Jury Shown Nurse’s Bullet-Torn Clothes : Courts: Technician testifies he was present when pathologist removed three bullets from Kellie O’Sullivan’s chest and back.

As tears flowed down the face of Kellie O’Sullivan’s mother, a Ventura County evidence technician Monday showed a jury the bullet-torn smock and T-shirt the Westlake nurse was wearing the day she was shot three times.

Sharlene Cunningham, the nurse’s mother, calmly wiped the tears away and turned to a pair of reporters near the front row of the courtroom.

“That was white,” she said of the brown T-shirt held up for everyone to see.

Dale Stone of the Sheriff’s Department donned rubber gloves before sticking his hand into a paper bag and pulling out the two articles of clothing.

He told the jury that the items were discolored from being exposed to the elements during the 12 days it took authorities to recover O’Sullivan’s body after her disappearance Sept. 14, 1993.

Stone testified that he collected the T-shirt and the smock from the Los Angeles County coroner’s office on Sept. 27, 1993, a day after O’Sullivan’s body was discovered in the 3100 block of Mulholland Drive in the Santa Monica Mountains.

He examined the clothes while they were still on her body, both at the crime scene and the coroner’s office, Stone told the jury.

The evidence technician also said that he was present when a pathologist removed three bullets from the 33-year-old nurse’s chest and back.

Prosecutors say the shots were fired by Mark Scott Thornton, the 20-year-old Thousand Oaks man on trial for murder, kidnaping and robbery in connection with the slaying.

Thornton, who shed some tears last week when a picture of O’Sullivan’s body was shown to the jury, sat calmly at the defense table Monday without expressing much emotion. If convicted of first-degree murder under a special circumstance, the young defendant could face the death penalty.

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Further establishing their case as the third week of the trial began Monday, prosecutors also called to the witness stand the man from whom Thornton allegedly stole the .38-caliber revolver used to shoot the nurse.

Five weeks before O’Sullivan was kidnaped and murdered, someone broke into Robert D. Wade’s motor home on Thousand Oaks Boulevard. Among the numerous items stolen was the gun used to kill the nurse, authorities say.

At the time of the break-in, Thornton lived at an Econo Lodge motel directly across the street from Wade’s property, according to court testimony. Thornton’s best friend has testified that he and Thornton broke into the motor home, and that Thornton stole the gun, some bullets, a television and other goods.

When he was arrested in Reno on suspicion of kidnaping his girlfriend and shooting at her mother, Thornton was in possession of both O’Sullivan’s stolen truck and Wade’s pistol, according to testimony.

Pointing at Thornton, Deputy Dist. Atty. Michael K. Frawley asked Wade if the defendant had permission to enter his motor home and take his gun.

“No, he did not,” Wade answered, staring at the defendant.

In addition, an acquaintance of Thornton’s testified that one of their favorite spots was a “party site” in the Santa Monica Mountains, about three miles from where members of a search team discovered O’Sullivan’s body.

Fred Rex, who did not give his age but appeared to be in his early 20s, said that he and up to two dozen friends--including the defendant--would party at the mountain location. His testimony was designed to show that Thornton was familiar with the area, prosecutors said.

“We’d go up there, anywhere from 15 to 25 people,” Rex said. “We’d drink beer and socialize.”

To get to the area off Little Sycamore Canyon, the revelers passed within 7/10 of a mile of where the body was found on Mulholland Drive, testified Richard C. Haas, the district attorney’s investigator on the case.

Rex said his group liked to go to the area because the youths could make a lot of noise and not be detected.