No Eyewitness
There was no eyewitness that pointed the finger at Michael. The lead detective on the case testified before the grand jury that he believes the beatings on the hands of Annemarie Kotowski (victim) may have been defensive in that she was trying to protect herself. Is it possible she actually saw the perpetrator?
There are three possibilities concerning the victim’s recall:
1. She truly doesn't know who did this.
2. She has repressed this horrible event from her conscious memory and therefore honestly can't
recall it.
3. Could she know who did this but has chosen not to speak out at this time?
Bottom line: There was no eyewitness that identified Michael O’Laughlin as the person committing this crime. Quite the contrary. In an early interview, from her hospital bed, the victim was asked if Michael O’Laughlin committed this crime. She shook her head NO. Yet this was never brought up at the trial.
