“Almost nine o’clock. I worked late.”
“And what did you do then?”
“I walked my dog.”
“What time did you leave to walk your dog?”
“About 9:15P.M.”
“Please tell the jury which route you took. Feel free to use this map.”
Weissberg pointed to the map, generally. “I took a right at the end of my street, onto Devonette Road, then I took a right and walked up Howell.”
“Did you walk on the same side of the street as Dr. Alderman’s house or the opposite side?”
“The opposite.”
“And was Howell Road dark or well-lit?”
“It was dark. It’s generally a dark neighborhood. There are so many big trees. It’s residential, and the houses are big.”
“Are there streetlights on Howell Road, if you know?”
“No, I don’t think there are.”
“Were there any parties or anything like that, on the night in question?”
“No. People go to bed early. It’s the suburbs, with families and kids. They’re inside, watching TV and doing homework.”
“Did you see anyone on your walk that night?”
“No.”
“While you were walking along, were you doing anything else?”
“Yes, I was talking on the phone.”
“May I ask with whom you were talking?”
“My then-girlfriend. I called her when I left the house with the dog. She worked at NYU, and we were long-distance.”
“And what, if anything, happened on your walk?”
“I heard a shout.”
“What did the shout sound like?”
“It was abrupt, like someone yelling ‘no’ or ‘oh!’”
Thomas cocked his head. “Was it ‘oh’ or ‘no’?”
“It was ‘oh.’”
“Was it a woman’s voice or a man’s voice?”
“A woman’s.”
“Adult or child?”
