Uncle on Trial: Investigator Agrees With the Defense His Whole Purpose Was to Make an Arrest

The defense told the State's investigator his whole purpose was to make an arrest. Listen to his answer. This is the Uncle on Trial: State of North Carolina v. David Wesley Prevatte, in Pender County Superior Court. David Prevatte is charged with first-degree murder in the death of his five-year-old niece, Paitin Fields, in November 2017. He was named a suspect in 2018 and was not arrested until February 2022. He is presumed innocent, and only this jury decides. Day 7 put Investigator Eric Short on the stand. He picked this case up after the first detective retired, and on direct he told the jury that in his opinion only the red earbuds fit the mark left on Paitin. This clip is the cross-examination, and defense attorney Johnson Britt goes straight at how that arrest came to be. He starts with Short's own words, that he came into the case with an open mind. Then he gets this answer: by the time the file reached him, "the focus on the investigation was David." Short adds that he still had to exclude another man. Britt asks about the swabs taken from Paitin, and whether David's DNA is on them. "No, sir, it does not." Keep that answer where it belongs. It is about those swabs, not every item tested in this case. Then the belt. Counsel says the pathologist's first verbal report to law enforcement named a belt, and he presses on which belt is sitting in evidence. Short says it is the one he photographed and measured. Then the part I want you to hear for yourself. Britt puts wording to him: that he told the pathologist if she could call it consistent with the marks, "then we can make an arrest." That wording is the defense's, and Short says, "I don't remember quite wording like that." What he does recall is her asking, "What do you need from me?" and his asking for a report saying she supported his findings, or, if she thought it was something else, they could pursue that. He says it plainly: "I don't want you to think that I was trying to coach her along to agree with me." Britt's next line: "Your whole purpose was to make an arrest, have fresh eyes look at this case so an arrest could be made." Short: "That's correct, sir. That's exactly right." Asked whether those were his orders, he says the arrest "would only benefit the justice for Paitin." He also agrees it took the case off the sheriff's unsolved list. Wanting an arrest in an unsolved case is not a scandal. That is the job. The question this cross puts to the jury is whether a review that began with that goal ever tested its own answer, when the DNA reports were already in hand and, by his own account, the ear hook was not swabbed and he never resubmitted it. The State asked that he be allowed to explain. That comes on redirect, and we have not heard it yet. --- KEY MOMENTS 0:00 Intro, then the defense asks about his open mind 1:29 "No, sir, it does not," on those swabs 2:35 The defense turns to the belt in evidence 4:08 Counsel puts the "then we can make an arrest" wording to him 5:04 "Your whole purpose was to make an arrest" 8:25 The ear hook that was not swabbed 9:35 Who did this cross help? 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