On day eight, the final day of testimony in the Bonhomme Richard arson case, more than a handful of witnesses and experts took the stand in the courthouse at Naval Base San Diego. The prosecution, the Federal Government, has accused sailor Richard Sawyer Mays of setting the $1 billion ship on fire.
On the other side, Mays’ defense team tried to poke holes in that claim, pointing to other possible causes of the fire.
Mays wasn’t even the main focus Wednesday, as he decided not to testify. Instead, it was packed with testimonies about deep analysis of lithium-ion batteries, damaged forklifts, a fireman's video of the scene, and a claim that a current ATF fire investigator had a bias, to name a few components of the trial.
The focus for the defense was pointing to other potential causes of the fire like seaman recruit Elijah McGovern seen near the ship.