No version of the murder presented is sufficient to level a charge of first-degree murder under Louisiana law.
If Loretta caused those bruises by hitting herself with a stone after her husband was killed, they would not have developed as much as was shown in the photos supposedly taken the next day; they wouldn't have been as colorful.
The term "187" is used early in the trial to describe the crime, murder. 187 is the section of the California Penal Code that defines murder. 187 had no legal meaning in most other states, including Louisiana.
Witnesses are not allowed to sit in on other witnesses' testimony, neither before nor after their own testimony, as it would unduly influence their statements.
The lawyers come to the courthouse like it's the first time they have met in this case and the judge seems like he hasn't spoken to them about it. In reality they would have spent weeks selecting the jury and fighting each other. This would not have been the first day of the trial.