In Howard County Court Defendant John Oldson sat and listened to testimony of forensic expert Dr. Steven Symes.
Symes examined Cathy Beards remains in 2011, and he says her bones in some instances can answer questions that have been looming for decades.
"if you get the context in which the bones are found and you know something about the bones, and there is a story to tell. A lot of times you can do more than what people think you can do with a dry bone," said Forensic Expert Dr. Symes.
Symes says Beard's remains indicate she was stabbed at least twice in the lower back area, near the spinal cord.
He says bones from Beards left hand have defensive wounds, and there is blunt force trauma to both her skull and ribs.
"Blunt force trauma is one of the more difficult areas to examine in the bone any impact of the bone where it cant resist the pressure it fails its called blunt force trauma," said Symes.
Symes says Beards remains indicate to him she died from a violent act.
Meanwhile, other witnesses Robert Bowzell from the Nebraska Historical Society and Valley County Sheriff Casey Hurlburt briefly testified.
They both told jurors where Beard's remains were found, and how bones were collected and preserved.
In the coming days the defense plans to present a copy of a diary supposedly written by an Ord woman discussing her involvement in an abduction and murder of four women.
One of whom Oldon's defense attorney believes fits the description of Beard.
