Callahan: ‘I Wasn’t
The Best Husband’
With Suspect Taking Stand In
Own Defense, Testimony At End
By PARKER FISH • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com
COOPERSTOWN – Accused of running over his wife with his rig 17 years ago, Casey Callahan took the stand in his own defense as three days of testimony came to an end.
“I wasn’t the best husband,” Callahan told his lawyer, Public Defender Bruce Maxson. “I could say mean things at times, but I loved her.” When Maxson questioned him about earlier testimony that alleged domestic abuse, Callahan responded, “I’ve never hit her. I’ve never kicked her.”
Closing statements are tomorrow morning, followed by jury deliberations.
Asked about the testimony of Patrick Welsh, his late wife Elizabeth’s brother, and Joe Keto, about a conversation before his wife’s death on Jan. 19, 2000, he replied, “I remember saying you could run someone over with a truck.”
In his cross-examination, District Attorney John Muehl pointed out multiple inconsistencies in Callahan’s testimony and his interview with investigators in May of 2016.
For instance, Callahan told investigators he never saw his wife walk away from the truck, which he contradicted in testimony.
“You didn’t get along, did you?” asked Muehl.
“No, sir” was Callahan’s response.
