifty seven PM Up-to-date: Wednesday,

Posted: Tuesday, January 10, 2012, 3:fifty seven PM Up-to-date: Wednesday, January eleven, 2012, eleven:14 AM
Enlarge
Michaelangelo Conte/The Jersey Journal
Shawn Southerland, right, who's defending himself costs he murdered his girlfriend in April 2007, makes a degree in court yesterday as Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor Tim Moriarty looks on. Michaelangelo Conte/The Jersey Journal
Trial below method of accused Bayonne killer gallery (four images)
The defense mitchell ondemand 5 of an accused Bayonne murderer that's performing as his very own legal professional got off into a shaky start nowadays about the initial day of his non-jury trial.
Shawn Southerland, 50, of 29th Avenue, is billed with killing his girlfriend, Christie Neely, 36, in 2007 inside automotive scanners their home and dumping her body inside the Bronx.
Prosecutors contend that Neely was choked to demise while in the Bayonne home several days ahead of her physique was found on April seven, 2007 in a suitcase dumped around the Henry Hudson Parkway.
Southerland showed no emotion as gruesome autopsy photos of his decomposed girlfriend ended up exhibited and analyzed by Bronx Health worker Dr. Caroline Kappen right now. At some point he objected to your amount of photos, declaring "It's like she's supplying a category."
Top-quality Court Judge Francis Schultz, who will make a decision Southerland's guilt or innocence, overruled the objection.
Earlier Southerland accused prosecutors of adjusting the date on which they are saying Neely was killed. Schultz overruled him declaring "I will not see anything that is really inconsistent and positively practically nothing which is prejudicial."
John Convery, a community defender that was assigned to Southerland's situation, sat in the courtroom and was called on several times for tips and knowledge. On occasion, the judge needed to make clear method to the defendant. It's believed that Southerland had some paralegal education and worked in a very legislation company at one time.
When Neely's body was found, Ny police