any culpability in the murders of Place and Jessup and claimed to be unable to recall his whereabouts on the date of their abduction and murder), upon the advice of his defense counsel he did not testify at the trial itself, which formally began on September 19. In his opening statement to the jury on September 19, Stone outlined the prosecution's contention that the physical and circumstantial evidence to be presented—in addition to various forms of testimony—would clearly illustrate Schaefer's guilt in the murders of Place and Jessup, and that the state expected the jurors to return "a verdict of guilty of murder in the first degree as to both counts". Following the conclusion of Stone's opening statement, Schwartz requested the permission of the court to reserve his opening statement until the state had rested its case. This request was granted, with no objection from the prosecution. Testimony Prosecution The first witnesses to testify on behalf of the state were the two individuals who had discovered the dismembered bodies of Place and Jessup in Oak Hammock Park; both men recounted their discoveries, observations, and contacting of authorities. Their testimony was followed by that of Lieutenant Patrick Duval of the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office, who described the crime scene, the evidence retrieved, and the grave in which the victims had been buried. Duval also testified that the lack of erosion of the grave indicated the grave had been "dug into" at least twice; he also identified several crime scene photographs. Place's parents also took the stand on the first day of the trial to formally identify Schaefer as the man whom they had seen their daughter and Jessup in the company of prior to their disappearance. Despite efforts to discredit their identification by the defense counsel, both testified as to their certainty that Schaefer had been the individual who visited their house on the evening of their daughter's disappearance, and with whom she and her friend had left their home. Jessup's parents and younger sister, Cheryl, also formally identified the distinctive suede purse found in his wife's possession as belonging to Jessup. Also to testify in the opening days of the trial was a clerk within a county courthouse, who revealed Schaefer's vehicle had been registered at his Martin Avenue address one month prior to the murders, thus proving the license plate Place's mother had noted indeed belonged to Schaefer.