This is a true crime in real-time update from True Crime Today and the Hidden Killers podcast.

We're diving headfirst into day 18 and 19 of the Richard Allen trial, days that were anything but typical.

The accounts from the courtroom come to us from our contributor, Bob Mata, and the podcast Defense Diaries.

The moment that most people will remember from today's proceedings didn't involve a piece

of evidence or a witness statement.

No, it was an unexpected outburst from a juror cutting through the courtroom silence,

like a gunshot.

Let the expert talk, the juror demanded.

The courtroom collectively held its breath, unsure if the judge would bang the gavel

or if chaos would ensue.

It was a glimpse into the intensity boiling just beneath the surface of this trial,

a trial that has already defied expectations at every turn. But let's start with the

witnesses. Betsy Blair, a key figure in the case, took the stand today and her testimony was

nothing short of critical. Blair recounted her visit to the trails that fateful day, noting the

vehicle she observed parked at the old CPS lot.

According to her, the car didn't match the description of Richard Allen's. In fact, she went out

of her way to emphasize that the color and model resembled her father's mercury comet, a memory

burned into her mind from years of seeing the vehicle. But when she was asked if the vehicle could have

been black, she initially stumbled, prompting a moment of palpable tension in the courtroom,

with one observer remarking that defense attorney Andy Baldwin nearly swallowed his tongue.

On cross-examination, the prosecution didn't hold back. They drilled Blair on the reliability of her recollection,

questioning whether her memory had been influenced by the media or even the passing of time.

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