ALLENTOWN, Pa. - It's an emotional day in a Lehigh Valley courtroom Wednesday as opening statements took place in the trial for a murder case that stunned a community.
The family of Alexus Quay, who was 20 when she died on June 18, 2018, was sobbing in court as the prosecutor laid out his case for the jury.
He claimed Steven Oliemuller, Quay's boyfriend, went on a meth-induced rampage and into a frenzy, ultimately beating his girlfriend to death in their Lower Milford Township home.
The prosecutor said Oliemuller, who was 32 at the time, is a monster with a "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" personality. Prosecutors say he was addicted to methamphetamine and, at the time of Quay's death, was on a binge, then became delusional and violent, attacking Quay and chasing her through the home, leaving blood and hair smeared in the bedroom, basement and bathroom.
The prosecutor said Oliemuller then tried to cover it up.
Prosecutors told jurors 20-year-old Alexus Quay was in love and thought she'd met the "man of her dreams."
But they said 35-year-old Steven Oliemuller was more like a "nightmare," a "monster" who "snapped" and beat the life out of her while high on meth at their home in Lower Milford in 2018.
They indicated his own family was aware of his moods. They said the night before Quay was found dead he threatened his own family members, after believing they were spying on him from his yard.
They packed up their kids and left town. The prosecutor called them "the lucky ones," describing Quay as being entirely covered in bruises.
The defense painted a different picture. It said investigators focused on Oliemuller from the start and never looked anywhere else, even relying on testimony from people they call "prison rats."
The defense begged the jurors to be intellectually honest, unlike the prosecution, and be objective. The defense said jurors will have tremendous doubts about Oliemuller's guilt if they simply take the emotion out of it.
The defense said Oliemuller was a jerk, but not a murderer.
After opening statements, the first witness called by the prosecution was the first responder on the scene, who says Oliemuller called 911 and said Quay overdosed. The first responder said it was clear she had bruises all over her body, and had been dead for a long time before he arrived.
Quay's mom told jurors she noticed a difference in her daughter after she moved in with Oliemuller, saying she heard from her less and noticed her daughter crying more frequently.
The defense suggested Quay was under a lot of stress, being in a new relationship and in an intense massage therapy training program.
Oliemuller's attorney said despite the prosecution's inference, Quay was not "corrupted" by him.
The first day of testimony also included chilling descriptions of Quay's death, and evidence collected at the scene.
Oliemuller was charged with a single count of criminal homicide a year after Quay's death, after a grand jury recommendation.
Trial continues Wednesday and is expected to last about two weeks.
