Phillips seen on day Baby Kate vanished

LUDINGTON, Mich. (WOOD) - A flurry of witnesses testified Thursday in the trial of Sean Phillips, accused in the disappearance of his four-month-old daughter Baby Kate in the summer of 2011.

The defense's strategy in the first two days of testimony was to discredit Baby Kate's mother Ariel Courtland, calling her a liar. Testimony from Courtland's mother on Thursday seemed to reinforce some of that negativity.

Thursday's testimony from several witnesses seemed aimed at laying out the timeline of Phillips's whereabouts on the day Baby Kate disappeared.

Ellen Montgomery was the first person on the stand for day 4 of the trial.

Montgomery lives in the apartment complex where Courtland was living when Kate went missing. Montgomery said she heard Courtland and Phillips 'yelling' and 'hollering' at each other the day Baby Kate went missing, but she never saw the baby.

The next witness was Anne Appledorn who works for child protective services.

Appledorn says Courtland came to CPS the next day after baby Kate went missing and asked frantically, "Do you have her?"

When she said no, Courtland left.

Dan Ruba took the stand next. Ruba has known Courtland for years through her mom, April, who was living with him at the time.

Ruba said when he arrived home, Ariel was pacing outside and was visibly upset.

"They never really got along too good from beginning to end," Ruba said describing Courtland and Phillips' relationship.

Ruba said Phillips started "doing insane things that didn't even make sense" after he returned from military training. He also said he was concerned about Phillips' drinking.

He said at one point Phillips told him that "he could hide a body that nobody could find ... No person was referenced."

During his testimony, Ruba also said that Courtland had a temper 'at times' but Phillips didn't yell often.

Ruba described Courtland and Phillips' relationship as "puppy love," but said they had ongoing arguments about their children.

April Lange, Courtland's mother, was the fourth person to take the stand on Thursday.

Lange started out by testifying that she " liked Sean instantly" when she met him and described him as a good dad. She said she believes her daughter is still deeply in love with Phillips.

"She doesn't do much of anything anymore," said Lange referring to her daughter's behavior since losing Baby Kate.

Lange said she thought it was odd that Courtland preferred to search for Kate at night and avoided taking part in searches that were conducted during the day.

She had speculated to authorities that Courtland may have thrown Baby Kate into the river; however, Lange reaffirms that this was pure speculation before getting off the stand.

In afternoon testimony, Abram Hernandez said he sold fireworks to Sean Phillips between 2:30 - 3 p.m. the day Baby Kate disappeared. Phillips bought them from a stand Hernandez was operating. He is currently in jail, but testified he received no deal from the prosecutors in exchange for his testimony.

Sgt. Tony Kuster also took the stand to discuss his contact with Phillips.

Court broke for the day shortly before 6 p.m.

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Phillips, 22, is facing 15 years in prison on charges he unlawfully imprisoned the girl who came to be known as Baby Kate. She has not been seen since the afternoon of June 29, 2011 in Ludington.

Courtland, the first witness in the trial, testified for a day and a half about her relationship with Phillips, Baby Kate and the events before and after the baby disappeared.

She was so bothered by the questions from defense attorney Annette Smedley she asked for and was granted a recess late Tuesday afternoon. She finished her testimony on Wednesday.

Friend and neighbor Alaina Campbell also testified Wednesday, along with a 911 dispatcher and first-responder.

Tensions Wednesday were particularly frayed. The prosecutor and defense attorney were heard arguing during a break.

Additionally, a photo of the jury that had been posted to Facebook by a member of the public was taken down after the judge expressed disappointment.

The trial is expected to last up to two weeks with Mason County Judge Richard Cooper presiding. Jurors will be allowed to ask the witnesses questions that have been screened by the judge during the trial.

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