The defendant in a trial for a 13-year-old murder told jurors Thursday she doesn’t remember much about the circumstances of her life nor what happened the week her elderly aunt was murdered.
Stephanie Ann Bryant took the stand in her own murder trial on Thursday, testifying she doesn’t remember much about the days surrounding the Greenwood murder, on or around Christmas Eve 2006. For example, a detective presented her with a warrant for her blood to be drawn in the days following the gruesome crime. Bryant claimed she does not remember that conversation.
The lead detective on the homicide case interviewed Bryant early Christmas morning 2006. Bryant claimed she didn’t recall much of that interview. She also didn’t recall fully what happened Dec. 23, one day before her aunt’s body was found in a shed, nor being interviewed on Christmas at a downtown Indianapolis bus station while wearing blood-stained clothes.
Bryant, 58, is accused of killing Stella Morgan, 83 at the time, sometime in the days leading up to Christmas 2006, at Morgan’s home on Main Street in downtown Greenwood. Morgan died of blunt force trauma to her head after she was beat to death with a hammer, the lead detective testified earlier this week.
Biologically, Morgan was Bryant’s aunt, but those involved in the case say Morgan raised Bryant and Bryant called her “mom.” Bryant was charged with Morgan’s murder in late 2006, but was deemed incompetent to stand trial in early 2007. She was released from Larue D. Carter Memorial Hospital, a psychiatric hospital on the west side of Indianapolis, in late 2018, after hospital officials said Bryant’s competency had been restored.
Johnson County Prosecutor Joe Villanueva and deputy prosecutor Megan Smither are prosecuting the case for the state. Jennifer Wilson Reagan and John P. Wilson, of the Wilson and Wilson law firm in Whiteland, make up Bryant’s defense. The trial is in Johnson County Circuit Court, with Judge Andrew S. Roesener presiding.
Thursday morning, two evidence technicians from the Indiana State Police lab testified about where blood was located at the home and on Bryant. One technician testified that DNA evidence revealed Morgan’s blood was on Bryant’s jeans, shoes, jacket and sweatshirt, which she was wearing at the time of her arrest.
Thursday afternoon, Bryant took the stand.
She laid out details of her life, such as what happened the week Morgan died. Both of Bryant’s biological parents died before she was 6 years old.
She moved in with Morgan and her husband, attended Greenwood High School, as well as a high school in Florida, before moving out on her own, getting married and later divorced.
Bryant testified that, as an adult, she worked at an egg hatchery, but quit after one day due to the smell. She worked at a department store for a few years, earned money at a family farm and later sold the farm, which was bequeathed to her by her biological family. She also panhandled in front of a downtown Indianapolis pharmacy, she said.
Bryant responded, “I don’t remember” or “No” to a lot of her defense attorney’s questions. They worked to jog her memory about her history of mental illness and other details of her life.
“Did you yell at grass or talk to yourself in voices?” Reagan asked.
“No,” Bryant said.
Bryant testified that during a trip to Washington D.C., she got stuck in the gates of the White House. The Secret Service caught her. She was taken to a mental health facility in that area, where she said she did not receive a diagnosis or medication.
Family testified Wednesday she lived alone at the farm in Benton County for part of her adult life. She spent a weekend at a mental health facility after she and a dog were found emaciated, Reagan said.
She lived with Morgan off and on at her Greenwood home, where she would sleep on the floor. She had a daily routine. She would leave Morgan’s home in the morning, catch a bus to downtown Indianapolis to spend the day, then catch a bus back to spend the night in Greenwood.
On Christmas Eve 2006, Bryant testified she called Morgan multiple times during the day because the buses had shut down early and she needed a ride home.
Reagan alleged Bryant did not receive a diagnosis or medication for her mental illness until months after her aunt’s death, around the time she was deemed incompetent to stand trial in March 2007. She was then taken to Larue, where Bryant said she was uncooperative initially because she was scared.
“It was not a bad place to stay. I liked the people,” Bryant said.
Smither cross-examined Bryant. The deputy prosecutor asked if Morgan ever gave her money — $1,000 or $2,000 — based on earlier testimony from family. Bryant testified Morgan gave her $2,000 on at least one occasion, then stopped.
“She just said she couldn’t do it anymore,” Bryant said.
Family also testified Wednesday Bryant had started fires at Morgan’s home and at the farm.
After cross-examination, jury members had a chance to ask Bryant questions.
“DNA evidence proved that Morgan’s blood was on your clothing. How did it get there?” one juror asked.
“I don’t remember,” Bryant said.
“Buses shut down around 1 p.m. on Christmas Eve and you were looking for a ride. Why did you call your ‘mom’ in the morning?”
“I started calling her at night.”
“Were you scared or sad when your mom asked you to find a new place to live before Christmas 2006?”
“No.”
The trial started Tuesday, and a verdict is expected today. Testimony from two mental health experts and closing statements are scheduled to take place before deliberations.
