The woman who prosecutors allege loaned a dog cage to Geralyn Graham, who is accused of killing 4-year-old Rilya Wilson, took the stand Thursday.
"They said that, 'Was this my dog case?' and I put that this was my cage and that was my name," said Detra Winfield.
"Did they tell you to write the part about 'to keep Rilya safe at night?'" asked defense attorney Michael Matters.
"I don't know," said Winfield.
Much of Winfield's testimony Thursday included her confirming the record of original interviews with detectives after Wilson disappeared. According to prosecutors, Winfield loaned the dog cage to Graham, who planned to confine Wilson inside of it.
"I saw her in timeout but I never saw her in the dog cage," said Winfield.
Winfield testified that she recalled Graham saying a Spanish woman took Wilson on a trip and that Graham gave away the girl's furniture and belongings at a garage sale.
"The defendant, your friend, Gerry, say anything about getting a court order to allow Rilya to travel?" asked prosecutor Sally Weintraub.
"No. We didn't have that type of conversation," answered Winfield.
"After the defendant told you that Rilya had gone on this trip with this Spanish lady, did you ever see Rilya again?" said Weintraub.
"No," replied Winfield.
In the afternoon, a crime scene detective dispatched to Graham's home in Kendall in 2004, more than three years after Wilson disappeared and after the family had already moved, testified that little forensic evidence was found at the home except for latent evidence of human bodily fluid or blood in the garage.
Ludwig Smith, a family friend, also testified that he was surprised to find Wilson in the garage during a visit in the fall of 2000.
"Now, she was sitting right here in this area here," said Smith.
Smith was told she was in the garage because of behavioral problems, and that he also asked about the cage.
"That's there, she would put Rilya there to limit her movement," said Smith.
Graham faces a potential life sentence if convicted of first-degree murder and other charges in the case of Wilson, whose body has never been found.
The defense's opening statement focused on the lack of a body and suggested that Rilya, who would be 16 now, might still be alive.
The state's case hinges largely on the testimony of jailhouse snitches who claim that Graham confessed to killing Rilya in conversations with them. Graham insists she is innocent.
The trial continues next Tuesday.
