The prosecution’s first witness was former Hollidaysburg Police Officer Michael Fausett, who was one of the first responders to the alleged prison attack.
Officer Fausett testified to what evidence was found at the scene, including blood splatter in the common room, a broken pen and sharpened toothbrush.
The jury was also shown body cam footage of Officer Fausett being escorted through the prison and to the cell block.
During cross-examination, the defense asked Officer Fausett if he was actually present for the alleged attack, to which he answered no.
The second witness to testify was the wheelchair-bound victim of the alleged attack.
While on the stand, the victim explained that he was incarcerated at that time due to an alleged domestic dispute, not for any sexual crimes, as Oechsle had claimed.
On the day of the alleged attack, the victim testified that both he and Oechsle were in the common room watching the news.
The victim told the court that Oechsle allegedly tried to strike up a conversation by pointing at another inmate and stating, “that old man in his cell there raped his grandchildren.”
The victim says he responded by stating “he knew nothing about that” and reportedly told Oechsle that he was only there to “face his own issues.”
According to his testimony, that is when Oechsle then reportedly attacked the victim with a homemade weapon before running into the other victim’s cell and stabbing him in his sleep.
The jury then viewed prison surveillance footage, which reportedly showed Oechsle attacking the wheelchair-bound man from behind and stabbing him multiple times.
Prosecutors also presented photos of the victim’s wounds, which showed a large cut under his eye and multiple punctures.
During cross-examination, the defense questioned the victim’s memory on what cell Oechsle reportedly retreated to after the attack, as well as what his relationship with Oechsle was like.
The victim stated that he could not fully remember which cell Oechsle went into. He also stated that he did not know Oechsle’s name at the time but that Oechsle reportedly knew his.
The jury was then briefly dismissed for a recess, at which time the judge attempted to contact Oechsle again.
The warden stated that Oechsle is continuing to refuse to appear in court.
The judge also dismissed Juror #9 after the individual expressed feeling “squeamish” to some of the bloody images that were shown. That juror was then replaced with an alternate.
The third witness to testify was prison corrections officer Megan Runk, who was on-duty on the day of the alleged attack.
She testified that her and another CO were on routine patrol and were helping to clean up garbage in a nearby hallway, approximately 20 feet from the cell block where the alleged attack took place.
When they responded to the call, she testified to finding the wheelchair-bound victim laying on the floor and then witnessed Oechsle stabbing the other victim.
Officer Runk testified that as soon as they responded to the attack, Oechsle reportedly dropped his weapon and immediately surrendered.
She described his demeanor as being “angry and aggravated.”
While being escorted back to his cell, Officer Runk testified that Oechsle did not say anything until he saw the second victim being transported out of the cell block, at which time he reportedly shouted, “one less child molester.”
During cross-examination, the defense asked Officer Runk about the particulars of cell block B and how many people were there at the time of the alleged attack.