SOMERVILLE, N.J. (AP) Testimony from the first defense witness for Jayson Williams cast doubt on whether an eyewitness was standing as close to Williams as he said when the retired NBA star snapped shut a shotgun, which discharged and killed a chauffeur.

Dr. Michael Baden, a noted forensic pathologist, also said that blood stains on the victim's right palm appear undisturbed. Four prosecution witnesses said Williams tried to place the weapon in the hands of Costas ``Gus'' Christofi moments after the driver was gunned down in Williams bedroom.

``Commonly, when someone shoots someone, eyewitness statements can be wrong,'' Baden said, citing the emotional impact on a viewer.

Baden, the medical examiner for New York State Police and former medical examiner for the city of New York, also raised questions about prosecution witnesses who said they heard Christofi gasp and detected a faint pulse.

``It is my opinion that the heart stopped beating effectively when he was shot, and that he was dead essentially when he hit the floor,'' Baden said.

Baden said he determined that the end of the weapon was 2 to 3 feet from Christofi. Prosecution experts put the distance at between 6 inches and 3 feet.

The longer distance could support defense contentions that Williams was unaware that Christofi had entered his bedroom as he was giving a tour of his mansion to friends and members of the Harlem Globetrotters in the early hours of Feb. 14, 2002.

Baden also said that investigators left Christofi's body in the bedroom for too long, some 12 hours, so that evidence was altered when the now-stiffened body had to be manipulated so it could fit in the body bag. The defense maintains a sloppy and incomplete investigation was done.

The testimony was the first since March 17, when the prosecution rested after calling 36 witnesses.

Since then, the judge read briefs and heard arguments on a series of motions from both sides.

On Tuesday, state Superior Court Judge Edward M. Coleman ruled there was no need for the jury to visit the Williams mansion and see the bedroom where Christofi was gunned down in the early hours of Feb. 14, 2002.

The defense said the tour would help the jurors understand the sightlines and distances described by witnesses. Prosecutor opposed the bid, saying that more than 100 pictures and diagrams would suffice.

Coleman on Tuesday also rejected the routine defense motion to acquit the defendant of all charges, ruling that the prosecution presented sufficient evidence and that it is the jury's job to determine its credibility.

In addition, the judge refused a defense request to have the trial continue only on the four charges dealing with the shooting and have a later trial on the four charges alleging a cover-up.

In addition to aggravated manslaughter, Williams, 36, is charged with altering evidence and persuading his houseguests to lie by saying they were downstairs when Christofi shot himself.

The eight charges carry penalties of up to 55 years in prison. The least of the charges carries a penalty of up to 18 months in prison, but would likely result in probation.

Williams had gone with some friends to see a Harlem Globetrotters game in Bethlehem, Pa. Christofi had driven four Globetrotters from the game to a restaurant near the Williams estate for dinner with Williams and most of the group. They then went to the mansion in Alexandria Township.

Williams retired as center of the New Jersey Nets in 2000 after a decade in the NBA, unable to overcome a broken leg suffered a year earlier in a collision with a teammate. He was suspended from his job as an NBA analyst for NBC after the shooting.