FORT DODGE, Iowa — Tyrone Washington Jr. led authorities on a pursuit reaching speeds up to 110 mph the afternoon his ex-girlfriend was killed, an Iowa State Patrol official said Friday morning.

In front of a jury in Washington’s trial, Lt. Neil Wellner said he had received notice around 3 p.m. Aug. 5, 2013, of a silver Pontiac Grand Prix that belonged to Justina Smith the day she died. The car was traveling eastbound on Interstate 80 toward the Illinois border, Wellner said.

He said the Grand Prix sped up when the emergency lights turned on, reaching 100 to 110 mph.

Washington had driven to within 20 miles of the Illinois border in Scott County, Iowa, Wellner said.

Washington drove the Grand Prix into the ditch, Wellner said, and authorities tried to subdue the car. Washington ended up speeding out of the ditch and continued eastbound before swerving off the road and into a cornfield, heading south to southeast, Wellner said.

A short time later, the car was stopped and Washington was arrested.

The jury watched the video of the pursuit in the courtroom Friday.

 

Blood on Washington matches Smith’s DNA

Scott Stocksleger of the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation testified that jeans and a shirt belonging to Washington tested positive for blood matching the DNA profile of Smith. A knife that tested positive for the presence of blood also matched the profile of Smith. The odds that the blood belonged to someone other than Smith was less than one in a 100 billion, Stocksleger said.

Attorney Charles Kenville said there wasn’t a definitive conclusion on how Smith’s blood exactly got on Washington and that just because Washington’s blood wasn’t found on the evidence, didn’t mean that there wasn’t any there.

Friday morning’s testimony came after a full day of testimony Thursday.

Washington, of Northwood, is accused of first-degree murder in the stabbing death of his ex-girlfriend, Smith, 30, also of Northwood.

More testimony is expected this afternoon.