Derek Ward, who was deemed unfit to stand trial for over a decade, is representing himself on charges that he raped and killed his cousin in 2010.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A jury heard testimony Wednesday in the trial of a man charged with raping and killing his cousin Brittini Ward in 2010.
Derek Ward was charged with killing his cousin in 2010. The trial had been delayed for years because Derek Ward was deemed unfit to stand trial. After 14 years, a judge allowed the trial to begin on Monday, with Ward representing himself.
Opening statements started just after 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. The state laid out tragic details of the case, saying Derek Ward convinced Brittini’s family that she was “possessed.”
Derek Ward defended himself with statements saying the DNA found on Brittini was not his, and claimed the injuries she sustained were not from rap. The state called multiple witnesses to the stand, including Brittini’s brother, Blake, who testified that when he arrived at the house, Brittini Ward was unresponsive.
He testified that Derek Ward said she was “fighting this demon.”
Carli Ward, Brittini’s sister, was also called in to testify. In a tearful testimony, she said she recalled Derek Ward choking her sister three times before she was found dead in the apartment she shared with her mother, Dawn Ward, and her cousin, Derek Ward.
“He put his hands around her throat and started to squeeze and did it three times,” she recalled. “And while he was choking her, he was saying he wanted the demons to leave his cousin.”
Because Ward is representing himself, there have been dozens of objections from the state. The judge reminded Ward to stay on track and only talk about evidence in this case.
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Contact Austin Walker at awalker@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
