Prosecution, defense come to rest for Madden trial

The State of Tennessee v. Madden trial ended its fourth day, during which the prosecution and the defense came to rest and revealed to the jury their rebuttal arguments.

Attorney Joe Brandon Jr. asked his client and the defendant, Shanterrica Madden, to take the stand to testify. While on the stand, she repeatedly apologized for stabbing Tina Stewart, a Lady Raider and Madden’s roommate.

“I wanted to kill myself,” Madden said, crying. “I didn’t mean to hurt her. I wasn’t trying to do it, I should have helped her. I could have saved her, and I am sorry.”

Shanterrica Madden becomes emotional as she describes the night she fought with and stabbed Tina Stewart. Photo courtesy of John Gillis, DNJ.hurt her. I wasn’t trying to do it. I should’ve helped her. I could’ve saved her, and I am sorry.”

Madden told the jury what she remembered about March 2, 2011, the day the altercation between Stewart and Madden occurred. She said she only remembered stabbing Stewart once in the chest, and that she had suicidal thoughts after the stabbing.

The defendant said the fight became physical during a verbal argument between the girls regarding Madden smoking marijuana in the apartment. Stewart, who was regularly drug tested as an athlete, called the complex’s courtesy officer upon smelling the smoke from the blunts.

Madden said she knocked on Stewart’s door to confront the issue.

“I didn’t want her to have any problems with me,” Madden said. “I didn’t want her not to like me.”

Madden testified that as she was leaving the room, Stewart pushed her. When Madden turned around, the two began to fight. Madden said that Stewart kept hitting her on the top of the head, and she was ignoring her pleas to stop.

“I was scared,” Madden said. “I just wanted it to stop.”

After the fight, Madden testified that she took the broken knife and a Tinkerbell blanket from Stewart’s room, and placed these items in a clear garbage bag. Madden also testified that she didn’t call 911, but looked for the number to campus police. However, she never found the phone number or made the phone call.

Madden said she left the apartment and walked around the Raiders Crossing parking lot. She testified that she doesn’t remember placing the garbage bag or the two other knives, Stewart’s jacket and a bra in the dumpster.

While she was walking, Madden called her mother Shantel Madden, who testified that she remembered this account.

“She told me that she and Tina got in a fight, and she didn’t know why,” Shantel said. “I told her to pack her stuff and we were going to go back to Memphis.”

Madden’s mother also said that Madden would no longer attend MTSU after spring break. Her mother had applied to three different colleges around the Memphis area for Madden.

Shantel said that Madden never told her she stabbed Stewart over the course of two phones calls that evening.

“I called her back asking if she got her stuff,” Shantel Madden said. “While we were on the phone I heard K.C. in the background hollering. I told her to ‘Run! Run!’ I heard high hollering then; after that, her phone went dead.

Madden said she didn’t tell her mother the entire situation because she was scared and didn’t know what to do. She also told the court that she lied about the other man she first reported walking around the grounds looking for Stewart.

The defense brought in one more character witness to testify on Madden’s behalf– English professor Karen Ford, who had Madden in her classes for a semester-and-a-half.

“She was a good, successful student,” Ford said. “She was not outspoken, but focused. She did everything asked of her, and asked me questions when she had them.”

Ford also said she didn’t know Madden outside of the classroom, but she considered her to be a model student.

Once the defense officially rested, the prosecution brought in Jessica Kietch, a Raiders Crossing employee, for their rebuttal argument.  Kietch handled Madden and Stewart’s problem back in early Jan. 2011 after Madden’s mother called to complain about K.C. Anuna staying over in the apartment.

Kietch read the report she typed that included her conversation with Madden.

“Shanterrica came to the office complaining that her roommate was causing them overages because she kept changing the thermostat,” Kietch said. “She also talked about the problems she had with her roommate and her roommate’s boyfriend. She wanted to have a roommate meeting.”

Kietch testified that she called Stewart twice and left her voicemails to call back the Raiders Crossing office to consult the matter. Stewart never called back. Kietch also said that she later typed the report, and was unsure of the exact day when Madden came to the office and complained.

Court will resume Monday at 9 a.m.  and both sides will present their closing arguments. While the court is out of session, the jury will stay sequestered in Murfreesboro.

However, Judge Don Ash arranged for the jury members to spend time with their families on Mother’s Day.