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Murder trial opens with description of toddler stroking dead mother's hair

The detailed description of a toddler kneeling near his deceased mother's head and stroking her hair sent a jolt through a Camden County courtroom Wednesday afternoon.

Troy Whye, 39, is on trial in the murder of his girlfriend, Krystal Skinner, 23. (Charles Fox / Staff Photographer)
Troy Whye, 39, is on trial in the murder of his girlfriend, Krystal Skinner, 23. (Charles Fox / Staff Photographer)Read more

The detailed description of a toddler kneeling near his deceased mother's head and stroking her hair sent a jolt through a Camden County courtroom Wednesday afternoon.

After a brief pause, Assistant Prosecutor Sally Smith went on to describe how, when police found him, the boy, three months shy of his third birthday, had been at his mother's side, a butcher knife nearby.

John Whye's father, Troy, 39, is on trial in the murder of his girlfriend, Krystal Skinner, 23, who was killed March 26, 2008, in the couple's Lindenwold apartment in front of their son.

During her opening statement, Smith described young John next to his mother, causing Skinner's relatives to burst into tears and rush out of the courtroom.

Whye, who showed little emotion Wednesday, made the unusual decision to legally represent himself and use his court-appointed attorney, Albert M. Afonso, for consultation. After Smith outlined the case she planned to present, Whye delivered his own opening statement.

He had to refer to himself in the third person, so his statements would not be considered testimony and subject to cross-examination.

"I want to tell you that Mr. Whye is not guilty of these charges," he told the jury. "Mr. Whye is innocent."

Whye contended that there was no direct evidence, such as DNA or fingerprints, linking him to the attack and that the prosecutor's case relied on circumstantial evidence.

Smith described how Skinner, an honors student at Rutgers University-Camden, had been arguing with Whye in the months leading up to her death. In the final argument, Smith said, Skinner told him to leave and not come back, but Whye "did not want to let her go."

Instead, Smith said, Whye turned to his cousin Asenith Whye and asked her to talk to Skinner, telling her, "I love Krystal. I can't lose her."

Just two days before Skinner's death, Smith said, Whye told his cousin, "If Krystal does not stop acting up, I'm going to have to kill her."

Skinner and Asenith Whye were to meet March 25, but Skinner never showed up and never returned calls. The next day, Troy Whye told Asenith Whye that Skinner was OK and that she had just called him.

Asenith Whye and another cousin went to check on Skinner and called 911 when she did not answer the door, even though her car was in the parking lot.

Officer Andrew Tweedley testified that a maintenance worker unlocked the door to the second-floor apartment and that Tweedley entered with Officer Corey Davis.

They spotted Skinner's body and her son.

The boy "was kneeling down right above her head and had a portion of her hair in his hands," Tweedley testified. "He was stroking her hair."

The officer scooped the boy in his arms and rushed him outside.

"He looked visibly upset, startled, his eyes wide open," Tweedley testified.

The officer said that for two hours, he tried to comfort the boy with toys and a pen and paper. The toddler blurted out, "Troy hit my face," Tweedley said. He made stabbing gestures with the pen, repeatedly saying his father's name and profanities. He also said, "Troy hit Mommom."

Troy Whye was arrested several days later.

The trial resumes Thursday before Superior Court Judge Samuel Natal.