Here were five critical moments from Day 5 of the Rowland ‘fake Uber’ murder trial

Forensic experts dominated the fifth day of Nathaniel Rowland’s murder trial as the prosecution continued to lay out its case.

Rowland, who is accused of killing University of South Carolina student Samantha Josephson after she got into his car thinking it was an Uber, was linked to Josephson through multiple different types of evidence presented Friday to a Richland County jury.

To read live updates from the day, read our story here.

Here were five pivotal moments that happened Friday:

Josephson’s DNA found on suspected murder weapon

A DNA expert from the State Law Enforcement Division testified Friday that there was “very strong support” that DNA found on a multi-tool — the prosecution’s suspected murder weapon — belongs to Josephson.

Josephson was linked to DNA found on two parts of the multi-tool, according to SLED forensic scientist Ryan DeWane.

SLED does not use the word “match” when it comes to DNA analysis, DeWane explained. Instead, they use a scale in which “very strong support” is the highest level of confidence.

Investigators also found “weak” support that additional DNA found on the tool belonged to Rowland, meaning that he cannot be excluded as a contributor.

Josephson’s DNA found under Rowland’s nails

DeWane also testified that there was “very strong support” that DNA found underneath Rowland’s fingernails belonged to Josephson.

Josephson’s DNA was also found on the heel of Rowland’s black socks. Both Rowland and Josephson’s DNA were found on a bandanna.

Footprints in Rowland’s car match Josephson

SLED Agent Kimberly Mears testified Friday that multiple footprints found inside Rowland’s black Impala matched prints later taken from Josephson.

They found three of Josephson’s footprints on the driver’s side rear window. Two prints from Josephson were also found on a Yankee Candle bag found in the car.

Cell phone expert shows Rowland’s phone’s movements

Former SLED Agent Eric Grabsky, a forensic expert in cell phone location tracking, painted a picture of where Rowland was during the early morning hours in which Josephson was murdered for the jury using cell phone tower data.

Rowland mapped the phone’s movement using historical cell phone data. He showed that when Josephson was kidnapped from Five Points, Rowland and Josephson’s phones were using “similar towers in a similar area.”

Grabsky also showed Rowland’s phone utilizing different towers through east Columbia and through Sumter, the same path police say he took while driving Josephson to the location where he ultimately left her body.

At about 4:30 a.m., Rowland’s phone accessed two towers facing the direction of where Josephson’s body was located, Grabsky testified. “It’s possible,” that someone located where the body was used those towers based on a technique that uses distance from tower indicators to determine an approximate location, Grabsky said.

Rowland’s belongings test positive for blood

Former SLED lab technician Verona Herrea testified Friday that several items owned by Rowland tested positive for blood during presumptive testing.

Herrea explained that when an item is presumed to have blood or another bodily fluid on it, her job as a forensic serologist is to perform a presumptive test, meaning taking a sample of the item, spraying it with a chemical and seeing if it reacts. Other chemicals and things in an environment can produce a false positive, Herrea stressed, so if an item receives a positive presumptive test, it’s then forwarded to the SLED DNA lab for additional testing.

Items that tested positive for blood during the presumptive testing phase included a swab from a black jacket found in the rear passenger seat of Rowland’s car, a cutting from the heel of Rowland’s black socks, a cutting from the right shoulder of Rowland’s gray Puma hoodie and a cutting from one of Rowland’s bandannas.

This story was originally published July 23, 2021 at 6:18 PM with the headline "Here were five critical moments from Day 5 of the Rowland ‘fake Uber’ murder trial."

Emily Bohatch

The State

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Emily Bohatch helps cover South Carolina’s government for The State. She also updates The State’s databases. Her accomplishments include winning multiple awards for her coverage of state government and of South Carolina’s prison system. She has a degree in Journalism from Ohio University’s E. W. Scripps School of Journalism. Support my work with a digital subscription