Puopolo Jury Hears Evidence From Students

Three Harvard students described events leading up to the stabbing of Andrew P. Puopolo '77 in yesterday's proceedings at the trial of the three men charged with his murder.

None of the five witnesses called by the prosecution, however, said they saw Puopolo being stabbed. Much of the evidence concerned the stabbing of his teammate Thomas J. Lincoln '77.

Steven D. Saxon '77 testified that he saw a defendant, Leon Easterling, stab Lincoln, and later saw Easterling near Puopolo with a knife drawn, minutes before he was stabbed. Saxon said he saw a second defendant Edward J. Soares wrestling with Puopolo before he left the area of the crime.

The evidence of the other students substantially supported Saxon's testimony. Only Mitchell R. Whitten '77 said he saw the third defendant, Richard Allen, that night, but not at the time of either stabbing.

Defense counsel Wallace W. Sherwood attempted to show in cross examination that the defendants were involved in a fight with the students at the time of the stabbings. He implied that Easterling had come to the aid of Soares at the time of Lincoln's injury, seeing that Soares was "outnumbered."