Jury begins deliberations in trial of school bus aide accused in death of special-needs student
Jurors deliberated for two and a half hours on Thursday before going home for the day. They will resume their work on Monday.
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A jury is now deciding the fate of a Franklin Township school bus aide on trial in the death of a student under her care.
Jurors deliberated for two and a half hours on Thursday and will resume on Monday at the Somerset County Courthouse.
This was the third day of the trial. To start the day, the defense only called one witness, defendant Amanda Davila. While on the stand, she tried to deflect blame for the death of Fajr Williams.
Davila testified that she wasn’t trained to deal with a child’s lap belt or harness, adding that it was the victim’s teenage sister who incorrectly buckled her lap belt, allowing the girl to slump in her seat and choke.
Defense attorney Michael Policastro questioned his client.
“Are you responsible in any way for that seatbelt harness?" Policastro asked.
“No,” replied Davila.
"Were you ever trained to adjust it or inspect it?" the attorney continued.
Davila responded, "No.”
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In closing, Policastro said Davila is being held up as a scapegoat.
“She’s the one. The witch hunt is after her. Like I said, nobody should go down for this. It was horrible. It’s a tragedy,” Policastro said.
However, the prosecution is leaning heavily on video from inside the bus which shows Williams slowly being strangled by her own harness. All the while, jurors see Davila sitting in front of the girl, not next to her.
Davila never turns around to look. Instead, she is seen on her phone, shooting off 34 text messages, also on Instagram, and wearing earbuds. The prosecutor says Davila went through training for over six years on the job, telling her not to do that.
At one point, Assistant Prosector Mike McLaughlin held up six years' worth of training sheets Davila signed off on.
“Her signature is on all of them. She’s not drinking coffee at all of these safety meetings, she’s learning about wheelchairs,” McLaughlin told jurors.
While on the stand, Davila also told jurors she has been suffering from PTSD and depression and is seeing a therapist.
Davila faces 10-15 years in prison if convicted.
