Day 2: Opening statements set the stage for Mason Sisk’s trial

LIMESTONE Co., Ala. (WAFF) - On Tuesday, the prosecution and the defense team for Mason Sisk introduced the case to a jury with opening statements.

Mason Sisk is facing four capital murder charges for the alleged killing of five of his family members in 2019 when he was 14 years old.

Deputies say that he confessed to killing his father, stepmother and three siblings in their Elkmont home.

The defense wanted the confession thrown out because they say deputies didn’t read Sisk his Miranda Rights before the confession. The prosecution argued that Miranda Rights were not necessary at the time of the admission because he was not under arrest. Ultimately, presiding judge Chad Wise ruled against the defense to exclude those statements and other pieces of evidence.

A jury made up of seven women and seven men was selected Monday with two of the 14 selections serving as alternates.

To start their opening statements, the prosecution called upon a teacher at Mason Sisk’s school who said Sisk told her he would not be in school the following week. The prosecution says that the alleged murder weapon is a gun stolen from a house the Mason Sisk family was visiting.

The prosecution also says that Mason Sisk called his girlfriend four times before calling the police.

The defense questioned the teacher, Lisa Watkins, and asked about Mason Sisk’s father who she called an expletive.

The defense team argues that no one can truly confirm who stole the gun and that there was no proof that Mason Sisk was agitated with anything.

The second witness was Matt Patti, who is referred to as uncle Gator and was a family friend of the Sisk family.

According to Gator, it was his gun that was used in the murders and it had disappeared during the weekend prior to the killings while the Sisk family visited him in Florida.

Gator also said that John Sisk, the father of Mason Sisk, was on edge that weekend because Mary Sisk, Mason Sisk’s stepmom, removed drugs that John Sisk was hiding in the house. Gator alleged that John Sisk owed money for the drugs that Mary Sisk removed from the home.

According to Gator, John Sisk wouldn’t hold the baby because he suspected that it was not his.

Before leaving the stand, Gator said that he called the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office the day after the murders to tell them that his gun had disappeared while the Sisk family was at his home.

The third witness called to the stand was Angie Patti, Gator’s wife. She said that Mary Sisk told her about the infidelity between her and her husband. She also said that she saw Mason Sisk go into the bathroom while they were searching for the gun. Patti said that they searched his backpack for the gun but did not find it.

The next two witnesses Tuesday were a 911 call center manager and the first deputy to enter the house that night.

The 911 call center manager played audio from Mason Sisk’s call to the police. Then, the first deputy that arrived that night played video from his body cam.

Over the course of the trial, the jury will hear from both the prosecution and the defense team before making a decision.

If found guilty, Mason Sisk will not face the death penalty because he was just 14 at the time of the alleged murders. A Supreme Court ruling prohibits the execution of anyone that was under the age of 15 at the time of a crime.

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