Forensics expert takes stand in trial

By Staff
Jonathan Willis
A forensics expert testified this week that a smoke detector was removed from a hallway wall before a fire began that killed a six year-old Russellville boy last year.
Dr. James Munger testified Tuesday that the house fire that killed Mason Scott at his family's Signore Drive home last August was "intentionally set."
Christie Michelle Scott, 30, of Russellville, is charged with capital murder in the death of her son. If convicted, she could receive the death penalty.
Munger examined a smoke detector that was found in the hallway outside Mason Scott's room that he shared with his younger brother, Noah. Noah was sleeping in a separate bedroom with Christie Scott when the fire began.
Munger told jurors the detector could not have been hanging on the wall during the fire because of the condition that it was found in.
He said the smoke detector suffered minimal damage.
"If it had been hanging on the wall I would have expected the smoke detector to be molten lava," Munger said. "It would have been a big molten lump. This smoke detector was and still is operational. You could hang it on the wall and it would work."
Prosecutors believe Christie Scott removed the smoke alarm to avoid waking her son.
Fire investigators believe the fire began on a bed in Mason Scott's room where his younger brother, Noah, usually slept.
Defense attorney Robert Tuten contends an electrical problem started the fire and has argued that two outlets that were lost before his investigators had an opportunity to inspect them hamper his ability to defend Scott.
On Monday, state medical examiner Dr. Emily Ward testified that Mason Scott had a high level of carbon monoxide in his lungs, meaning that he was alive during the fire.
She could not determine how long he might have lived during the fire.
Tuten questioned witnesses about the amount of carbon monoxide in Mason's lungs and contends that the high amount would have had to resulted from a long smoldering fire.
But, Munger said Tuesday that was not the case and he believes the fire was extremely quick.
Ward said high carbon monoxide levels are not unusual in children because they have smaller lungs and more rapid heartbeats than adults.