Detra Farries
/ FOX21: file photo
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- The woman accused of dragging a tow truck driver to his death nearly a year ago has announced she will not testify in her trial.
Detra Farries was advised of her right to testify by her judge last week but was warned prosecutors would be able to cross-examine her had she chosen to do so.
Tuesday afternoon in the courtroom, Farries said she won't be taking the stand.
Farries is accused driving away in her SUV as tow truck operator Allen Rose was preparing to tow it. Rose was dragged for more than a mile to his death.
Tuesday Farries' attorneys continued their defense by first showing the jury the tapes of the interview between Farries and the detective shortly after the Feb. 23, 2011 dragging.
In the interview, Farries could be seen crying.
"I would never do anything like this," she said in the tape.
She said she felt remorse for what happened. "It is burning me up, it's tragic," she said.
Farries also kept asking detectives in the video when and how Rose became attached to the cable, and her car.
They replied "do not worry about how, worry about when he was attached."
The defense also played audio recordings of Farries in a car with detectives as they retraced the route she drove with Rose allegedly being pulled behind her.
"Oh my God, is that blood?" Farries asked when looking at the markings on the road.
"Yes, and other parts," the detective answered.
The detective said it appeared Farries was driving erratically based on the markings on the road. When they showed her where Rose fell off, she said she doesn't remember hearing or seeing anything.
Detectives said they did not arrest Farries that day because she was being so cooperative.
Then, after breaking for lunch, an opinion from one of the major accident detectives who worked the scene.
He said on the stand, in his opinion, he believes this "is a tragic accident, not a homicide."
Farries has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and vehicular homicide, among other charges.
The trial is set to continue Wednesday. You can also follow the trial by following the #Farries hashtag on Twitter.
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