Defendant takes stand in murder trial
NewsTribune (La Salle, IL)
By Shannon Crawley-Serpette
Putnam-Marshall Bureau Chief
HENNEPIN -- A Putnam County jury watched Thursday afternoon as a largely unemotional Matthew Archer took the stand to describe what happened to 3-year-old Jordan Cain on the last night of her life.
Archer, a 28-year-old Granville resident who faces first-degree murder and aggravated battery charges stemming from Cain's death, rarely looked at the jury during the hour he spent testifying. He described how he and then-girlfriend Janice Schryer -- the couple married Dec. 23, 2003 -- took in her sister's three children to prevent them from being placed in foster homes.
They became the foster children of Schryer's -- Archer never signed any documents, but assumed the role of their foster father, he said. According to Archer, the Cain children were not accustomed to discipline. He wanted them to adjust to the rules of his household, like his and Schryer's 4-year-old biological daughter.
Although he admitted while testifying to spanking Cain a few times, even after learning Department of Children and Family Services had told Schryer spanking was not a permitted punishment, he claims he did not use other forms of physical discipline.
Instead, he made Cain stand in the corner when she misbehaved, he said. He said he noticed Cain had developed a facial bruise on each side of her face after she was made to stand in the corner. He testified she would press her face into the wall while standing in the corner, thereby causing the bruises.
Once he said he grabbed Cain's jaw to turn her head toward him when she wouldn't eat. The next day he noticed bruises on her jaw. Cain, he said, bruised easily.
He recalled Schryer telling him once he shouldn't hit the children.
"I told her that they needed to learn the ground rules to behave," he said.
According to Archer's story, he wasn't the only one who hit Cain. His young daughter was jealous of the other children and would pull Cain's hair, kick her and punch her, he said.
On Oct. 24, the night before Cain was pronounced dead at St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria, Archer was rocking the girl in an attempt to get her to fall asleep. She had been a bit fussy and had wanted to sleep with Schryer, he said.
He stood up with her cradled like a baby in his arms for 10 to 15 minutes, Archer said.
"She was almost asleep," he said.
Archer said he went to place her on a nearby ottoman.
"I missed the ottoman and she fell on the floor," he said, adding she landed on her backside.
As he stooped over to pick up Cain and was attempting to tell her to be quiet, Archer said he felt his knees buckle.
"When I went down I landed on her," he said. "My knees kind of gave out."
According to Archer, he fell on her abdomen. With his knee, he could feel the floor, he said.
"She just kind of moaned a little bit," he said, adding it was followed by a gasping noise.
Archer said he didn't intend to hurt Cain.
After he was taken into custody and taken to Marshall County Jail, Archer then was transported to Ottawa so state police could interview him. Archer said he never told anyone he wanted to make a statement, which contradicted statements made by Sgt. William Heinrich of the state police during an earlier testimony in the trial.
Archer said he spoke with the police because he was scared, nervous and tired, and felt he didn't have a choice.
"I just wanted to go to bed," he said.
Archer said he gave conflicting stories about what happened to Cain because he was scared.
"I didn't know what to do," he said.
Although Archer said it was his acts that caused Cain's death, he doesn't feel he is criminally responsible -- only morally responsible.
Putnam County State's attorney Jim Mack and attorney Charles Zalar, who is assisting Mack with this case, will have the opportunity to cross examine Archer this morning.
Several other defense witnesses testified Thursday including Archer's brother-in-law, sister-in-law and mother-in-law and Janice Archer's father.
During all these testimonies, Cain was described as a small girl who fell down a lot and didn't have much of an appetite. Bruises on her legs were mentioned by several of the witnesses, as were problems with decay on her teeth.
Dr. Bryan Mitchell, a witness called by Mack and Zalar, is a forensic pathologist who serves in multiple counties, including Peoria.
Mitchell conducted Cain's autopsy and was present while many of the photos of her injuries, which have been showed to the jury, were taken.
Looking at the autopsy photos one by one, Mitchell explained the injuries to the jury.
The bruises, he said, were in unusual locations.
"These are areas that are normally protected by appendages," Mitchell said.
The injuries to Cain's abdomen area were significant, he said. They were consistent with a "heavy rapid blow that was delivered focally to the abdomen," Mitchell said.
Mitchell, who watched Archer on the videotape police made of his interview, said the demonstrations he gave during that tape wouldn't have caused the injury.
"The force with which he knelt down is inconsistent with the damage," he said.
The jury also watched the remainder of the videotape in which Archer repeatedly changed his story as to what happened to Cain the night before she died.
Archer's attorney Kevin Sullivan questioned Heinrich about the interviewing techniques the police officers used to get responses out of Archer.
Sullivan asked why the interviewers tried to "lead" Archer to the answers they wanted.
"We suggested scenarios," Heinrich said.
In addition, Archer had very little sleep over the past 48 hours, yet no one offered to let him sleep, Sullivan said.
"You had to know that his nerves were frayed," Sullivan said.
Many questions were repeated because Heinrich said they thought "he was being less than truthful."
"Your goal was to wear him down, wasn't it?" Sullivan asked.
Heinrich said Archer never indicated he wanted to stop the interview.
Judge Scott Shore said he expects the trial to conclude today.
Shannon Crawley-Serpette may be reached at 339-2268 or ntputnam@ivnet.com.