MySpace killer's confession disputed

A medical examiner testified in Baltimore County Circuit Court Wednesday that there was no physical evidence John C. Gaumer sexually assaulted his murder victim as violently as he claimed in a video-taped confession to police.

Gaumer, 23, killed 27-year-old Josie P. Brown hours after meeting her on the Internet networking site MySpace.com, he admitted. The two went on a date on Dec. 29, 2005, that allegedly started well, but ended in Brown’s death on the side of I-95 near Arbutus after she changed her mind about going home with Gaumer.

He is charged with first-degree murder, first-degree rape and third-degree sexual assault. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

In a taped confession shown to jurors Tuesday, Gaumer admitted to ripping Brown’s clothes off and sexually assaulting her with a stick during the time he beat her to death.

The medical examiner who performed the autopsy on Brown’s body, however, found no evidence he assaulted her that way.

“I didn’t see any evidence of trauma” in the vaginal or perianal area, testified Dr. Melissa Brassell, an assistant medical examiner for the state.

Although Brassell’s examination could not corroborate Gaumer’s claims of a sexual assault, it did conclude Brown’s death was a homicide and was caused by multiple injuries. Brassell counted at least 70 bruises on Brown’s entire body, excluding portions of her face torn or cut out by Gaumer.

Gaumer cut out Brown’s jaw and sliced off seven of her fingertips in the hopes of making her unidentifiable to police, he confessed. He also tore off Brown’s nose, and hit her about 50 times with his hands and a piece of wood, he told police.

Delaware’s chief medical examiner, Dr. Richard Callery, testified for the defense that he reviewed Brassell’s report and other relevant documents and materials, and reached the same conclusions as Brassell regarding the alleged rape.

The sexual assault was “not the way he described it in the DVD,” Callery said, referring to Gaumer’s account.

Both the state and the defense rested their cases Wednesday afternoon.

The defense introduced just three witnesses, the medical examiner from Delaware and two of Gaumer’s former roommates, also picked up by the police for questioning.

Gaumer’s attorneys had hoped to introduce several witnesses who would testify to Brown’s alleged history of mental illness and a criminal conviction for robbery. However, Judge Mickey J. Norman ruled that such evidence was irrelevant to the murder case.

The state dropped two counts of first-degree sexual offense and one count of armed robbery against Gaumer.

Both sides were to resume Thursday morning with their closing statements.