CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A grandmother of one of three woman whose deaths are at the center of the capital murder trial of Michael Madison interrupted court proceedings Monday.

"I hope you rot in hell, bastard," the grandmother of 18-year-old Shirellda Terry said as she stood up and stormed out of the courtroom near the end of the first day of testimony.

Terry's body was found in Michael Madison's garage, decomposing inside a garbage bag July 19, 2013, according to Cuyahoga County prosecutors. Two other women's bodies were found nearby a day later.

Madison faces the death penalty if convicted on aggravated murder and kidnapping charges at the trial. Madison faces the death penalty if convicted.

Defense attorney David Grant called the outburst "unsworn testimony" and asked Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Nancy McDonnell to grant a new trial.

McDonnell asked the 12-person jury to disregard the outburst and denied Grant's motion of a new trial. Grant said later that the outburst could provide the foundation of an appeal if Madison is convicted.

"It is our position that the jury was inflamed and could be prejudiced," Grant said after testimony ended. "Certainly we're going to argue that that's a basis for an appeal."

Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy McGinty downplayed the outburst, calling the outburst "mild compared to what you hear at a hockey game."

"I look at it as a minor incident, the jury didn't seem flustered at all," McGinty said.

McGinty said that the grandmother would not be allowed to attend any future testimony during the trial.

Three of Madison's neighbors testified Monday along with two people who worked at the cable company below Madison's East Cleveland apartment.

Neighbors called Madison the neighborhood marijuana dealer, and described to the jury the smell that pervaded the apartment complex as Terry's body was rotting inside the closed garage.

Testimony is scheduled to resume Tuesday at 8:45 a.m.

If you'd like to comment on this story, please visit today's cleveland.com crime and courts comments section.