3.Frank Chiola — Direct
165 linesFRANK CHIOLA, duly sworn
COURT CLERK: State your name, spell your last name for the record, speak into the mic so everybody can hear you.
FRANK CHIOLA: Police Officer Frank Chiola, last name C-H-I-O-L-A.
DIRECT EXAMINATION BY MS. PELLEGRINI:
MS. PELLEGRINI: Good morning, Officer Chiola.
FRANK CHIOLA: Good morning.
MS. PELLEGRINI: Would you tell the jury by whom you're employed and how long you've been so employed.
FRANK CHIOLA: I'm employed by the Boston police, been there close to ten years now.
MS. PELLEGRINI: And what is your current assignment?
FRANK CHIOLA: District 4, South End. I patrol and monitor the community.
MS. PELLEGRINI: And prior to becoming a police officer, can you give us a little bit of your educational and work background.
FRANK CHIOLA: Yup. Prior to that I went to Northeastern University. I joined the Marine Corps, 1999 till 2003. I left as a sergeant of infantry. And I was stationed in Iraq for a time.
MS. PELLEGRINI: Can you tell us when you were stationed in Iraq?
FRANK CHIOLA: Yes, ma'am. It was February 2003 till July of the same year.
MS. PELLEGRINI: And what were your duties there?
FRANK CHIOLA: It was to engage the enemy in the Iraqi war.
MS. PELLEGRINI: And what does that mean?
FRANK CHIOLA: We were at war with Iraq.
MS. PELLEGRINI: But when you say "engage" --
MR. BRUCK: Your Honor, we object to this testimony on grounds of relevance.
THE COURT: What's the relevance?
MS. PELLEGRINI: Your Honor, as we go further along, the events of the marathon Monday and Officer Chiola's impressions of those are consistent with his background -- military background.
MR. BRUCK: If you need me to hear.
THE COURT: Yes, the objection is sustained.
BY MS. PELLEGRINI:
MS. PELLEGRINI: Officer Chiola, in April of 2013, specifically, marathon Monday, were you on duty on that day?
FRANK CHIOLA: I was.
MS. PELLEGRINI: And what was your assignment?
FRANK CHIOLA: I was to remain on the running route.
MS. PELLEGRINI: Where were you located specifically?
FRANK CHIOLA: Across the street by the Exeter Hotel. That would be Boylston and Exeter.
MS. PELLEGRINI: And your duties that day were what?
FRANK CHIOLA: Monitor the crowd, ensure public safety, stay on-call if needed.
MS. PELLEGRINI: Had you ever performed that tour of duty at the marathon prior to 2013?
FRANK CHIOLA: Yes; roughly nine years in a row.
MS. PELLEGRINI: Can you describe for the jury based upon that what your experience is with the crowds, and describe for us the nature of the crowds.
FRANK CHIOLA: The crowds are loud, boisterous. They love the marathon. They hang out, they cheer. It's normally a good day. It's a good day for everybody. A lot of families are there. The kids love it. It's just a great day overall.
MS. PELLEGRINI: On April the 15th, 2013, from your position what was across the street from you, if you recall?
FRANK CHIOLA: There were flags. There were a lot of people on that side. Again, families. There were wooden fences, small gates.
MS. PELLEGRINI: How long had you been on duty that day?
FRANK CHIOLA: That day I started my shift at 7:30 that morning.
MS. PELLEGRINI: Did you ever leave your post during the day?
FRANK CHIOLA: About half-hour for lunch, maybe, but for the most part, I remained there all day.
MS. PELLEGRINI: So were you in that location that you've described to the jury at approximately 2:45 that afternoon?
FRANK CHIOLA: I was.
MS. PELLEGRINI: Can you tell the jury what you remember occurring?
FRANK CHIOLA: What I remember was a loud explosion, lots of white smoke. It sounded as if a canon had gone off. People running, screaming, crying. At one point immediately after there was a silence, and then the screaming began.
MS. PELLEGRINI: What did you do?
FRANK CHIOLA: I ran from the point where I was across the street to where the explosion went off. As I was running, another one had gone off at the same time -- shortly after.
MS. PELLEGRINI: And can you tell us where that second explosion occurred, if you know?
FRANK CHIOLA: About 50 yards -- maybe 20, 30 yards behind me.
MS. PELLEGRINI: Now, as you ran across the street, tell us what you saw.
FRANK CHIOLA: When I got there, immediately there were people on the ground. I saw blood everywhere. Shock. People's faces were -- you couldn't tell who was alive, who was dead. There were people lying all over the ground. A crowd jumped in, tried to help, others were running away. It was chaos.
MS. PELLEGRINI: Officer Chiola, before coming to court today, have you had an opportunity to review a video that shows the Boston Marathon finish line for that day?
FRANK CHIOLA: Yes.
MS. PELLEGRINI: And in reviewing that, are you, in fact, in that video?
FRANK CHIOLA: Yes, I am.
MS. PELLEGRINI: Can we have Exhibit 5.
THE COURT: I'm sorry, what number?
MS. PELLEGRINI: Five, your Honor.
(Video played.)
BY MS. PELLEGRINI:
MS. PELLEGRINI: Officer Chiola, on the screen in front of you is the beginning of this video. Can you see yourself at this point in the video?
FRANK CHIOLA: No, I cannot, ma'am.
MS. PELLEGRINI: So let us start.
(Video played.)
MS. PELLEGRINI: Officer Chiola, can you see yourself at this point?
FRANK CHIOLA: I do, ma'am.
MS. PELLEGRINI: And you may touch the screen and show us where your position is, please.
FRANK CHIOLA: Okay.
MS. PELLEGRINI: Touch it with your finger pad and it will make a circle.
FRANK CHIOLA: Oh, okay. I'm sorry.
MS. PELLEGRINI: That's okay.
FRANK CHIOLA: (Witness indicates.)
MS. PELLEGRINI: Now, the circle at this point is approximately in the middle of the screen and in the middle of the street?
JUROR: We don't have it.
THE COURT: All right now?
JUROR: Yes.
BY MS. PELLEGRINI:
MS. PELLEGRINI: And, Officer Chiola, there's both an arrow, yellow arrow now, and circle. Where are you in relation to that marking that you just made?
FRANK CHIOLA: I made such a mess of it I don't even know where I am.
MS. PELLEGRINI: All right. If you could clear that by touching the upper corner. Or I can clear it. Try that again.
FRANK CHIOLA: (Witness indicates.)
MS. PELLEGRINI: All right. Now, there is now a yellow circle. It's a little to the left of the center of the street. Where are you in that circle, Officer Chiola?
FRANK CHIOLA: I think I'm underneath that little dot inside the circle.
MS. PELLEGRINI: Okay. I'll clear that. And do you see yourself at this point?
FRANK CHIOLA: Yes, I do.
MS. PELLEGRINI: And where are you at this point?
FRANK CHIOLA: Okay. I'm right here, ma'am. Right there (indicating).
MS. PELLEGRINI: All right. I'd note for the record there is a small yellow dot in almost the center of the street. And where are you headed to, Officer Chiola?
FRANK CHIOLA: I'm headed into the direction of the first explosion.
MS. PELLEGRINI: So as you run from that location, what do you see? What are you doing?
FRANK CHIOLA: As I approached I saw -- again, I was in the middle of smoke the first few seconds. As the smoke cleared, that's when I saw the bodies on the floor. At that point me and a few others -- the National Guard was running by at the same time. We were pulling the fence away from everybody trying to get across.
MS. PELLEGRINI: Did you know what had happened?
FRANK CHIOLA: I was fairly certain it was an explosion.
MS. PELLEGRINI: And did you know what type of explosion?
FRANK CHIOLA: I did not know what type.
MS. PELLEGRINI: So as you got to the sidewalk in that area, what, if anything, did you do?
FRANK CHIOLA: Assessed the situation, immediately tried to get my composure. I was a little confused at first because it seemed that the -- everybody was so bloody, so confused and so chaotic, it just took me back.
MS. PELLEGRINI: I'm sorry. Took you back where?
MR. BRUCK: Objection.
THE COURT: Sustained.
BY MS. PELLEGRINI:
MS. PELLEGRINI: After --
FRANK CHIOLA: I took a moment to realize where I was and what I was doing.
MS. PELLEGRINI: And when you did?
FRANK CHIOLA: And when I did I looked up, the smoke cleared, and that's when I saw the bodies and everybody else on the ground screaming and crying.
MS. PELLEGRINI: And what, if anything, did you do?
FRANK CHIOLA: I helped people as best I can, removed the gates, applied some tourniquets, applied CPR on one of the victims.
MS. PELLEGRINI: Can you describe this person for us?
FRANK CHIOLA: Yes. Young lady, mid 20s, -appeared to me to be in her mid 20s, young, wearing all blue. Blue eye shadow. I later found out her name was Krystle.
MS. PELLEGRINI: What did you do?
FRANK CHIOLA: Performed CPR on her, chest compressions mainly.
MS. PELLEGRINI: And what observations, if any, did you make while you were doing this?
FRANK CHIOLA: She had a friend near her calling out her name. She looked in shock. She was coughing. As I applied chest compressions, smoke was coming out of her mouth. She appeared to be in a lot of pain. I helped her as best I can. I immediately asked if someone could take over and continue the chest compressions.
MS. PELLEGRINI: Officer Chiola, have you also reviewed a photograph of the scene prior to coming into court today?
FRANK CHIOLA: I did.
MS. PELLEGRINI: All right. May we have Exhibit 8 already in evidence up on the screen for everyone?
MS. PELLEGRINI: Officer Chiola, I would ask you to look at Exhibit 8 now on the screen and ask if, in fact, you see yourself in that image.
FRANK CHIOLA: I do.
MS. PELLEGRINI: And can you point yourself out, please?
FRANK CHIOLA: (Witness complies.)
MS. PELLEGRINI: All right. So I note for the record you've drawn a yellow circle around what appears to be a person in uniform in the lower left hand of the image. How do you know that's you?
FRANK CHIOLA: I'm the only one that wears the radio over my shoulder. I would recognize my tag book on my right-hand side.
MS. PELLEGRINI: When you say recognize the shoulder --
FRANK CHIOLA: Yes, ma'am.
MS. PELLEGRINI: All right. What are we referring to?
FRANK CHIOLA: The radio. I wear it around my back and over my shoulder.
MS. PELLEGRINI: All right. Can you point that out for us on the image, please?
FRANK CHIOLA: That would be right here, ma'am (indicating).
MS. PELLEGRINI: All right. So you've drawn the yellow line across the black line the person in uniform. Is that correct?
FRANK CHIOLA: That's correct.
MS. PELLEGRINI: And with respect to the person that --
MS. PELLEGRINI: Can we go back to the image just before?
MS. PELLEGRINI: -- upon whom you performed chest compressions, where was that person located?
FRANK CHIOLA: It would have been near the curb close to where I was.
MS. PELLEGRINI: Could you point that out, please, on the image?
FRANK CHIOLA: This area here. Now I'm not seeing it. This area right here.
MS. PELLEGRINI: All right. So you've drawn for the record a yellow circle approximately in the center of the image at the bottom. Is that correct?
FRANK CHIOLA: Yes, ma'am.
MS. PELLEGRINI: Now, Officer Chiola, how long did you stay with that victim?
FRANK CHIOLA: About 30 seconds. Twenty to 30 seconds.
MS. PELLEGRINI: And what else did you do then after leaving?
FRANK CHIOLA: Immediately I started helping whoever else needed help.
MS. PELLEGRINI: What did you do?
FRANK CHIOLA: Tourniquets; assisted people to get to the ambulances; I grabbed a wheelchair, threw some people in wheelchairs; cleared the scene, cleared the crowds. That went on for the next 10, 15 minutes.
MS. PELLEGRINI: Officer Chiola, when you were performing the chest compressions on the person you identified as being Krystle, what observations other than the ones that you've mentioned did you make of her?
FRANK CHIOLA: She was suffering. She was in pain, in shock.
MS. PELLEGRINI: Did you see what her injuries were?
FRANK CHIOLA: I did.
MS. PELLEGRINI: Can you describe those?
FRANK CHIOLA: From the waist down it had been -- it's really tough to describe. It's complete mutilation. That's as far as I can -- I don't want to say.
MS. PELLEGRINI: How long overall did you remain at that location on Boylston Street?
FRANK CHIOLA: About 20 minutes. Twenty, 25 minutes, ma'am.
MS. PELLEGRINI: And where did you go to after you left there?
FRANK CHIOLA: Immediately after I went to the tent. There was a first aid tent available. Everybody eventually made their way there. And I stayed until about midnight. During the course of my time there I discovered that Krystle was there as well, so I stayed with her till I was relieved of duty.
MS. PELLEGRINI: Was she alive when you saw her in the medical tent?
FRANK CHIOLA: She was not, ma'am.
MS. PELLEGRINI: I have no further questions from the officer.
MR. BRUCK: We have no questions for you. Thank you, Officer.
FRANK CHIOLA: Thank you, sir.
THE COURT: Thank you, Officer. You may step down.
FRANK CHIOLA: Thank you.
(The witness is excused.)
MR. MELLIN: The United States calls Jeff Bauman.