Derek Taylor, right, confers with his attorneys Ryan and Beth Umina on Tuesday in Wood County Circuit Court. Taylor is on trial for murder in the March 2022 death of Cory Friend. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

PARKERSBURG — A fight occurred on March 21, 2022, which resulted in one man dying as a result of blunt force trauma and another accused of murder.

Testimony began Tuesday before a six-man, eight-woman jury in the court of Wood County Circuit Judge Robert Waters.

Derek Taylor, 40, is charged with the March 2022 murder of 30-year-old Cory Friend of Parkersburg.

In opening statements, Wood County Prosecutor Pat Lefebure said that due to Taylor’s actions on March 21, 2022, when he and Friend got into an altercation over a stolen bicycle, Friend was injured which caused his brain to shift 15 mm. Lefebure said a shift of 5 mm can be fatal.

The altercation, which was said to occur at Terrapin Park Apartments, is believed to involve a baseball bat.

Lefebure said there were a number of people involved in this case who did illegal drugs and who drifted around the area staying with different people when the need arose.

At first, law enforcement was unaware a crime had occurred as when emergency medical personnel were called to Friend’s father’s house on 39th Street they believed it was a drug overdose. Testimony was given that after the altercation Friend was able to walk around and was able to walk to his father’s house where he took a shower, got something to eat and possibly took drugs before his injury took full effect.

Testimony revealed that such an injury could not show signs for two to three hours.

When emergency medical crews responded, personnel testified they initially believed they were dealing with an overdose and took appropriate action administering Narcan to Friend.

Police testified that Friend was moving about erratically and had to be handcuffed to the ambulance gurney he was on to allow personnel to be able to work on him.

Testimony was given that two people moved Friend from inside the house to outside the house where the ambulance crew would be able to get him.

“Cory lived for several days on life support,” Lefebure said after he was moved from Camden Clark to Ruby Memorial in Morgantown where he died on March 26, 2022.

Taylor was arrested after Friend died as a result of blunt force trauma.

The defense attorneys, Ryan and Beth Umina, said that the charge of murder was a matter of “confirmation bias” where police believed they had a murder and all the evidence they had pointed to that conclusion.

“Never jump to conclusions,” Ryan told the jury.

Testimony was given that said Taylor headbutted Friend and the two walked together back to where a mutual friend was.

“Who was the aggressor,” Ryan asked.

The defense said there were indications Friend also got into an altercation with his father at his house and was injured further there due to where a knot was located on his head indicating his head may have been slammed into a wall. The defense maintains investigators never looked into that possibility.

“They jumped to the conclusion that the altercation with Derek Taylor was the sole cause of Cory Friend’s death,” Ryan said.

There were references to a baseball bat that had been sanded to remove the paint in order to have it repainted. The defense contends that evidence might have been removed from the bat that no one has followed up on.

Police and medical personnel testified that Friend’s father was uncooperative with them as they were tending to his son. Other testimony was given that the father was in a weakened state and had trouble moving about.

The trial will resume this morning at 9 a.m. in Water’s court.