Dominic Oyerinde was agitated, hyper, and even said he had an inkling he would be going to prison in the hours before he allegedly killed Anna List more than a year ago, according to testimony during his murder trial Tuesday.

The 21-year-old Ann Arbor man was upset over losing his cell phone and an ongoing fight he had with List, his girlfriend of about six months, when he went to visit friends on North Congress Street in Ypsilanti late the night of Jan. 12, 2009, witnesses said.

“He was still kind of hyper, and at one point I remember him hitting my bed,” said Ellie Skinner, a resident of the Congress Street home where “Dom” often hung out with her boyfriend.

“I remember him saying how he thought he’d be going to prison that night.”

Dominic Oyerinde appears for an earlier hearing on the charges.

Skinner, 19, then recalled how her boyfriend urgently woke her up in the middle of the night to say something bad happened between Dom and Anna in nearby Recreation Park. Barefoot, she tried running to the scene through the fresh snow and was stopped by police already on the scene searching for a suspect.

Not long before, a motorist found List’s body lying in the entrance to the park. Police found her in a large pool of blood with significant head injuries. The 17-year-old Huron High School senior died roughly a week later.

Washtenaw County Medical Examiner Bader Cassin testified List was struck once between the eyes and in one in the back of the head with a blunt object, causing multiple skull fractures.

Cassin described how the wounds were consistent with the blunt end of a metal hammer head. As he held the wood-handled tool that investigators recovered, Cassin described how he believed the hammer was in full swinging motion when it struck List’s head.

During cross-examination, Cassin said he could not determine which blow came first. But either one independently would have caused unconsciousness and ultimately death.

Oyerinde sat next to public defender Tim Niemann with his head down through most of Tuesday’s proceedings. 

His cousin testified Oyerinde visited him by surprise in Detroit the following day.

Oyerinde said he got into a fight with a few men who stole his cell phone, and one had to be hospitalized, said Lamone Waddy. Oyerinde also told Waddy he and List were arguing, and he just needed to get away from the area for a while.

“I just looked at it like he wanted to get away from what was going on up there,” Waddy said.

Oyerinde arrived in a strange van, which he told Waddy he bought. The van was List’s, and was the subject of multiple police bulletins soon after the investigation began.

After hanging out in Detroit for a few hours, the pair drove toward a convenience store. Oyerinde was arrested within two blocks of Waddy’s home.

During cross examination, Waddy said Oyerinde never changed his clothes or appeared upset. He also said he questioned the validity of police reports after learning some indicated he used the word "beat" in describing what Oyerinde told him about his fight with List.

Waddy denied saying that and insisted Oyerinde never mentioned any physical confrontations with List.

Investigators and paramedics with Huron Valley Ambulance also testified Tuesday. Further testimony from prosecution witnesses is expected when the trial resumes today.

Art Aisner is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com. Reach the news desk at news@annarbor.com or 734-623-2530.