In a handwritten letter found in his truck, Donald Rolle claimed he did not stab or kill Jennifer Randel, but did indicate he was there when she died.

"I held her as long as she was breathing and a while after," read a part of the letter, which was penned on a blood-spattered legal pad. "I don't want to live ever, even though I didn't actually kill her."

A Casper police officer read the letter to jurors Tuesday during the second day of testimony in Rolle's murder trial. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Rolle, who is charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping.

Rolle and Randel had dated at times and were last seen together at Butch's Bar in Evansville on Nov. 3. That night, 911 dispatchers received a call from Randel in which she said she was in Rolle's truck and couldn't get away from him.

Officers found Rolle, the letter and Randel's body the next day in his flat-bed truck on a remote road west of Casper. Before he was taken into custody, he slashed his wrists with a knife, according to trial testimony.

No one disputed that Rolle wrote the letter, which was found on five pages of a yellow legal pad. In it, he claims he did not stab Randel, although he does admit to fighting with her. He also lays blame on others for overlooking his allegations that she was violent toward him.

"Look at it and learn," he wrote.

Rolle, 47, was sentenced for assaulting Randel, 40, four days before the letter was found, according to court documents.

The letter was read by Officer Rich Brown, who collected evidence inside and around the truck. While questioning Brown, Natrona County District Attorney Michael Blonigen tried to highlight inconsistencies in the letter.

In the letter, Rolle says Randel took a knife from the glove box and stabbed him. However, Brown told the court he found a layer of dust over objects in the glove box, indicating nothing inside had been recently disturbed.

Brown also said Randel had a stab wound in the right side of her neck and it appeared from marks on her clothing that the knife also went through the collar of her leather jacket.

Under cross examination by one of Rolle's attorneys, Vaughn Neubauer, Brown acknowledged he didn't know when the dust collected in the glove box. Brown also said he didn't know when exactly the note was written.

Brown was one of several law enforcement officers who testified Tuesday. Casper police officer Amber Buhler described the extensive injuries suffered by Randel. Jurors viewed photographs of the injuries during the testimony.

Officers found bruising, cuts and swelling on Randel's face and body, Buhler said. Spots of her hair were missing from her scalp and dirt had accumulated around her mouth and face. Glass was also found under her stockings.

"Did Jennifer Randel have some form of injury from her toes to the top of her head?" Blonigen asked Buhler.

"Yes," the officer replied.

While being questioned by Neubauer, Buhler indicated she had found a black and gray towel with Rolle's DNA at the intersection of Poison Spider and Robertson roads while searching for Randel on Nov. 3. His questioning did not reveal the significance of the towel and Rolle's DNA.

The trial, which is expected to last three to four weeks, resumes this morning with more testimony from prosecution witnesses.

Reach crime reporter Joshua Wolfson at (307) 266-0582 or at josh.wolfson@trib.com.

On the Web

Visit www.trib.com/randel for daily updates on the murder trial and more information on the Jennifer Randel case, including excerpts from Rolle's letter.

Trial Tracker

Last we knew: The murder trial of Donald Rolle began Monday with opening statements from both attorneys.

The latest: Several law enforcement officers testified Tuesday, including a Casper police officer who read jurors a letter by Rolle found in his pickup truck the day he was arrested.

What's next: The trial resumes today with more prosecution witnesses.