Patricia Byrd

Patricia Byrd testified on Day 6 about conversations she said she had with Donna Adelson while both were housed at the Leon County Jail. She said Adelson admitted acting to keep her grandchildren and said events were not supposed to go as far as they did.

Byrd also testified that Adelson asked her to falsely attribute a statement to Katherine Magbanua, although Byrd said Magbanua had not made it. According to Byrd, Adelson proposed housing, land, dental work, and canteen items in connection with that request.

Byrd disclosed that she was in custody for a probation violation, faced another pending case and possible prison time, and had received no promise or offer for her testimony. On cross-examination, defense counsel challenged her recollection through differing accounts of investigator visits, her description of an investigator, and jail records that conflicted with parts of her memory. Byrd accepted the records as accurate and explained that an earlier answer about the investigator's race resulted from confusion over the question.

On redirect, Byrd said she and Adelson spent time together regularly despite living in different jail pods. She repeated that Adelson answered yes when Byrd asked whether she had done what she was accused of doing.