Prosecution Hands Case Over To Defense In Senser Trial

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - The prosecution rested and handed its case over to the defense in the Amy Senser trial late Friday.

The day started with another of Senser's daughters on the stand.

Molly Senser, Amy Senser's eldest daughter, testified Friday morning that her mother was not drunk the night 38-year-old Anousone Phanthavong was killed in a hit and run accident.

Molly Senser, 15, told the court that her mother said she might have had something to drink but she was not drunk.

Prosecutor Deborah Russell then asked the teenager, "How do you know she wasn't drunk?"

"Because," Senser said, "I never have seen her drunk."

Russell pressed further, "Then how could you tell?"

"Because I have seen people drunk before," Senser said.

The teen also offered some new insights into the Senser home the day after the accident. Molly Senser noted her mother and father were out all day, but upon their return, her father, Joe Senser, looked grave. He told the two girls that something terrible and nightmarish had happened.

Molly Senser testified that her dad said, "Your mother may have been involved in a situation where someone had died."

Senser says despite her curiosity, she didn't ask any questions. She just cried and left it in her father's hands.

The prosecution's final witness touched on Phanthavong's injuries and the accident scene.

Minnesota State Trooper Sgt. Paul Skoglund, who oversaw accident reconstruction, testified Phanthavong was thrown 50 feet. He said 40 percent of Phanthavong's upper body would have been above the hood before it curved around the bumper.

Nelson pointed out it was dark, and there's no way to know Phanthavong's exact location at the time of the crash.

Outside the courtroom, Joe Senser had a short-lived outburst – first criticizing the media and then greeting them.

Senser's attorney, Eric Nelson, says Senser confronted the media because he didn't want cameras taking video or pictures of Molly Senser going into court.