Second of two parts: Finding a string of words that ties story together

Related story: The Carjacking Murder Trial: Final moments described

By Edward Fitzpatrick
Journal Staff Writer

We had written a lot about the carjacking and murder of college students Amy Shute and Jason Burgeson, and suspect Kenneth Day had already gone through a federal trial before facing a state trial in Superior Court.

So I wouldn't be telling anybody anything they didn't already know if I couldn't get precise details from the opening statements. And it wouldn't be very interesting if I couldn't string the details into a coherent narrative.

I lucked out in two ways. First, Presiding Justice Joseph Rodgers allowed me to put a tape recorder on a shelf right between the jury and the podium used by the lawyers for each side. So I didn't have to rely on the scribbled essence of things. I had every word.

Also, prosecutor Gerard Sullivan seems to have a flair for storytelling. He set up the conflict, describing how Burgeson and Shute prepared for a night of dancing while Day and four other men ``began prowling the streets of Providence looking for victims to rob.''

There were precise details: A video camera captured the kidnappers heading down an alley at 2:09:59 -- ``seconds away from the beginning of the end of Jason's and Amy's lives,'' Sullivan said.

There were a few surprising details: The medical examiner found $78 in cash in Burgeson's sneaker.

And finally, there were the gut-wrenching images from the crime scene video.

I kept that description to a minimum, aiming for decency and responsibility while still capturing some of the horror:

``The students' bodies are slumped against hay bales. Shute is almost completely obscured behind Burgeson, her arms around him. A round of live ammunition rests on Burgeson's left sneaker, and a diamond ring rests in Shute's left hand.''