David Creato Murder Trial: 5 Things We Learned From The First Full Week

HADDON TOWNSHIP, NJ — The first full week of the murder trial of David “DJ” Creato wrapped up on Thursday. Creato is charged with first-degree murder and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child in the October 2015 death of his 3-year-old son Brendan. Here’s a look back at five things we learned from the first week of testimony:

David Creato Believes The ‘Spirit Of The Lake’ May Have Called His Son To The Spot In Which His Body Was Found: Brendan’s mother, Samantha Denoto, testified on the first day of the trial on April 20 that David told her he thinks Brendan may have been summoned to the spot near the Cooper River in which his body was found by a spirit. The conversation was secretly recorded by Denoto at the behest of investigators. The spot has spiritual meaning for David Creato, and it was also revealed that he was there about 36 hours before Brendan’s body was discovered in the same spot. Denoto called the claim by David “completely odd and unexplainable."

Detective Says Creato Wasn’t A Suspect Until About Two Weeks After His Son’s Body Was Found: Despite being held at Haddon Township police headquarters for 12 hours, David Creato wasn’t considered a suspect in the case at first, according to testimony from lead investigator Michael Rhodes. He said Creato didn’t become a suspect until about two weeks into the investigation, but defense attorney Richard J. Fuschino Jr. claims the investigation was flawed from the start because Creato was immediately tabbed as the only suspect and detectives didn’t consider anyone else.

Creato Wasn’t Aware His Son’s Body Had Been Found Right Away: Although Brendan Creato’s body was found at about 9 a.m., David Creato wasn’t made aware of the discovery immediately. He was questioned by Haddon Township Police, who told him his son would be found before accusing him of withholding information. It wasn’t until Rhodes entered the room that Creato was told his son’s body had been found, at which point he reacted by crying “no” repeatedly, sobbing and talking about how much he loves Brendan.

David Creato’s Mother Told Him To Call 9-1-1: David Creato called Denoto and his mother, Lisa, upon discovering his son was missing the morning of Oct. 13, 2015. Both rushed to David’s apartment as quickly as they could, they each testified over the first few days. Lisa Creato testified that her son called the police only after she told him to.

How Long Will The Trial Last? Court is in session on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays through May. Judge John Kelley has said he expects the trial to last about five weeks.