This trial started November 24, 2003 and is
ongoing.
April 1, 2004
by
guest writer Carmen
10:01am
I just got here and they’re playing audio tapes. I can’t
understand most of it but every once in a while I can hear the
words like “fuck” and “people”.
So this morning I’m a little under the weather
and therefore crabby. My cat yakked all over my clothes that I laid
out this morning to wear. I ran around trying to find something
else to throw on then headed out the door to get some coffee. Some
dude in the coffee place says “your shoes are untied!” I look down
“April Fools!” he says, all smiley. Ha ha, very funny Mr. Genius.
The Barista is all distracted telling everyone about her secret
admirer and mostly ignores me but manages to make my drink. I tip
her anyway. I’m driving away and realize that she’s forgotten the
chocolate – Hellloooooo - so I circle the block and run back in.
She’s all bitchy at me and dumps in some chocolate but tells me I
have to stir it myself ‘cause she’s too busy (there’s one guy in the
whole place) Good God Woman! Just use the spoon! I’m stirring my
coffee with a bendy straw, walking to my car and I realize that I’M
GETTING A TICKET! So I have a crappy coffee and now I owe the City
of Seattle $38. yee-freakin-haw.
The guy in front of me (suit type) is
completely nodding off. The Judge, Jury and lawyers are all
following along the audio with their transcripts. I don’t know how
else they would be able to understand anything except for the
occasional swear word.
Everyone turns their pages simultaneously –
courtroom choreography. Bonus.
Fun Fact: The human ear can listen at a rate
that’s 4-5 times faster than we can speak. I say they speed that
sucker up.
Right now there’s a lot of laughing on the
audio. Every once in a while I can make out a word. Here are some
of them:
- stolen -
money - looks good
- forgery -
fuck - murder
- people -
map - smart
- inevitable - the
states - dilemma
- arrogant
It sounds like this wah wah wah well wah wah
wah about wah wah wah fuck with a LOT of fuzz going on in the
background. Reminds me of the Charlie Brown parent speak.
I just picked up the words “30 fucking grand”
and “inevitably at some point” and now there is some yelling. 10
seconds of silence and then everyone turns the page.
The jurors have a look of bored concentration
(or maybe concentrated boredom).
There are only 5 observers today (including me)
and no hat lady – or at least no one wearing a hat. One works for
the Prosecution (he chats with them at breaks), two look like
reporters and then the last one is writing a lot and has on a suit
(he’s also the one that looked like he was nodding off earlier).
I can sort of hear what’s happening now. A
voice (the crime boss?) is telling S.B. that he has a “bad fucking
lawyer” – it’s ‘fucking lawyer’ this and ‘fucking lawyer’ that.
10:22am
S.R. is stopping the audio for cross.
S.R: Was part of the plan to ask S.B. about his lawyers
Witness: not planned.
S.R.: Was S.B. leading the conversation?
Objection – foundation
Sustained
Request to strike.
10:24am
Returned to audio.
If I remember from yesterday one of S.B.’s
lawyers arguments was that the Mounties were trying to drive a wedge
between S.B. and his lawyers.
Currently on the audio is a great deal of
swearing with Canadian accents. There is more swearing on this
audio than I’ve heard in gangsta movies. I just heard “fuckin’
murder” and “that’s what it’s all aboot”.
Now there is a new voice, very low and mumbly
which makes it even harder to hear than the other guy. The most
clear things the mumbler says that I can make out are:
“fuckin’ pressing charges”
“shootin’”
“I’ve done a lot of time”
“I’ve been down that fuckin’ road”
“Fuckin’ cover it up”
Then there’s a bunch of stuff I can’t hear.
Then S.B. says “I totally understand”. I’m
uncertain what he understands though. Maybe ‘jail is bad’ or ‘cover
your tracks’?
Mumbler: “it’s your life. I’ve been down that
road. I’ve been down that fuckin’ road”
Oh – the audio just changed and I can’t
understand them again. However, I did just sneak a peek over the
bailiff’s shoulder at the transcript and it says “Audio from Project
Estate.”
I can hear them again. S.B. is now talking
about how he either got a police manual or would like to get one so
he can become “the king of forensic science”.
It’s hard to tell if he’s a murderer or a
scared kid trying to talk big to impress a crime boss. He seems
like a caricature of an up and coming mobster – like what you’d see
on TV or something. Very big talker.
I swear every other word is fuck. It’s kind of
gross actually. It’s so often that it’s almost completely lost its
meaning. They may as well be saying ‘donut’.
Everyone with a transcript laughs. I have no
idea what was said. Argh!
10:38am
Judge motions for 5 more minutes.
On the audio they are now talking about sex
saying “what do you call it when you have relations with the
opposite sex?” Now they’re laughing again, but I can’t hear the
punch line. A.R. even thought it was funny. He seems to be calling
it “macking?” I thought macking was making out… I am soooo unhip.
I just realized that the Inspector is TOTALLY
nodding off on the witness stand. Ack!
10:41am
Break for 15 minutes. They buckle up the defendants and
everyone heads out. I try not to look at them when they walk by. I
can’t decide if they’re guilty or not (?) either way it’s kinda
icky to think about so I’m just looking at my shoes like they’re
completely enthralling.
11:03 am
The guys are back and the Judge is telling everyone that we’re
going to run to 1:00pm today and then break for the day. He’s
negotiating with the lawyers about coming in tomorrow (Friday, and
they’re never there on Fridays) and trying to finish up testimony
from one of the witnesses. Apparently one of the inspectors would
like to go home to Canada. Success – they are on for Friday at
9am.
11:13am
S.R. begins the audio at the bottom of transcript page 111.
This information is helpful to everyone in the courtroom but me.
They gave A.R. a jacket and a sweater today. I
think this makes him look a little bit bigger. That guy is tiny.
He can’t be more than 5’5” and 120lbs with a very slim/slight
build. S.B. towers over him (actually, everyone does). I think I
could take him – actually I think a strong wind could take him out.
The audio now has them all discussing what they
call sex and girls.
I can hear S.B. talking about how he ‘tried to
smoke dope’ but didn’t like it and that it brought on depression.
Apparently he also has allergies. The undercover cop says “I have
allergies too”.
There’s a bunch of mumbling and static and then
I hear “that was fuckin’ fun, man!” and then a toilet flushes in the
background. From what I can make out the gist of this conversation
is that they took him to a ‘hot part of town’ and that they ‘don’t
fuck around for fuckin’ 10K’.
Since I can’t get but every 5th word
or so I tried to sketch what the court looks like today. Maybe
someone will scan it in so the readers can get an idea of what the
court looks like (and also take a gander at my fancy stick
figures).
The undercover cop says “Work for me. Make me
some cash. Make yourself some fuckin’ cash”. Then the f-word about
4 times and the word “car”, then more f-words and “car in 15
minutes”.
Great, there’s a new guy that just came in and
sat down right in front of me. He’s enormous and now I can’t see
the witness stand or the judge. Good lord there are all but 3
people in here and 100 places to sit and he chooses right. there.
in. my. way. People suck.
U.C (Undercover Cop).: “are you gonna take the
money?” followed by 5 seconds of silence…
S.B.: “what do you want then? “
silence
U.C.: “go around”
silence
S.B.: “take that. Take that back”
silence
U.C.: “don’t call me at 5” ?
S.B.: “by the way, uh, you know <unintelligible>?”
U.C.: “I don’t know what kind a lawyer you got…I got 3 lawyers that
don’t fuckin’ move unless I talk to them…talk to your fuckin’
lawyer, if he ain't the fuckin’ guy you want, get another fuckin’
lawyer. Cost me fuckin’ 80 grand to get that fuckin’ guy out of
fuckin’ jail.”
S.B. is now talking about how if he ‘wanted to
practice law’ he would have been one of the best lawyers. He also
talks about how he can’t afford to waste his lawyer’s time.
11:48am
Audio stops. Time to switch CD’s.
11:49am
We’re back on. Man, that undercover officer sure has a potty
mouth. The building hasn’t made the spaceship noise yet today.
Maybe the retrofitters aren’t here.
11:52am
Paused the audio for a question.
S.R.: do you recall at that point if he
was on the telephone with you?
Witness: no, I don’t recall at that point.
One of the jurors stands up. I think his back
hurts.
Back to the audio. S.B. is apparently on the
phone but it’s mostly silence and mumbling.
Another juror is trying really hard not to nod
off. OH! He caught me staring at him. Ack.
11:58am
Shift change for the bailiffs. There are now 5 bailiffs in
here. I just realized that I have to go feed the meter! I’m going
to run out – they said that they were going to do another break but
so far there hasn’t been one. I can’t get another ticket today.
12:09pm
I ran – made it 4 blocks round trip in 11 minutes. I saw a guy
talking to a lamppost and saying woo-ooo woo-ooo woo-ooo while
flapping his arms like wings. Neat.
The audio is still going, still static-y and
still full of mumbling. Lots of swearing. I know army guys who
swear less than this guy – every other word is fuck. It’s really
starting to gross me out.
Does S.B. have parents? Just a thought. (Note
from
Hilary: Yes. Mr. and Mrs. Burns live in Canada).
12:18pm
Ow! Totally LOUD static and now it sounds like a ham radio..
Ugh – this is awful! It reminds me of when the microphone breaks at
the drive through.
12:20pm
Jurors are getting a 5 minute potty break is all. A couple of
them run out.
A.R. is joking with his lawyer. I’ve noticed
that A.R. and S.B. don’t talk to each other – or at least they
haven’t in the last two days. Odd.
12:24pm
Jury is back. The lawyers are talking about a fake memo from
the Bellevue police. S.R. notes that S.B. was worried about faked
evidence. The judge asks the witness to speak up (the alien space
craft is landing again) but the witness now can’t remember the
question.
S.R.: are you saying that he said it
but you didn’t believe him? (regarding the worries of faked
evidence)
Witness: no
The discussion now is about conversations that
took place on May 1, May 5 and a couple of conversations afterward.
Apparently there were multiple channels of audio for different
places and phones. This is the chart that they have:
Conversations from Part IV
Date
channel time
May 1, 1995 Channel
34 01:35
May 1, 1995 Channel
34 21:19
May 1, 1995 Channel
34 21:36
May 5, 1995 Channel
35 21:17
May 5, 1995 Channel
34 21:23
May 30, 1995 Channel
35 19:44
May 30, 1995 Channel
34 -
S.R.: In general, the undercover
officers themselves don’t learn much about the actual
investigation?”
Witness: That’s the way our operations have evolved, yes.
Gist: it’s so the undercover officer learns
information from the target and not from the other officers in case
they need to testify in court.
S.R.: do you recall getting
information from inspector Schwartz about A.R. & S.B. discussing
(the “Crime Boss”)?
Witness: I don’t recall any specific conversation.
S.R.: what about a conversation in the house between A.R. and
S.B. about ‘I hope they have some jobs for me in the future?’
Witness: I don’t recall
S.R.: Do you recall a conversation on 5/1 between S.B. and
his roommates about (the “Crime Boss”) talking about what he was
going got say to him – like ‘I’m not going to put up with his crap
anymore?’
Witness: no
S.R. .. or ‘one day I’m going to make him a lot of money?’
Witness: no
S.R: do you recall being told before 5/6 that S.B. said that
he didn’t have time for your tiny crap and ‘I’m only going to do
something if it’s worth 10 or 15 grand?’
Witness: no
<<the witness tries to pour himself a glass of
water and pours into his pants. Then he consults his notes>>
S.R. explains how when (the “Crime Boss”)
called S.B. on the 30th (channel 35 is the wire tap) and
also listened on another monitor (channel 34 – wire in the house).
The reasoning is that you want to know what S.B. is saying to his
friends after talking with the undercover people on the phone.
S.R.: do you recall being told that
after the phone call with (the “Crime Boss”) S.B. told Jimmy Miyoshi
and A.R. that ‘a weight of anxiety has been lifted off my chest
because (the undercover officers) are not going to be around?’
Witness: no
S.R is now asking about the 15th &
16th money laundering scenario.
S.R.: is this were S.B. learned names?
Witness: company names or people?
S.R.: company names.
Witness: yes
S.R.: If (the “Crime Boss”) were really a crime boss and if
they were really doing money laundering S.B. would have learned of 7
different banks to do money laundering?
Witness: he didn’t need to know which bank, they only had 1
actual account set up at the bank of Vancouver.
Next they go through all the bank locations
where the laundering was to occur with the witness. Names and
addresses of all the banks.
S.R.: June 28th& 29th
more laundering was done?
Witness: yes
S.R.: and on July 10th?
Witness: yes
S.R.: on those dates they were taken to even more locations
that they ones we just discussed?
Witness: yes
S.R.: both Jimmy and S.R. knew that (the “Crime Boss”)was a
murderer?
Witness: <pauses> yes
S.R.: and a money launderer.
Witness: yes
S.R.: and S.B. had a license plate number of one of the boss’s
underlings.
Witness: yes.
Break for the day. |
