CSI Tells Uncle on Trial Jury Paitin Fields' Clothing Was Thrown Out Before Police Got It | Pt 18

The clothing Paitin Fields had on at the ER never reached a lab. The crime scene lieutenant told the jury the hospital disposed of it before investigators came back. Paitin Fields was five in November 2017, when her uncle, David Prevatte, and his stepfather, Dale Hunt, rushed her to the emergency room in Burgaw, North Carolina. David was named a suspect in 2018 and not charged until 2022. The uncle on trial is charged in her death and with other charges, and he is presumed innocent. The State gave notice on Feb. 9 that it will not seek the death penalty, StarNews reported. This is the second block of court on Day 4, and the defense is finishing its cross of Lt. Daniel Wells of the Pender County Sheriff's Office. Luther Johnson Britt III walks Wells through what was collected and what was not. Boxers and work pants bagged as one item, then split by Wells himself. A vacuum whose contents were never examined. A belt sent out for a different DNA collection method in March 2021, and items sent to a private lab that June, more than three years after Paitin died. Samples from David the next day, but no standard suspect kit, and nobody asked whether he had showered. Then the clothing. On Day 1 the ER nurse, Krystal Beck, was asked what happened to it: "I believe we bagged it and sent it with her to New Hanover." Here Wells says investigators went back for it and hospital staff had already disposed of it. Who threw it away, and when? The record does not say yet. The defense put it to him that all of that potential evidence was lost, and he agreed. With the jury out, the judge turns to David Prevatte. --- WATCH WITH JUSTICE 0:00:00 What this video is, and a preview 0:00:19 Intro 0:01:18 to 0:08:24 - Video starts: The judge clears up who marked State's 24: Lisa Hunt, not Savannah. Britt shows a copy with letters written on the photo, then asks about the dogs. Any collar or leash in the house? Wells doesn't remember seeing any. 0:08:24 to 0:23:59 - The northeast bedroom nightstand on screen, the red earbuds balled up under a charging cord. Nothing seized from the master bedroom, bath or laundry. Then reference swabs collected weeks later, and who decides what gets tested: "The lead investigator has the final say." 0:23:59 to 0:37:21 - Boxers and work pants went in one bag. Who separated them? "I did." Watch Britt build from cross-contamination to a vacuum never examined, a belt tested in 2021, and a private lab with no return date in his notes. 0:37:21 to 0:44:58 - No standard suspect kit, and nobody asked David about a shower: "he could have lied to us." Then the hospital. Staff "had already disposed of them before we were able to pick them up." All of that potential evidence, lost. "Yes, sir." 0:44:58 to 0:50:57 - The State's redirect: why the northeast bedroom? A door that shuts, items they believed could have been used, and David was staying there. The Hunts said they were together. Two photos from Nov. 17 show a living room that looks different. 0:50:57 to 0:57:14 - Recross on one bookshelf photo. Asked whether an item on it resembles a dog leash, Wells says he can't tell. He is released subject to recall. With the jury gone, the judge to David: "Can't do that. He is a witness testifying." He tells him to remain silent, "regardless of who's up here." CASE BACKGROUND REPORT: https://justiceisaprocess.com/nc-v-da... Complete case overview including the charges, the timeline, the key players, and the legal questions this trial raises. State of North Carolina v. David Wesley Prevatte. Pender County Superior Court in Burgaw, North Carolina. Prevatte is charged with first-degree murder in the 2017 death of his five-year-old niece, along with other charges. Jury selection began on September 28, 2026. He is presumed innocent unless and until the State proves each charge beyond a reasonable doubt. LATEST ARTICLE: https://justiceisaprocess.com/desk-20... PLAYLISTS AND RESOURCES Website: https://justiceisaprocess.com/coverag... Full Trial Live Broadcasts:    • NC v. David Prevatte: Full Trial Live Broa...   No Breaks Edition:    • NC v. David Prevatte: No Breaks Edition   Trial Analysis Podcast:    • NC v. David Prevatte: Case Story Trial Pod...   Key Moments and Testimony:    • NC v. David Prevatte: Key Moments & Testimony   Commentary:    • NC v. David Prevatte: Commentary   Subscribe for Daily Coverage:    / @justiceisaprocess   FAIR USE AND EDUCATIONAL PURPOSE This content is produced under Fair Use (17 U.S.C. 107) for news reporting, criticism, and educational purposes. We provide transformative commentary on public court proceedings, advancing public understanding of the judicial process through timestamps, analysis, and educational context. #JusticeIsAProcess #DavidPrevatte #PrevatteTrial