Testimony provided in the trial of Dr. James Corasanti Tuesday indicates both the doctor and the victim were texting right around the time 18-year-old "Alix" Rice was struck and killed last July.
Witnesses called to testify on Day 8 of the vehicular manslaughter trial included representatives from two cell phone companies. A representative from ATT Mobility and Verizon Wireless both testified their company records show Corasanti was texting frequently the night of July 8. Details provided by AT&T, Corasanti's provider at the time, shows the doctor sent or received nearly two-dozen messages in the hour before Rice was killed.
Dispatch records show the motorist who found Rice's body along Heim Road phoned for help at 11:21 p.m.
According to AT&T, Corasanti sent a text to a Verizon customer at 11:19 p.m. and again at 11:23 p.m. That testimony was backed up by Verizon. Police obtained a search warrant for the doctor's phone nearly two weeks after the accident, but Corasanti told them it was broken and investigators apparently did not find any messages.
Records also show that Rice sent a text message to her father at 11:19 p.m. that night.
AT&T does not store content and Verizon purges its text message system at least once a week. Under cross examination by the defense, AT&T's Glenn Gould admitted the company's log does not show how many characters were typed or whether or not the text was blank. Verizon's Scott Johnson said his company purges its text message system at least once a week.
However, Gould went on to confirm for the prosecution that someone had to use their fingers to navigate the touchscreen on Corasanti's smart phone.
Wednesday is a day off for the trial.
