This trial started November 24, 2003 and is ongoing.

April 22, 2004
by
Guest writer Brady

11:00:  I sneak in just after break.  The small room is about half full; more students.  I find my usual seat in the back by the jury and hunker down.  We are listening to an audiotape of SB and Haslett, recorded a day (possibly two) before the video of the confession.  Let’s have a listen.

Haslett is obviously badgering SB for info about the murders.  He wants details.  SB is very reluctant.  He admits to being scared of Haslett.  He seems jumpy and confused.  He says that he knows that if he were to—making clear that he would never—screw Haslett over, he would end up dead.  Haslett pushes forward, wanting to know why, how, where, why, how, where, with what, how, why… again and again.  Very subtle.  SB knows.

SB is not having it.  He is not giving up any info about the murders.  He touches on some vague, faraway, yes and no’s but will not give any solid evidence.

Everything about this tape is vague.  Haslett’s accusations are vague.  SB’s answers are the oxford definition of vague.  SB soon vaguely accuses Haslett of being a cop.  Haslett pretends to be put out by this.  Very convincing.  And the Oscar goes to… not the Canadian cop.

SB is getting annoyed now.  You can here it in his voice.  Haslett’s persistent badgering is, to SB, irrelevant.  Haslett wants to know about evidence in the phony police report. How did you do it?  Well the police report said bludgeoning.  Baseball bat or 2X4 actually.  Yeah, So, which one.  Well there’s not a whole lot of difference between the two is there Haslett?  I need specifics.  SB’s hair is there.  Is there anyone else’s?  You don’t need to worry about that Haslett.  A box was turned over, why?  You don’t need to worry about that Haslett.  Were you trying to make it look like a B&E?  Yes, no, I… uh… I’ve told you what’s relevant to your task Haslett; anything else is none of your damn business.  I have to know these things so my guys don’t go in blind, blah blah.  I have to know these things so my guys don’t go in blind blah blah. 

Haslett begins to get very belligerent here.  He starts to passive aggressively threaten SB.  SB gets jittery and defensive.  Konat stops the tape and asks Haslett if he ever threatened SB’s life or body directly.  No.  Still, SB said he knew that “if he ever betrayed Haslett he would wake up with a bullet in his head.”  Obviously Haslett has gotten some kind of point across.  Still, I can’t help but to think that it would be nearly impossible to wake up from a bullet wound to the head.  Then again, I’ve never really had to think about that.

Haslett switches gears here and asks SB why he committed these crimes.  He’s fishing for motive.  They begin to rehash the same dialogue as before.  Why, when, how come you won’t walk up to the nearest constable and confess.  Seems like a kind of clone of the last hour.  Everybody thinks this is a good time to break for lunch.

Back from lunch, the camera guy and his AV pal joking around.  Camera guy is taking ironic pictures of AV guy’s immediate image on the little screen right next to him.  It’s kind of nerdy.  I wish I had thought of it.  Hat Lady comes in, sans headphones, and I give myself a little personal hi-five for beating her into the courtroom.  She always seems to just materialize.  But not today.  She is wearing some kind of purple/aqua-marine concoction and I can’t decide whether to hold my breath or look up and wait for Telly Suvalis to bust in handing out free trips to Club Med.  Who loves you baby?  Telly does!

Judge Mertel comes and we’re off.  The afternoon is tape, and is basically a real-time-rehash, so to speak, of the morning tapes.  Haslett just won’t let it quit.  The man is quite eager and more than a little determined to get his man and go home before the end of the day.   He seems impatient and asks the same questions over and over again.  Now, I know this is standard procedure and it is proven to work, but man, change the subject at least once.  SB has accused you of being a cop three times now.  Your acting outraged routine and “trust” speech is tired.

Small bits of interest throughout the afternoon come when SB gives a mini dissertation on Nietzsche.  Nothing exciting.  Nothing that your average precocious eighteen-year-old couldn’t recite from the Portable Nietzsche, but fuel for the prosecution nonetheless. 

Haslett asks SB if he could kill again.  SB says no.  He doesn’t have the stomach for it.  Konat stops the tape and asks Haslett why he would ask this.  Haslett says that it was relevant to SB’s confession to the Bellevue murders.

Tape on.  SB says that this whole ordeal has made him feel old beyond his years.  You can hear the desperation in his voice.  He wants this all to be over.

Haslett goes back to his badgering.  Eventually he lays off.  There is some talk about the movie.  Gary comes to pick Haslett up. And we are adjourned.  I am now standing before anybody else and wait as long as possible to sit down so everybody knows that I ain’t no fool.