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State troopers found none of Maggie Wigen's money on James Harmon's boat when they were investigating her disappearance two years ago in Tenakee Springs.
More questions raised about Harmon's cash 042005 local 3 JuneauEmpire State troopers found none of Maggie Wigen's money on James Harmon's boat when they were investigating her disappearance two years ago in Tenakee Springs.

More questions raised about Harmon's cash

Trooper plays jurors a recording of his meeting with accused

State troopers found none of Maggie Wigen's money on James Harmon's boat when they were investigating her disappearance two years ago in Tenakee Springs.

But they did ask Harmon about the money, jurors heard Tuesday as he stood trial in Juneau on charges of raping and killing the 19-year-old woman. The answer contradicted what other witnesses told jurors last week.

Trooper Eric Burroughs played jurors a recording of his meeting with Harmon from Sunday, March 30, 2003, two days after troopers arrived in the island community to look for Wigen and two days before they found her body in an earth dam in a stream near the cabin she rented.

Harmon faces charges of first- and second-degree murder, first-degree sexual assault, attempted first-degree sexual assault and second-degree theft.

Juneau District Attorney Patrick Gullufsen told jurors from the start that the theft would be key to his case. Wigen's mother, Karin Wigen, testified at the beginning of the trial that she had given her daughter 14 $100 bills before she left Juneau, out of which she would have spent only a few.

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"How many of the $100 bills do you have left?" Burroughs asked Harmon in the recording at a point where it sounded like he was leaving.

"What $100 bills?" Harmon responded.

Burroughs explained friends had said they saw him flashing two $100 bills earlier in the week, something two witnesses told jurors Monday.

After saying again that he didn't have any, he changed his answer and said the money came from what the Army gave him when he left after a brief enlistment earlier in 2003. He said it was "about $300."

Gullufsen reminded Burroughs of testimony last week from Army Sgt. Timothy Spann of the finance department at Fort Richardson. Spann said Thursday that military records show Harmon's military pay of $1,016.30 was deposited into a Wells Fargo bank account the Army set up for him.

Kathleen Vilandre, store manager of Juneau's downtown Wells Fargo branch, testified next, confirming the Army deposit in Harmon's account on March 14, 2003. She said the next activity was a cash deposit made by Harmon the following April 1.

At 10:15 a.m., Harmon deposited $500, all in $100 bills, Vilandre said.

Burroughs testified Tuesday that at about 10 a.m. that day, he received word from his supervisor in Anchorage that Wigen's body had been discovered.

When Gullufsen asked to introduce as evidence 14 pictures from the troopers' ensuing excavation of the dam, Assistant Public Defender David Seid objected to six of them.

"I understand that these photos are not pleasant to look at," Gullufsen told Ketchikan Superior Court Judge Trevor Stephens. "But this is a first-degree murder case."

He said pictures that showed discoloration in Wigen's skin would show she had been buried in the dam for a period before Harmon left Tenakee Springs after talking with Burroughs.

In allowing the photos, Stephens also noted that the picture apparently showing blood in Wigen's vaginal area has value as evidence. "There is a sexual assault charge."

In the tape played for jurors Tuesday, Harmon volunteered to have the inside of his mouth wiped to collect a DNA sample. He initially told Burroughs he was through answering questions about Wigen and talking to troopers, and complained that his life had been threatened earlier in the day.

"The police turn everything around and use it against you," he said on the tape.


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