Witness says slain priest was hit 25 times Doctor’s statement differs from suspect’s

The attacker who bludgeoned a Dallas priest to death in November struck at least 25 blows to his victim’s head, a Dallas County medical examiner testified Wednesday.

Jurors heard details of the wounds to the Rev. Anthony Boake in the capital murder trial of his alleged killer, David Burton Nesbitt. Mr. Nesbitt, 22, is accused of beating Father Boake to death Nov. 6 and stealing his car, religious objects and money from his wallet. He faces a possible life sentence if convicted.

Dr. Joni McClain told jurors Wednesday that the beating, with what police and prosecutors say was a claw hammer, smashed Father Boake’s skull and broke loose several of his teeth.

She also said that a broken finger and scrapes and bruises on Father Boake’s hands could have come in a struggle to defend himself.

Dr. McClain’s findings differed from a statement that police say Mr. Nesbitt gave them shortly after his arrest on Nov. 8. In the statement, read for jurors Tuesday, Mr. Nesbitt admitted striking the priest only a handful of times. He said several of the blows came after Father Boake had been knocked motionless to the floor.

Father Boake’s roommate found his body about 1:30 a.m. Nov. 6. The priest was on the floor of his northwest Dallas home, near Saints Constantine and Helen Antiochian Orthodox Church, where he was pastor.

The roommate, Reggie Counts, testified Tuesday that Father Boake and Mr. Nesbitt had known each other for about two years and that Mr. Nesbitt had lived briefly at the priest’s home. He said Father Boake had informally counseled Mr. Nesbitt, a paroled burglar, and had occasionally given him spending money.

Mr. Counts said the two men met when Father Boake hired the man as a prostitute. In his statement to police, Mr. Nesbitt said he lashed out at Father Boake during a visit at the priest’s home after refusing sexual advances from him. He said he used a hammer lying nearby.

Mr. Nesbitt’s cousin told jurors Tuesday that Mr. Nesbitt arrived at his apartment about 1:30 a.m. Nov. 6, covered in blood and saying he had just killed a priest. The cousin and some friends helped Mr. Nesbitt dispose of his clothes and the priest’s car. A friend tossed the hammer into a nearby drainage ditch, where police later recovered it.

Also Wednesday, a crime lab expert testified that blood found on the hammer was consistent with Father Boake’s blood. Prosecutors then said they were finished presenting evidence.

State District Judge Tom Price, who told jurors he wasn’t feeling well, postponed the remainder of the trial until Tuesday.