Day nine of testimony in the Xandria Harris murder trial in Kankakee County Circuit Court saw Harris take the stand in her own defense Wednesday. During two hours of direct testimony, Harris detailed an eight-year history of abuse, choking, and emotional control by Sullivan starting in 2016. Recalling the night of the shooting, Harris testified that an intoxicated Sullivan—high on pills and facing active warrants—held her at gunpoint inside room 308, demanding she lie to officers at the door. Harris told the jury she felt trapped between Sullivan’s wrath and the police. She testified that she attempted to disarm the situation by pulling a drum clip out of a firearm to prevent Sullivan from shooting, insisting she never cocked a weapon, touched Sergeant Rittmanic’s gun, or wanted to help Sullivan escape.
Under sharp cross-examination, Kankakee County State’s Attorney Jim Rowe focused on major inconsistencies and Harris’s actions during and after the shooting. The State pressed her on why she never called 911, lied to officers about who was inside, and stepped directly over Officer Bailey’s body while fleeing the hallway with her children. Prosecutors also noted that while Harris left behind her children’s coats, formula, and car seats, the firearm and drum clip were packed into a bag and taken to Indiana, where she stayed with Sullivan before turning herself in.
Defense Attorney Cierra Norris will bring clinical psychologist Doctor Brook Laufer to the stand this morning who will testify to a psychological exam she performed on Harris in 2023, analyzing her state of mind before and after the shooting. The trial is supposed to wrap up Friday and jury deliberations will begin.
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