Friends say victim wasn't herself the day before she was found dead

Feb. 8—Friends of a woman found dead more than three years ago told a jury Wednesday that she was not acting like herself when they last saw her, and called the woman's relationship with her ex-husband "toxic."

The first day of a nearly two-week murder trial began in the Frederick County Courthouse for Lemuel Lee Roberts, 34, of Winchester, Virginia, who is accused of killing his ex-wife, Kaitlin Nichole Roberts, 31.

Kaitlin's body was found in Frederick on Jan. 11, 2020, in the area of English Muffin Court and English Muffin Way.

Her body had 32 stab wounds and "sharp force injuries" to her face, charging documents said. Authorities did not say in charging documents or in court on Wednesday when they think she was killed.

Lemuel Roberts pleaded not guilty Monday to one count of first-degree murder.

Frederick County Deputy State's Attorney Kirsten Brown and Assistant State's Attorney Rebecca Clinton called 10 witnesses on Wednesday, including deputies from the Frederick County Sheriff's Office, people from the group that who found Kaitlin, and two of Kaitlin's friends.

Jocelyn Coates was Kaitlin's best friend and a coworker of hers at Olive Garden in Winchester.

"She was very fun, very kind, very vibrant ...," Coates said. "Just a good person in general."

But on the day before her body was found, Coates said, Kaitlin wasn't her usual self at work. Instead, she was a "nervous wreck," anxious and fearful, she said.

Coates said she saw Kaitlin on her phone all day, and saw text messages from an argument between Kaitlin and Lemuel.

At the end of her shift on Jan. 10, 2020, "I was leaving and she said 'I love you,' and 'I'm going to call you later,' and that was the last time I saw her," Coates said, fighting back tears.

Coates also spoke about the relationship between Kaitlin and Lemuel. The couple had two kids together, and one each from previous relationships. They were together on and off for many years, she said.

"[The relationship] was horrible," Coates said. "It was very toxic."

Coates said she saw Kaitlin's injuries stemming from an incident in November 2019. According to charging documents, Lemuel threatened to kill Kaitlin, accusing her of using some of his money to pay bills and financially support their children.

However, Lemuel's attorney, Tony Garcia, said that despite Coates' concern for her friend, she didn't call 911 about the alleged November 2019 incident and didn't call 911 when Lemuel was allegedly stalking Kaitlin.

Coates said she should have, but Kaitlin asked her not to.

Kiersten Dokes, another friend and Olive Garden coworker, told the jury that Kaitlin acted odd the day before her body was found. Kaitlin was a sweetheart, she said, but that day, she seemed agitated.

And like Coates, Dokes told the jury she knew of Lemuel and Kaitlin's toxic relationship.

"It was always back and forth," Dokes said. "It wasn't really healthy. She loved him, but it was a mess."

Dokes testified about a "concerning" November 2019 text conversation between her and Kaitlin. Kaitlin told Dokes over text message that if she ever texted her "911," Dokes should call the police. They also talked about that sometimes in person, Dokes said.

The jury was handed screen shots of the text message conversations, but they were not read aloud.

During cross-examination, Garcia again challenged why Dokes never notified anyone about the concerning conversations or messages. He also challenged how Dokes knew it was Kaitlin on the other line, and not someone else texting on Kaitlin's phone.

During opening statements, Garcia told the jury that there would be plenty of reasonable doubt.

"Not one person will say they saw Mr. Roberts murder Kaitlin," he said. "There's not one video of Mr. Roberts murdering Kaitlin."

However, Clinton argued in her opening statements that the evidence against Lemuel was strong.

"Everyone knew Lemuel was the last person to see Kaitlin," she said. "This couldn't be a coincidence."

Some of Kaitlin's family were at the trial, and were hopeful for a conviction, so that they could put everything to rest.

"Three years is a long time of putting these emotions to the side," Laurie Giles, Kaitlin's aunt, said in an interview.

Lemuel's family was also present, and did not want to comment.

At around 2:02 a.m. on Jan. 11, 2020, Frederick County sheriff's deputies responded to English Muffin Way and English Muffin Court for a report of a body in the roadway, according to charging documents.

Two women driving home from work spotted Kaitlin Roberts' body, and picked up their EMT friend, who confirmed she was dead, charging documents say. Police and the Frederick County Division of Fire and Rescue Services responded shortly after.

Kaitlin's body was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore, which determined she had 32 stab wounds, as well as other wounds consistent with being dragged by a vehicle, charging documents said.

While waiting for the autopsy, a Frederick County, Virginia, fire marshal contacted Frederick County, Maryland, deputies about an incident regarding Roberts' vehicle, a Buick Enclave, that was on fire in Winchester, Virginia, around 3:30 a.m. on Jan. 11, 2020, according to charging documents.

Police found the vehicle on surveillance footage at a Sunoco pulling up to the gas station dumpsters at around 1:10 a.m. Jan. 11, charging documents said. Some of Kaitlin's items were found in that Dumpster.

Follow Clara Niel on Twitter: @clarasniel