Motion filed to suppress expert witness in Heather Elvis case

A motion filed this week by Sidney Moorer’s attorney seeks to suppress one of the state’s expert witnesses in the Heather Elvis case, according to a court document.

Moorer, charged with kidnapping and obstruction of justice in the 2013 disappearance of Elvis, will appear in an Horry County courtroom April 18 when pretrial motions will be heard before Circuit Court Judge Markley Dennis at the Horry County Courthouse in Conway.

All pretrial motions will be heard April 18 prior to juror questionnaires and summons being sent by the Horry County Clerk of Court, according to the scheduling order in the case.

Murder charges dismissed against Moorers in Heather Elvis case

The motion filed Monday requests “an order suppressing the expert opinion evidence of the State’s proposed expert witness, Grant Fredericks,” according to the document.

Fredericks, a contract instructor of video sciences at the FBI National Academy, is a certified forensic video analyst and is recognized as a leading instructor in the science of photographic/video comparison, reverse projection and vehicle speed analysis, according to a profile about him on a website for Forensic Video Solutions.

Kirk Truslow, Moorer’s attorney, declined to comment on the motion due to the gag order put in place by Circuit Court Judge Steven John in March 2014 that prohibits all involved parties from discussing details of the case.

Prosecutors have pointed to video surveillance of a truck they said belonged to the Moorers heading in the direction of Peachtree Landing around the time of Elvis’ disappearance. Officials, citing the gag order, declined to say whether this is the evidence the expert witness is expected to discuss.

The motion also states it’s based upon Rules 701, 702, and 403 of South Carolina Rules of Evidence and other case law, which deal with opinions of testimony by lay witnesses, testimony by experts, and the exclusion of relevant evidence on grounds of prejudice, confusion, waste of time or misleading the jury, according to the South Carolina Judicial Department website.

Timeline of Heather Elvis case

Moorer’s wife Tammy also is charged in the kidnapping of Elvis, but no trial dates have been scheduled for her, according to the Horry County Public Index.

Tammy Moorer’s attorney Greg McCollum could not be reached for comment Thursday afternoon.

Murder charges and indecent exposure charges in the Elvis case for Sidney Moorer, 40, and Tammy Moorer, 43, were dropped March 10, but they still face the kidnapping charges, Sidney Moorer also still faces an obstruction of justice charge, but that charge was dropped for Tammy Moorer.

The Moorers were charged in Elvis’ disappearance two years ago, about two months after Elvis, 20, was last seen. Her car was found abandoned at Peachtree Boat Landing in Socastee, but she hasn’t been found. Shortly after her disappearance, residents rallied to find her, searching the area near the landing and posting banners and fliers around town. Supporters still gather regularly for vigils in Socastee.

The Moorers remained jailed through 2014. Tammy Moorer was released in January 2015 and Sidney Moorer was released in February 2015 after bond was set at $100,000 for each of them by Dennis, according to records.

The Moorers received permission to move to Florida in September after saying they found work in the Sunshine State. Though the couple relocated, they remain under restrictions there, including home detention monitoring, and they must also provide officials with their home and work information and must alert them immediately if anything changes, among other stipulations, court records show.

The Moorers also face unrelated charges on Medicaid fraud, records show.

Elvis was last heard from December 18, 2013, and was reported missing December 19, 2013 when her car was discovered abandoned at Peachtree Boat Landing.

This story was originally published March 31, 2016 at 12:05 PM with the headline "Motion filed to suppress expert witness in Heather Elvis case."