OLATHE, Kansas — Jurors in the John E. Robinson Sr. capital murder trial watched a hotel security tape Thursday morning that showed the defendant returning the key to victim Suzette Trouten's room on the day she disappeared.

The tape, presented by the prosecution, showed Robinson, looking heavier than he does presently, entering the hotel office and tossing the key on the front desk. He sat down, leaned over, perhaps tying his shoe, stood up and adjusted his trousers, and strolled out. The tape lasted less than a minute.

Robinson, 58, who is suspected of killing six women in all, is on trial in Kansas for the murder of three women, including Trouten. Prosecutors say he met at least a few of the victims in Internet chat rooms for people interested in sadomasochism.

Several witnesses who worked at the hotel, the Guesthouse Suites in Lenexa, Kansas, also testified that they never saw Trouten that day — on March 1, 2000 — and that Robinson appeared to be alone.

One former housekeeper said she also saw a male matching Robinson's description checking out of Room 216, where Trouten had stayed since arriving in the Kansas City suburb Feb. 14.

Isabel Clark, the housekeeper, said she got just a glimpse of the man and described him as "white, bald-headed, medium to heavy (build)," but admitted she wouldn't be able to identify his face. "I saw a male checking out the room," she said. "He was loading stuff in his truck. It was totally full of stuff."

Clark also said she and her co-workers had noticed an unusual amount of blood on Trouten's linen and towels several times since the Michigan woman checked in February 14. They first thought it was related to her menstrual cycle but weren't so sure when it continued for more than a week.

Tim Herrman, the assistant property manager at the Guesthouse Suites, said he was in the office when Robinson came in to check out. He testified that the time was about 3:20 p.m. on March 1.

Meanwhile, earlier that same morning, at 11:43 a.m., the manager of a rural telephone company testified that someone placed a phone call from Robinson's rural property in Linn County, Kansas. He told the court the number that was called. When this reporter called the number, there was a voice recording of Hometown Santa Barbara, the mobile home community where Robinson lived until the time of his arrest. His wife, Nancy, was the mobile home community's front office manager.

The prosecution Thursday continued to focus on Robinson's activities on March 1, calling several witnesses to testify about Trouten's beloved Pekinese dogs.

Janile Cosby, a former veterinarian assistant at Ridgeview Animal Hospital in Olathe, testified that Robinson brought Trouten's dogs to be boarded on Feb. 16, 2000, and told her he was the employer of the dogs’ owner. They stayed, she said, until March 1, when the defendant picked them up shortly after 2 p.m.

"He was in a hurry," stated Cosby, referring to Robinson. "He seemed aggravated. He was angry that the bill was as much as it was. He said he had to get to the airport and he was rushing me."

As the court broke for lunch recess, animal control officer Rodney McClain was on the stand, testifying that he had been called to Santa Barbara Estates that same afternoon to pick up two strays. When he arrived, he found two Pekinese dogs in a carrier in the front office.

A former correspondent for Newsweek and People Weekly, Sue Miller Wiltz is currently writing a book about Robinson for Pinnacle Books. She is covering the trial for Courttv.com.