Tuesday marked day five of the Hadi Matar trial in Mayville, New York.
Matar, a New Jersey man, is accused of stabbing author Salman Rushdie at the Chautauqua Institution in August 2022.
One of the key witnesses was Reverend Jeffrey Stinehelfer, who has attended lectures at the institution for over seven decades. He testified that he saw someone rush the stage and moved closer to see what was happening. While near the edge, he was handed a knife by an unknown audience member and later gave it to a Chautauqua Institution official.
During cross-examination, the defense questioned the chain of custody of the weapon and asked if Stinehelfer had undergone DNA testing, which he confirmed.
Outside of court, he reflected on how the Chautauqua Institution has changed since the attack.
"I often described that the world in which we live, which is a different world from when I first started going to Chautauqua, has found Chautauqua," said Stinehelfer. "So Chautauqua has changed."
"That sense of safety and that everything is perfect is different now," said Christine Pletcher, Reverend Stinehelfer's wife. "Now we go in, and you're checked, you go through metal detectors when you go into the amphitheater for certain lectures, and that's very different."
The trial will continue this week with more witnesses expected to take the stand.
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