Prosecution rests in Houser trial Tuesday

UNION COUNTY — A piece of a wall from the home of a Union County girl took center stage in her stepfather's trial Tuesday.

Joshua Houser is accused of severely beating Kilah Davenport.

The state rested Tuesday and the defense called its first witness -- the grandmother of Houser's oldest child. 

She testified Houser dated her daughter for 10 years and she never saw him mistreat her daughter or granddaughter.

Lisa Burris testified she saw Houser and her daughter Ashley argue, but she never saw him get violent.
 
The judge temporarily dismissed the jury during cross examination when prosecutors starting asking Burris about restraining orders.
 
They asked Burris if she knew her daughter had filed restraining orders against Houser twice in 2011, claiming he'd assaulted her in front of their daughter, tried to throw her out of a moving car, threw a car seat at her and threatened her.

Burris said she had no knowledge of any of that.
 
A number of expert witnesses testified about the physical evidence recovered in the home after Kilah was hurt, specifically the hole in the wall prosecutors claimed was made when Houser slammed Kilah's head into it.
 
The sheet rock was in court and prosecutors showed a picture of the hole with a man's fist next to it.
  
A DNA expert testified that strands of hair removed from the hole belonged to Kilah.
 
The defense attorney said he expects testimony to wrap up Wednesday and it's unclear if Houser will take the stand.

WSOC