Emotional and graphic: Testimony begins in 2020 Lake Morton double-murder trial

The prosecution and witnesses described a gruesome and bloody crime scene Monday during the first day of testimony in the trial of Marcell Jerrill Waldon, who is charged with killing former Lakeland City Commissioner Edie Yates Henderson and her husband, David Henderson, in November 2020.

In court in Bartow on Monday, Police recounted blood from floor to ceiling in the third-floor master bedroom of the Henderson's picturesque home overlooking Lake Morton in downtown Lakeland.

The couple were found stabbed to death Nov. 10, 2020, in their home at 137 Lake Morton Drive. Together they had suffered more than 23 knife wounds.

In all, Waldon faces 11 charges in connection with the slayings. The State Attorney’s Office for the 10th Judicial Circuit Court is seeking the death penalty against Waldon, 39, of Lakeland.

A grand jury had indicted Waldon with 10 crimes in the killings. Charges included two first-degree murder charges; burglary of a dwelling with assault or battery while armed with a firearm; kidnapping for holding Edie Yates Henderson against her will; attempted arson for trying to set the couple's home on fire after the crime; grand theft of David Henderson’s Audi A6; arson for setting the car on fire; and tampering with physical evidence.

He also faces a forgery charge for allegedly attempting to cash a $5,000 check that the prosecution said he had forced Edie Yates Henderson to write at gunpoint.

Circuit Judge J. Kevin Abdoney read the charges against Waldon to the jury just after 9 a.m. Monday before opening statements were presented.

Edie's son, Todd Baylis, was among 11 witnesses called by assistant state attorney Mark Levine on Monday. Baylis called police when he suspected something was not right at the Hendersons' home during a check on his parents that day.

His mother had not shown up for a doctor’s appointment for an MRI of her shoulder and an office manager had called him to say she had missed business appointments, which was uncharacteristic of her.

After suspecting foul play on entering the home, Baylis backed out of the home, called 911 and waited for police in the driveway.

In court, he appeared emotional when his 911 call was played for the jury to hear. He told a dispatcher that he had noticed something was wrong because of the state of his parents’ kitchen, where the burners on their gas stove were left turned on.

Other clues that something was wrong at the home included their takeout breakfast from Fat Jack’s eatery sitting untouched on the table. Drawers had been rifled through. The side door to the home was unlocked, and his mother’s red two-door Mercedes was still parked in the driveway.

Other close family members who testified included his Baylis' wife, Sarah Baylis, and stepbrother Will Henderson.

When Lakeland police arrived at the house about 6 p.m., they scanned for a possible intruder, going floor by floor with their flashlights in a methodical search until they came to Edie in her bedroom.

Lakeland police officer Eric Nickels said they saw her on her bed, covered in blood, and her ankles tied. She appeared to have been stabbed in what he described as “... tons of trauma. What looked like stab wounds.”

David Henderson was found near a closet in the bedroom face down with multiple stab wounds to his back and other areas of his body. The police officers described having to tip-toe around the blood to avoid stepping on it. Some of it had started to dry, they said.

Benjamin Blommel, a former Lakeland police officer who was also on the initial response, testified he had never seen so much blood at a crime scene before, describing blood on the floor, walls and ceiling. “It was startling to say the least.”

Sgt. James Henry testified, “There was blood everywhere. It was surreal”

The couple were clearly deceased, so the first responders left the bedroom to secure the crime scene by tying yellow caution tape around trees at the perimeter of the home and called their supervisor for a crime-scene processing unit.

Levine had also called to the stand Susan Starr, who was the human resources manager and office manager at the Hendersons’ company who reported Edie missing to family members, and Fat Jack’s employee Tammy Barnes, who had talked with David Henderson the morning of the killings as he picked up breakfast for two before returning home.

Also at Fat Jack’s was Duke Chadwell, a longtime regular customer sitting at a booth with a friend. He recalled the outgoing David Henderson stopping to talk with him as the takeout order was being prepared.

When David Henderson had returned, he drove up a common driveway shared with neighbor Linda Boyington. She had seen his Audi parked that morning after returning home with breakfast. Her husband Steven Boyington, an architect who had helped design and build their twin homes with Edie (then Edie Baylis), also testified.

Two killings, two months apart Suspect in killing of homeless man in Eloise is now wanted in Winter Haven woman's death

During an opening statement of over an hour, Levine frequently made stabbing motions with his hand and counted out loud the number of stab wounds per victim and pointed multiple times to Waldon to emphasize the prosecution's allegations that he committed the murders.

He also alleged that Waldon hung out with Jarvis Collins after the crimes were committed, ditched the knife and bloody clothes in a hotel dumpster and purchased gas while placing the revolver he used to rob Edie on the car trunk.

Levine said Waldon wore gloves in the house and none of his DNA was recovered at the crime scene, but Edie Yates Henderson's DNA was found on the drawstring of a red bag in which the revolver and stolen jewelry were carried from the crime scene.

Levine explained the stove burners left on and the torching of the Audi in a Lakeland field by Waldon had resulted in the charges of attempted arson and arson. He said Waldon also placed the Hendersons' cell phones into a microwave and melted them, making them unable to receive texts and calls from family worried about their whereabouts.

Other evidence Levine told the jury he would be presenting at the trial were photos taken as the crimes were being committed, an act he called “sick and twisted.” He alleged the images were taken by Waldon and show the clothing that witnesses who saw him that day said he was wearing, including black tennis shoes and jeans.

The knife and murder weapon, as well as the revolver used to hold one of the victims at gunpoint was also in at least one of the 10 to 12 pictures, Levine said. Despite Waldon trying to delete them on his cell phone, he said they were later retrieved forensically by a Lakeland detective in the phone’s trash folder.

During cross examination of witnesses, defense attorney Debra Tuomey homed in on inconsistencies in witness accounts, pointing out that one of the police officers said he turned off the gas stove but Todd Baylis said he turned it off before going outside to dial 911.

Further, one police officer said he smelled gas from the stove, but other witnesses who entered the kitchen before the bodies were found did not smell the gas.

She also asked witnesses who had keys to the Hendersons' home, including lawn maintenance workers, handymen and housekeepers.

She called Waldon a homeless, “simple man” during her brief, three-minute opening. She asked witnesses during cross examinations if they were aware that several homeless facilities exist downtown and the area is known for homeless people lingering.

She stressed to the jury that there would be inconsistencies in the prosecution’s version of events and that they needed to remember that the charges were allegations.

The jury’s job was to be fact checkers, she said.

During jury selection last week, Levine read off a list of 127 potential witnesses who could be called during the trial. It could last until Feb. 16 if it goes all five weeks that Abdoney had set aside for both phases of the trial, including a penalty phase should the Waldon be found guilty. On Tuesday, the prosecution was expected to continue calling witnesses.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Testimony begins in Marcelle Waldon's Lake Morton double-murder trial