The trial of Carrie Wickham continues in Kalamazoo

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – After a week-long break, the trial of Carrie Wickham picked back up Thursday in a Kalamazoo courtroom.

Wickham is charged with giving her friend the heroin that eventually killed her. Amy Bousfield died from a heroin overdose in 2008, just a month after graduating from high school.

Wickham's trial was put on hold while prosecutors appealed the judge's decision that a pen tube with drug residue could not be entered as evidence. The State Court of Appeals refused to hear the case.

In court Thursday, the defense began making its case, starting by calling five of Bousfield and Wickham's mutual friends to the stand.

Each talked about doing drugs with Bousfield, everything from inhalants to marijuana and heroin and cocaine.

Then, a surprise witness, Carrie Wickham herself, took the stand to tell the jury what happened on the night that Bousfield died.

Wickham appeared scared as she took the stand and testified about her drug use with Bousfield.

"We started off with cold medicines, alcohol, Adderall, marijuana. That's what we started out with," said Wickham.

Wickham testified that they eventually tried heroin, and on June 25^th, the night Bousfield overdosed, Wickham said that Bousfield brought it up.

Wickham said that Bousfield was the one who wanted to get the heroin, and that she wanted them to do the drug together.

Wickham said she called Joseph Wheeler to get the drugs, because Bousfield was driving. She also testified that Bousfield handed her the money for the drugs in Wheeler's house, and that she then gave that money to Wheeler.

Wickham teared up as she talked about the night of June 25^th, when she says she woke up to find Bousfield making noises, and explained why she didn't tell anyone for hours.

"I thought Amy would wake up again," said Wickham. "I didn't want her mom to be angry. I didn't want Amy to get in trouble."

The prosecution questioned that reasoning.

"And so over the course of two hours, you're nodding in and out, you're making phone calls, you're texting and you did not go to get her mother?" asked the prosecution.

"I couldn't stand up," said Wickham.

"You had your phone and it was working right?" said the prosecution.

"Yes," replied Wickham.

"You never called 911?" asked the prosecution.

"No," said Wickham.

The prosecution also had Wickham reiterate that she was the one who physically handed Wheeler the money, and who accepted the drugs from him.

Wickham said she did so because she was standing close to him.

The final witness for the defense was a toxicology expert, who said that without an autopsy and more complex testing, it's impossible to say for certain what killed Bousfield.

Closing arguments in the case are expected to start Friday morning, then the jury will get the case.