The second day of the trial of David Wesley Prevatte in Pender County Superior Court in Burgaw, North Carolina, centered on the people who were inside the home when 5-year-old Paitin Fields was found unresponsive. Her grandmother, Lisa Hunt, and step-grandfather, Dale Hunt, took the stand and described the household, the sleeping arrangements, and the frantic drive to the hospital. The jury also heard medical evidence about the injuries Paitin suffered.
Prevatte, Paitin’s uncle, is charged with first-degree murder and first-degree sexual offense with a child, along with a statutory rape allegation. He was 19 at the time. These are allegations, and he has not been convicted of anything. The defense maintains that he is a loving uncle who was wrongly accused.
Case Background
Paitin Fields was rushed to Pender Memorial Hospital on November 13, 2017, unresponsive. According to the case material provided, she had severe neck strangulation injuries and acute genital and anal trauma. She was declared brain dead on November 14 and died on November 16, 2017.
Prevatte was named a suspect early in the investigation but was not formally arrested until February 2022, after he was extradited from Louisiana. That gap of more than four years is one of the central points of contention at trial. Prosecutors say updated DNA re-testing methods eventually produced the links needed for an indictment, while the defense argues the State had the same evidence in 2017 and that it showed no definitive male DNA on critical swabs taken from Paitin.
The defense team is led by attorney Johnson Britt. The material provided does not identify the presiding judge or the prosecutors by name, so this article does not either.
What Happened Before the Jury Heard Testimony
Before the jury was seated, the judge addressed an incident that had taken place outside the courthouse. The material provided does not describe what happened or who was involved. It does say that administrative checks were conducted and that the judge issued a stern warning to people attending the trial about proper conduct outside the courtroom.
The court then took up a legal question outside the jury’s presence. The prosecution and defense argued over the admissibility and authentication of Exhibit 25, the recording of the emergency 911 call. Authentication simply means the party offering a recording must show it is what they say it is, such as a genuine recording of the actual call, before jurors are allowed to hear it. The supplied material does not say how the judge ruled, so that outcome is unknown here.
Lisa Hunt’s Testimony
Lisa Hunt was the first major witness described in the material provided, and her account gave jurors a picture of who was in the home that night and how the morning unfolded.
Who Was in the House
Lisa testified that five family members were inside the home on the night of November 12 and 13, 2017: herself, her husband Dale, the two young girls, Paitin and her sister Savannah, and David Prevatte. Prevatte slept in the front bedroom when he stayed at the house.
Paitin had been sick with a cough over the weekend. According to Lisa, the child first fell asleep in Lisa’s bed and was later moved to the living room couch at around 9:00 to 9:30 PM.
The Dogs That Did Not Bark
Lisa also told the jury about three household dogs named Bubbles, Smokey, and Sapphire. She testified that they barked at unfamiliar visitors, and that none of them barked during the night.
This testimony points toward an argument that no outsider entered the home. The material provided does not show how the defense responded to it, so readers should treat it as part of the State’s case rather than an established conclusion.
Discovery and the Rush to the Hospital
Lisa said she woke around 3:00 AM to make coffee and found Paitin on the couch in severe distress, in what appeared to be seizures. She screamed for Dale, saying something was terribly wrong.
When 911 did not connect right away, the family decided to take Paitin to the hospital themselves. Lisa testified that Prevatte came out of his room fully dressed and held Paitin while Dale drove. She described the speed of the drive as reaching between 120 and 160 miles per hour.
During the ride, Lisa said, Paitin involuntarily defecated, and Prevatte urged Dale to go faster. On arrival, she testified, he banged frantically on the emergency room doors.
Some of these details cut both ways. Prosecutors may point to the timeline and the fact that Prevatte was dressed at that hour. The defense, as the cross-examination of Dale Hunt shows, uses the same chaotic drive to explain how bodily fluids ended up on him.
Dale Hunt’s Testimony
Dale Hunt’s testimony corroborated his wife’s timeline and added details about the night and about Prevatte’s relationship with the girls.
A Short Exchange During the Night
Dale testified that he woke during the night to use the restroom. At some point, Savannah, who was 7 at the time, walked into his room and said Paitin was “acting silly.”
He told Savannah to go back to sleep. He then looked through the bedroom door and saw Savannah sitting up while Paitin lay on the couch. This exchange matters because it is one of the few details from the night itself, and it places both children in the living room area before the discovery.
Cross-Examination and the Defense Strategy
The cross-examination gave the clearest view of how the defense is approaching the case. Dale confirmed several points that the defense wants jurors to hear:
- Prevatte had a loving relationship with both girls, who called him “Uncle Boo-Boo,” and he spoiled them.
- Prevatte gave Paitin mouth-to-mouth resuscitation in an attempt to save her.
- During the drive, Prevatte’s clothes became covered in bodily fluids, including urine and feces.
- Days earlier, Savannah had played a game in which she walked Paitin with a dog leash.
The second and third points go directly to DNA. If Prevatte’s clothing and body were soaked in fluids while he performed resuscitation, the defense can argue that any biological material found on or near Paitin is explained by those efforts rather than by an assault. The leash testimony appears aimed at ligature theories, suggesting that a neck mark could have an innocent origin. The material provided does not say how prosecutors responded to either point.
Medical and Scientific Evidence
The jury also heard medical evidence about Paitin’s injuries. The material provided does not name the medical witnesses, so the testimony is summarized here as it was described.
On the strangulation findings, the medical testimony confirmed injuries consistent with manual or ligature strangulation, rather than accidental choking or a viral seizure. The findings included extensive petechiae, which are tiny burst blood vessels, across the head and face, along with abrasions on the neck.
On the findings of sexual trauma, testimony described acute trauma that was non-accidental. It included submucosal hemorrhaging, labial bruising, and anal lacerations. Medical experts also confirmed that routine hospital procedures, such as urinary catheters and rectal thermometers, did not cause these injuries.
That last point anticipates a defense argument. Hospital staff did perform medical procedures on a critically ill child, and the State appears to be closing off the possibility that those procedures account for the injuries. It is important to note that medical testimony about injuries is different from proof of who caused them. Identity remains the contested question.
The State’s Argument
According to the material provided, prosecutors contend that Prevatte sexually assaulted and strangled his 5-year-old niece on the couch while the rest of the house slept. They say DNA evidence and physical items, including red earbuds, link him directly to the assault and the scene.
On the long delay before arrest, the State’s position is that advanced, updated DNA re-testing finally provided the conclusive links needed for an indictment. Day 2 testimony supports parts of the State’s framework: the small number of people in the home, the dogs that did not bark, and medical findings of non-accidental injury. The material provided does not show the DNA evidence or the earbuds being presented on this day.
The Defense’s Argument
The defense, led by Johnson Britt, portrays Prevatte as a loving uncle wrongly accused. As summarized in the material provided, the defense describes the case as a biased “witch hunt” that followed a rushed and delayed investigation.
On DNA, the defense says fluid transfer involving urine, feces, and saliva occurred naturally during frantic CPR and life-saving efforts in the car. On timing, it argues the State had the same evidence in 2017 that it has now, and that the evidence showed an absence of definitive male DNA on critical swabs from Paitin. The cross-examination of Dale Hunt was designed to lay the factual groundwork for those claims.
The Judge’s Role
The judge’s visible role on Day 2 was procedural. The judge addressed the courthouse incident, warned attendees about conduct, and presided over the argument about Exhibit 25 outside the jury’s presence. The material provided does not include any rulings from the day or any comments suggesting the judge’s view of the evidence, so none are described here.
Legal Issues Explained
First-degree murder is the most serious homicide charge in North Carolina. First-degree sexual offense with a child is a separate charge involving alleged sexual conduct with a young child. Each charge requires the State to prove its elements beyond a reasonable doubt.
Authentication is the foundation requirement for evidence like a 911 recording. Cross-examination lets the opposing side challenge a witness’s account, and here the defense used it to elicit facts helpful to its own theory from witnesses called by the State. Circumstantial evidence, such as the household dogs not barking, requires jurors to draw inferences rather than rely on a direct eyewitness.
What Happens Next
The trial is ongoing, and the material provided covers only Day 2. It does not state the schedule for later days, which witnesses will follow, or when the case may go to the jury. Those details are unknown here
Current Case Status
Prevatte is on trial and faces charges of first-degree murder and first-degree sexual offense with a child. He has not been convicted or acquitted. The jury has not reached a verdict, and everything described above, including the State’s theory of the case, remains an allegation unless and until proven in court.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Prevatte trial about?
It is the prosecution of David Wesley Prevatte for the death of his niece, Paitin Fields, who was 5 when she died on November 16, 2017. He is charged with first-degree murder and first-degree sexual offense with a child.
Where is the trial taking place?
In Pender County Superior Court in Burgaw, North Carolina.
Who testified on Day 2?
Paitin’s grandmother, Lisa Hunt, and step-grandfather, Dale Hunt, testified, along with medical evidence about Paitin’s injuries. The material provided does not name the medical witnesses.
What did the grandparents say about the night?
They described five people in the home, Paitin being moved to the couch, the discovery of her in distress around 3:00 AM, and the emergency drive to Pender Memorial Hospital.
What did the defense establish on cross-examination?
Dale Hunt confirmed that Prevatte was loving toward the girls, performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and was covered in bodily fluids during the drive. He also confirmed the earlier leash game involving Savannah and Paitin.
Why was Prevatte not arrested until 2022?
According to the State, updated DNA re-testing provided the conclusive links needed for an indictment. The defense argues the State had the same evidence in 2017. Prevatte was extradited from Louisiana in February 2022.
What did the judge decide about the 911 recording?
The material provided does not say. The admissibility and authentication of Exhibit 25 were argued outside the jury’s presence.
Has Prevatte been convicted?
No. The trial is underway and no verdict has been reached.
Conclusion
Day 2 gave the jury its first detailed look at the household and the hours around Paitin Fields’ discovery, told by two people who were there. The testimony narrowed the field of people in the home, and the medical evidence addressed what happened to the child. The cross-examination of Dale Hunt showed the defense building its answers on DNA transfer and on an innocent reading of marks tied to the leash game.
What remains unresolved is the question the trial exists to answer: who caused Paitin’s injuries. The DNA evidence, the red earbuds, and the reasons for the long delay before an arrest are all still ahead, and the jury will decide whether the State has met its burden.