Rockland - The first witnesses were called to the stand Tuesday in the murder trial of Arnold Diana, 37, of Rockland. He's accused of strangling Katrina Windred, 47, in November 2010.

Before testimony began, the jury took a field trip to two locations important to the case. The first was Diana's old apartment on Main Street in Rockland, where the prosecution said Monday he strangled Windred. The jury toured the outside of the building and were directed to look at the back exit, which is one of the spots the state said contained blood matching Windred.

Next, jurors were driven about 1.5 miles away to Thompson Meadow Road, a remote street where Windred's body was found wrapped in a blanket three days after her boyfriend, John Savage, reported her missing.

Savage was the first to take the stand on behalf of the state. During his testimony, he tearfully told jurors how Windred left to pick up her son and drop off groceries at Diana's home on November 20. He said she was supposed to be back an hour later, but never returned.

The jury also heard from Windred's son, who corroborated Savage's story, and said he was waiting outside Diana's apartment while his mother dropped off the food, but she never came out. Instead, it was Diana who emerged from the home some time later. He said Diana told him that his mother had fallen asleep, and then brought him inside the apartment.

Windred's son said he watched a movie until it was time to go to bed, at which point, he said he went into the bedroom where his mom was and found her on the bed covered with a sheet. He told the jury he tried falling asleep on the floor, but couldn't, so Diana instructed him to leave the room. Moments later, Diana called him back in, and he said this time, Windred was lying on the floor, still covered by the sheet. He said when he awoke later, his mother was gone.

During the defense's cross examination, attorney Chris MacLean referenced the boy's initial police interview from 2010, and pointed out some inconsistencies with his testimony Tuesday.

The boy had a hard time recalling things he told detectives back then, like what Diana was wearing and conversations they had. MacLean noted some of his answers from then are different now, with the most significant being what state his mom was in when he saw her last.

MacLean read an excerpt of the interview, during which Windred's son said he knew his mother was sleeping because he heard her snoring and breathing. He said that she makes an odd sound when she breathes and that's what he heard as he fell asleep that night.

Assistant Attorney General Lisa Marchese asked Windred's son if anyone had told him what to say in court, and he responded no.

The trial is scheduled to continue Wednesday morning.

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