Prosecutors call 7 witnesses in Palmyra murder case to establish timeline

A painter, a DNA expert and a New York City detective were among seven witnesses called to the stand by prosecutors Wednesday in the ongoing trial of Kabary Salem, who is accused of killing his 25-year-old daughter, Ola Salem, in Palmyra in October 2019, driving her body to Staten Island, and dumping it in a wooded area off a road cul-de-sac in Bloomingdale Park.

The trial began Monday at the Lebanon County Courthouse, located in Lebanon city, in the courtroom of Lebanon County Judge Bradford Charles.

Read More: Testimony in Kabary Salem trial focuses on finding body, injuries, GPS mapping

Charges were originally brought in New York, but transferred to Pennsylvania when medical examiners concluded that Ola Salem was killed in Lebanon County.

The prosecution team started their second day of testimony by bringing forward William Zeiders, a Palmyra resident who was working on the restaurant renovations at 615 E. Main St. that Kabary and Ola were preparing to reopen. Zeiders told the court that he had contact with Kabary, Ola, and a few other people who were working on the renovation project on the few days he stopped by the Main Street building.

On Oct. 23, Zeiders testified that he went to 615 E. Main St. around lunchtime and ultimately decided to come back in the evening to help with painting when there were fewer people present and it was “less congested.”

When he arrived back around 8 p.m., he said he found a silver car blocking the driveway. His statement in November 2019 specified it was a Toyota Camry. He said he sat in his truck for a while, and Kabary came over to his vehicle to ask what he was doing. When Zeiders said he was there to paint, Kabary said there was no one there at the time and told him to go home.

Zeiders said Kabary walked off and then came back to tell him to leave again, at which point Zeiders requested that he move his car so he wouldn’t have to back out onto Main Street. Kabary said he “had woman” in the car, Zeiders said. When Kabary moved his car, Zeiders said he was curious to see who it was, but could not see anyone in the passenger seat when he looked in.

On cross-examination, defense attorney Jay Nigrini asked Zeiders about his recollection of dates, as Zeiders had said he visited the restaurant multiple times between Oct. 21 and 23, 2019. He said he was certain of the dates when he initially spoke with officers in November 2019.

Nigrini also questioned Zeiders about Kabary’s English-speaking ability, asking if it was “broken English,” as Zeiders testified Kabary said he “had woman.” Zeiders said he could understand him fine.

DNA expert witness takes the stand

Jessica Mackey then took the stand as an expert witness to talk about her DNA testing work on the case. She said she has done hundreds of DNA comparisons and has testified 21 times. She worked on Ola’s case, which included taking DNA comparisons from fingernail clippings and a neck swab.

Of the eight clippings, three had a mixture of DNA from two individuals. Two of those three did not have enough to come to a conclusion, but the third had strong scientific support that the mixture was of Ola and Kabary. The neck swab only matched Ola.

In the defense’s cross-examination, Mackey stated that she didn’t know which hand or which digit the clippings came from, and cannot determine when DNA got onto an item.

New York detective establishes timeline 

The prosecution then called Detective Michael Levay, who was assigned to the case. Bloomingdale Park, where Ola was found, is in his precinct.

Levay said Kabary’s original 2019 statement said that he booked a hotel room at the Knights Inn in Palmyra, but surveillance video footage showed a different vehicle than the one Kabary came to the precinct in. This led Levay and his team to search through local car rental companies, and they found that Kabary rented a Toyota Camry at Avis Car Rental in Piscataway, New Jersey.

The rental car kept track of GPS movements, and the detectives followed up by finding video evidence trailing Kabary through Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York from Oct. 22 to 24.

On Oct. 22, Kabary rented the Camry. Video shows him pulling into the parking lot in a dark SUV, filling out the contract at the front desk, and then leaving his SUV in the lot. He then drove back to Palmyra in the rental car.

The car moved from the restaurant to the Lowe’s in Palmyra, where footage shows Kabary, Ola, and another individual buying paint. That night, the car drove to Waynesboro, where Ola and Kabary were staying with someone.

On Oct. 23, the Camry went from Waynesboro to Palmyra, prosecutors said. Later that evening, it went from the Main Street restaurant to the Knights Inn. External video from between 7:56 and 8 p.m. shows the Camry with a driver and someone in the passenger seat. Levay said the video quality doesn’t allow clear identification.

From 8 to 8:47 p.m., the GPS shows the car moved from the Knights Inn to the restaurant and then to the Lowes. This aligns with Zeider’s testimony that Kabary was at the restaurant around 8 that night. While at Lowe’s, Kabary is seen entering the store alone and buying a blue Kobalt shovel with cash.

From 8:53 to 10:46 p.m., the GPS tracks the car from Lowes to the restaurant and back to Knights Inn. Exterior video footage taken from 10:45 to 11:02 p.m. at the hotel shows that only the driver is visible in the Camry. After several more trips between Knights Inn and the restaurant, the GPS shows the car went from the hotel to Staten Island in the early morning of Oct. 24.

Footage in New York shows Kabary stopping the car in front of a residence, exiting the vehicle, and walking to the passenger side to look into a wooded area before getting back into the car and continuing. From there, he went to Bloomingdale Park, arriving around 4:44 a.m. Ola’s body was found 20 to 30 feet from where the GPS stated the car’s engine shut off, according to Levay.

GPS and footage show Kabary leaving New York and stopping at a Wawa in New Jersey. Levay said internal Wawa footage shows Kabary walking into the store with mud or dirt on his boots and a hood pulled over his head. After making a purchase, Kabary headed back to Knights Inn, arriving around 7:37 a.m.

His movements during daylight hours on Oct. 24 includes heading from the hotel to the restaurant and then going to Dilson Auto Repair in New Jersey. He then went to Avis to return the rental car and take his SUV back to Palmyra.

Kabary was informed that his daughter had been found dead later that day and traveled back to New York to give the detectives information.

Levay said Kabary didn’t mention his trip to Lowe’s, the shovel purchase, or his travel from Palmyra to Long Island and back during his initial statement — he told the detective that he was working in the restaurant overnight. There were no 911 calls or missing person reports.

Levay testified that the rental vehicle was processed, and three samples were taken, but there wasn’t enough data to be processed. He also said the restaurant was searched, but they didn’t find anything specific.

Weeks after the initial search of Bloomingdale Park, someone found a blue Kobalt shovel approximately 100 yards from where Ola’s body was found. Levay said it appeared to be the same shovel bought at Lowe’s.

During the defense’s questioning, Levay clarified that the shovel wasn’t processed in the lab, so no DNA or fingerprints were found. He also said they didn’t determine Kabary as a suspect immediately.

Nigrini said Kabary was given a styrofoam cup of water that was later used to extract his DNA. Levay said they gather DNA for both suspects and witnesses.

Nigrini also asked about Ola’s psychiatric problems and history of drug use. Levay said he spoke with Kabary and Ola’s mother about this history and past instances where she “wandered off” when having issues. Nigrini also mentioned that the initial report didn’t mention any mud or dirt on Kabary’s shoes, even though he appeared to be wearing the same ones shown in the Wawa security footage.

Other officer testimony and what’s next

The other officers and detectives that prosecutors brought to the stand included Cole Lee, Paulette Sharov, Edward Sciarrillo, and Leah Ortiz, who spoke about their responses to the defendant’s home in Long Island throughout their time working in the 120th precinct.

Each testified they had at least one response to the residence where they answered after Kabary called, reporting Ola’s erratic behavior or her violations of protection orders.

The trial will continue Thursday and Friday, according to Judge Bradford Charles. He said he expects the schedule to include closing statements on Friday and the jury starting deliberations later that day.