04-03-2025
Olivia Newsom's mother, grandmother testify in Fulbright's trial
MONTAGUE COUNTY (KFDX/KJTL) — The mother and grandmother of 2-year-old Scarlette Olivia Newsom took the stand for the defense in the trial of Joshua Thomas Fulbright for the child's murder in 2018.
Fulbright is facing up to life in prison if found guilty by the Montague County jury made up of four men and eight women.
PREVIOUS STORY: Fulbright's defense calls more witnesses in murder trial
A recap of testimony in Fulbright's trial can be found below:
Day 1 — Testimony begins in third retrial of Joshua FulbrightDay 3 — Texas Ranger, attending pediatrician from Cook Children's testify
Day 4 (Morning) — State temporarily rests its case in Fulbright's trial
Day 4 (Afternoon) — First witnesses take the stand in Fulbright's defense
Day 5 (Morning) — State rests after calling final witness in Fulbright trial
Day 5 (Afternoon) — Defense calls more witnesses in Fulbright's trial
The State of Texas is being represented by Katie Boggeman, 97th Judicial District Attorney and lead prosecutor of Fulbright's trial. Mark Barber, a defense attorney based in Wichita Falls, is representing Fulbright.
Testimony resumed at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, in the 97th Judicial District Courtroom in the Montague County Courthouse, with Judge Trish Coleman Byars presiding.
Barber, on behalf of the defense, recalled Sarah Newsom, the mother of Scarlette Olivia Newsom and the former girlfriend of Fulbright, to take the stand once again. Newsom also has charges pending related to the death of her daughter.
READ MORE: Mother takes the stand in toddler's murder retrial
Having previously been called as a witness on behalf of the prosecution, Barber's questioning of Newsom seemed to readdress her previous testimony.
Facebook messages between Sarah Newsom and several other individuals were admitted into evidence. The messages were printed out and given to the members of the jury.
Newsom testified that at the time of the offense, she was not taking any medication for her mental health, nor was she when she was in a relationship with Fulbright. She testified that she didn't spend any significant time in a mental health facility during that time.
Newsom testified that her daughter, Olivia, was an issue in her relationship with Fulbright. She testified that Fulbright hated the attention that was taken away from him because of the child.
'There were many times when I asked him to stop hitting her,' Newsom testified.
PREVIOUS STORY: State rests after calling final witness in Fulbright's trial
After a brief recess, the defense called Brenda Thomas, Sarah Newsom's mother, to the stand. Barber's co-counsel, Lauren Allen, questioned Thomas regarding Olivia Newsom and Sarah Newsom's living arrangements before the child's death.
Thomas testified that the child lived with her at first before she and Sarah Newsom moved to El Paso. She testified they returned and lived with them for a few months before moving into an apartment in Wichita Falls. She testified they moved back in with her for a few months before Sarah Newsom moved in with Fulbright.
Thomas testified that the child didn't want to go with Sarah Newsom to live with Fulbright. She testified that when she met Sarah Newsom at the Jolly Truck Stop to drop the child off with her, the girl began to cry. She testified that Sarah Newsom would call the child 'a loser.'
Thomas testified that she coordinated doctor's appointments for Olivia Newsom because Sarah Newsom, her mother, would forget. She testified Sarah Newsom went to about half of the child's appointments.
READ MORE: First witnesses testify in Joshua Fulbright's defense
At multiple points during Thomas's testimony, Boggeman objected to questions asked by the defense on the grounds of improper impeachment. Those objections were sustained by Judge Coleman Byars.
Thomas testified that Sarah Newsom would lie to get what she wanted, and that she was manipulative. She testified the last time she talked to her daughter was over a year ago.
On cross-examination, Boggeman questioned Thomas regarding her personal knowledge of her daughter's relationship with Fulbright. She testified she wasn't aware of any issues between the two of them.
Thomas also testified she never saw her daughter abuse Olivia Newsom.
The next witness called by the defense was Erin Owen, a former employee at Clay County Memorial Hospital. She testified she was working there on Oct. 15, 2018, when Scarlette Olivia Newsom was brought into the emergency room by her mother.
Owen began crying on the witness stand as she was asked to remember what happened to Olivia Newsom. She testified the child was unresponsive; her eyes were slightly open, and at one point, she had foaming drool come out of her mouth. She testified the child was covered in bruises and scrapes.
READ MORE: State temporarily rests after penultimate witness in Fulbright's trial
Owen testified that she never came in contact with Fulbright that night, but she saw him in the waiting room. She testified Fulbright was fidgeting in the waiting room. She testified he was 'literally sitting on the edge of his seat.'
Owen testified that she observed Sarah Newsom caressing the child's head, and she thought it was inappropriate because the child's head was covered in bruises. She testified that Sarah Newsom was emotionless when she interacted with her.
During cross-examination, Owen testified that it was evident to her that the child was 'profoundly beaten' and she was in critical condition. She testified she '100 percent' felt that the child had been abused.
'I've never seen a case like this since,' Owen testified. 'I hope I never see one like it again.'
Owen testified that she'd seen circumstances in her experience working in emergency care where the mother of an abused child would cover for an abusive boyfriend. She testified neither Newsom nor Fulbright gave any explanation of how the child received her injuries.
Owen testified that other than what she's seen on the news, she's never seen a case in which a mother has abused their own child.
The next witness to testify for the defense, Jessica Dunning, took the stand at around 11:24 a.m. Dunning owned the home in which Fulbright and Newsom lived, along with 2-year-old Olivia Newsom, prior to the child's death.
READ MORE: Texas Ranger, Cook Children's doctor take stand in Fulbright's trial
Dunning testified that her husband and Fulbright have been friends since childhood, and that she quickly became friends with him. She testified that other than when they'd get in 'stupid arguments,' she never saw Fulbright get angry. She testified that Fulbright came to live with them at first in January 2018, then again later that year.
Dunning testified that she'd known Sarah Newsom for quite some time as well. She testified that she came to live in their home with Fulbright, and they stayed in a room together. She testified that the child, Olivia Newsom, later came to live in the home as well.
Dunning testified that, in one instance, Newsom threw herself into a wall. She testified that Newsom would often tell her that bruises on her child came from a fall when she was playing outside. She testified she 'never really put much stock' into what Newsom would tell her.
Dunning testified that in the four months she lived in her home, she saw no signs of any mental health issues with Newsom. She testified that she knew nothing of Newsom or Fulbright disciplining the child while the three of them lived in the home.
The defense then passed the witness to Boggeman for cross-examination. However, before she began questioning Dunning, Judge Coleman Byars dismissed the jury for a lunch break.
Testimony will resume at 1 p.m., with Dunning returning to the witness stand for cross-examination by the 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
