Heather Nowlin Testifys

The Terrell Nowlin murder trial entered day four in Muskingum County Common Pleas Court. Nowlin is charged in the death of 19-year-old Tyler Hardin of Zanesville.

Heather told the court Thursday about how she first lied to Tyler Hardin to get him to the Tipton Road property. How Hardin ran from the car and was tackled by Terrell and how later with a gun to her head he explained what happened after she left the Tipton Road property.

"He pulled a gun and held it to my head," said Heather Nowlin. "He said he shot Tyler, Tyler blamed everything on me. He shot him in the face and he cried like a bitch. He ran and I shot him in the back, held him under water to suffocate him."

Heather also testified that on the day of the murder she saw Terrell in blue jeans, white sneakers and a shirt and when she saw him next he was wearing women’s sandals, had a bruise on his head, scratches on his chest and different pants. She even recounted returning to the scene of the murder the next day.

"We put trash bags on our hands and feet, held by duck tape," said Heather. "We went to a shallow grave thing where Tyler’s body was."

The defense tried to convince jurors Heather was lying about the events asking multiple times how anyone could believe her story. They suggest she pinned Terrell and Tyler against each other, that she made up a story to get a plea deal and claiming she had more involvement then she testified too.

The defense also recalled Detective Brady Hittle from the Muskingum County Sheriff’s Office to talk about Heather Nowlin’s statements, asking the detective questions about how Heather had lied during taped interviews with the office. Hittle said in a case like this it’s not uncommon.

The Franklin County Coroner Dr. Jan Gorniak testified that Tyler was shot once in the face and once in the back. It was the shot in the back that killed him. Muskingum County Coroner Dr. Perry Kalis agreed with her findings. The case against Terrell Nowlin is continued until Monday.