Claim made on Julia Dawson's insurance

By Emily Zangaro

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) -- Records show a claim was made on Julia Dawson's life insurance policy two days after she went missing, and attorneys in the Tim Dawson murder trial questioned who made that call.

Dawson is on trial for murdering his wife in December 2004.

In late afternoon testimony Tuesday, Dawson's insurance agent and workers at Auto-Owners insurance testified.

The self-employed agent said Tim and Julia Dawson both came in to purchase life insurance policies in July 2003. Julia listed Tim as the beneficiary of her $100,000 policy, and Tim listed Julia as his beneficiary.

The agent said he heard the news that Julia went missing. IN January 2005, he contacted Auto-Owners to notify them of the situation.

But an e-mail record at Auto Owners shows someone called them on December 13, 2004 to make a death claim on Julia.

The woman who took the claim, Tesha Peterman, said she doesn't remember who made the call, but protocol at her end would have to prove that it was the agent or the beneficiary.

The defense said there's no way to prove who made the call.

"I don't know why it wouldn't be in the file," Peterman testified.

"Could it not be in the file," defense attorney Chuck Rominger asked, "because on this one particular occasion you didn't conduct that verification process?"

"That is possible," she replied.

"So back to my scenario," Rominger said. "If you don't obtain the verifying information as a matter of record, we don't know now who really called."

Peterman answered, "If it's not there, then you can't prove it, I suppose."

Julia Dawson died of ligature strangulation with a blunt head injury, said medical examiner Dr. David Start during afternoon testimony in the Tim Dawson murder trial.

Start testified many of the bruises found on Julia's body happened only hours before she died. He reviewed photographs and charts of her and of his examination.  He also testified he believed her body laid where it was found for a period of days to weeks.

He estimated Julia died on or about December 11, 2004.

More forensic experts testified Tuesday, as well as a computer technician.

The technician, Pat Clarin, worked with Tim Dawson. Dawson, he said, asked him to fix his computer on December 6, 2004, just days before Julia went missing. Clarin said he was not able to fix it.

When detectives came and looked for the computer, Clarin said he noticed the hard drive was missing from his office.

"The hard drive is in the machine, but is not bolted in. Is that correct?" asked the prosecutor. Clarin said that was correct, and was then asked "How long would it take someone to walk into your office and take the hard drive out, if that is what happened?"

"A few seconds," Clarin replied.

The ninth day of testimony in the Tim Dawson murder trial began with a forensic expert from North Carolina's Laboratory Corporation of America sharing his test results.

He spoke about analysis done on hairs found on Julia Dawson's body, as well as items found in Julia's car. He has excluded Jamie Bolthouse and Bruce Sweers -- one-time persons of interest who testified on Monday -- from matching the evidence.

In the prosecution's opening arguments, they said Julia's last meal was from Subway. Then Melissa Cunningham, who worked at the Sparta Subway in December 2004, testified.

She was followed by an employee with Sprint Nextel. The prosecution argues phone records reveal Tim Dawson lied to detectives about where he was the day Julia went missing.

24 Hour News 8 will continue to follow this trial.