Testimony began Wednesday afternoon in the trial of a man charged with the assault and death of a Fort Dodge woman in an arson fire.
Sessions Harper is charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and sexual assault in the death of 22-year-old Holly Michael.
Harper's trial was moved from Fort Dodge to Storm Lake because of the case's intensive pretrial publicity.
The state had a chance to call a handful of witnesses to testify, including two men who discovered the fire last January.
Court records show that the men broke the door into the home at the time, but they could not find Michael.
The firefighter who found her testified.
"I opened up the basement door and I could immediately hear some screaming coming from the basement," said Fort Dodge firefighter Jeff Hill.
Hill described how he found Michael bound and wrapped in a comforter.
"I could see that they were obviously bound with some kind of wire or something. I could see that there was a lot of burning or smoldering material on top of this person," Hill said.
The state also presented photos of the smoke detectors in Michael's home, showing how the batteries somehow had been disconnected.
"The smoke detector in the basement was in the open position and we found the same thing that the battery had been backed off so it would not operate," said Fort Dodge Fire Chief John Webster.
Webster County attorney Timothy Schott told jurors that he planned to present DNA evidence that shows Harper sexually assaulted Michael.
"You're going to hear that his DNA is on the inside of that condom, showing obviously, that he's the person wearing that condom. Holly Michael's DNA is on the outside of the condom," Schott said.
Defense attorney Michael Williams did not deny that Harper had sex with Michael. He said the two had a previous relationship.
"There's not going to be any doubt that Sessions and Holly had sex. One thing that the state left out was they were friends," Williams said.
He also urged jurors to listen to the details of the testimony that they will hear over the course of the trial. He said that includes the testimony of three doctors who talked with Michael when she arrived at the hospital. They will later share with jurors some of Michael's final words.
Several of Michael's family members and friends were in the courtroom.
