This trial started November 24, 2003 and is ongoing.

March 23, 2004
by
dll

9:05am - Tons of high school kids in the courtroom as I enter.  I get a front seat in the journalist area.  All attorneys are present except Veronica.

9:10am - SB and AR brought in.  Bob the court clerk is back.

9:11am - Veronica walks in.  Jokes w/AR immediately.  They seem to have a really warm relationship.  She then throws a wad of paper at him and he ducks and laughs.  Jeff talking with older man who I think is a witness about to testify.  I don't see anyone else in court who looks like a witness for the prosecution.

9:15am - Roger walks up to the clerk.  He has a cell phone clipped to his belt.  Bob Thompson is talking to two of the guards. 

9:17am - Judge Mertel enters courtroom.  Guy I thought was witness takes the stand.  Judge says to him, "Good morning Doctor."  

9:18am - Jeff asks the judge if there is a ruling from yesterday.  Judge says yes, he will address it this morning after some testimony.  Veronica says, "Just give us a thumbs up or a thumbs down."  Judge says, "Like in Roman times!"  Judge talking to the Dr. witness about the San Francisco Bay Area.  My ears perk up as I hear names of towns like "Oakland," "Richmond," "Berkeley" and the street name "Telegraph Avenue."  Homesickness sets in.  

9:21am - Jury files in.  Roger resumes his direct of Dr. Blake.  Judge interrupts his examination to tell him that the jury complained that they can't read his charts that are on the big screen.  To describe it, it doesn't look like a Power Point presentation, but maybe a scan of a form with lots of numbers on it.  They are tiny and faded looking.  Roger says there is nothing he can do except maybe turn the lights down.  Judge gets up and turns the lights out and says, "Well, that's a little better."  A juror chimes in with, "Little all right."  Everyone laughs.  Lights stay off.  

9:25am - Roger asking Dr. Blake about the control samples from AR and SB for DNA comparison.  

9:31am - Roger asking the Dr. if SB and AR's DNA match of the hairs found or the two cigarette butts found at the crime scene.  Says one hair found on Tariq's bed was from an unknown male.  It didn't match any known victim or defendant.  Now showing blow up of hair found in the shower.  Says it is consistent with SB's DNA.  Showing slide of numbers that match SB's DNA numbers.  Says they didn't get much genetic information from this hair, but what they did get matched SB.  This was the shower that SB used in the house while he stayed there.  Now showing another hair close up on the big screen.  The Dr. calls it a "photo micrograph."  This hair was found in the shower as well.  Dr. says this matches SB also.

9:45am - I look around the courtroom.  At least half the high school students are literally sleeping or trying to sleep.  Judge Mertel is leaning forward with his chin in his hand, seems genuinely interested in what the Dr. is saying.  

9:50am - Roger moves on to the blood in the shower.  Showing DNA profile of blood found on shower door of downstairs bathroom.  Says this DNA is consistent with that of Dr. Rafay.

9:52am - Neat, more students file in and they are noisy as hell.  Now Dr. is talking about a few other blood spots in shower that were Dr. Rafay's.  Dr. says there were twenty-five spots of blood in shower, and in order to save taxpayer's money (thanks Dr!) they didn't test them all.  Just assumed since the others were Dr. Rafay's that they all were.  That's what's known as "inductive."  I did a philosophy paper last year on how inductive logic is crap, but I won't bore you with it here.

10:07am - Roger asking the Dr. about DNA found on Sultana's clothes.  A blood stain.  Roger asks Dr. if he had Sultana's DNA sample in 2001 when this test on her clothing was done.  I'm sort of confused as to why they waited so long for some of these tests.  

10:30am - Roger still asking Dr. about hairs found around the house and whose they are.  No bombshells, just these hairs found in Basma's room belonged to Basma, etc.

10:37am - 15 minute break called.  A quiet break.  Everyone leaves the courtroom except Jeff.  He tests his presentation on the big screen to make sure the jury can see it.  It's much more readable than the other documentation.  People start filing back in.  Roger jokes with Song about her red laptop computer, that it matches her outfit.  

11:00am - Judge comes back in.  Starts talking about motion from yesterday.  Denies "motion for reconsideration."  (I don't' know what this is in reference to since I haven't read H's diary from yesterday).  He says, "The methods of collection would not relate to the state of mind of the defendants.  They know their DNA was collected, we know this from the scenarios.  This can be revisited when the defense presents their case if something comes up."  I can't make any comments on this because I don't know what he's talking about.  

11:10am - Jury back.  Roger continues his direct of Dr. Blake.  Talking about blood found in Basma's room.  Two blood DNA matches - Basma's and Dr. Rafay's.  

11:15am - Something interesting finally happening.  Roger asks Dr. about 3 pairs of boxer shorts found in the washing machine in the laundry room.  Roger asks, "How does it make your job harder when something is washed this way?"  Dr. says washed items are harder to collect DNA from.  Roger starts his next question, but the Dr. interrupts him.  Says he thinks the prosecutor was trying to insinuate something and he wants to set it straight.  That just because something was washed it does not mean that there was ever blood on it.

12:02pm - Roger continuing with Dr. about DNA stuff that does not interest me anymore.  My mind is wandering, this stuff is mind-numbingly boring.  Don't be sad that I didn't write it down, I'm doing you a favor!

12:07pm - Roger ends his direct.  Lunch called.

1:50pm - All attorneys present.  They are talking about witness order.  Then a bunch of little conversations break out, all over-lapping each other, can't concentrate on just one.  There is a prosecutor not related to the case whatsoever sitting next to me talking to one of the guards about Theresa Olsen and whether SB and AR can masturbate in jail.

2pm - Judge enters.

2:07pm - Jury enters.  Jeff starts his cross of Dr. Blake.  Focuses on cigarette butts and how they didn't match the victims or defendants.  

2:30pm - Jeff has some really cool program he is using to show where different DNA was found in the Rafay house.  Dr. Blake even mentions how cool it is, and the jury laughs.  

2:55pm - Jeff ends his cross.  Marc says he has no questions for the Dr.  Break called.

3:20pm - Judge/jury back in courtroom.  Roger starts his re-direct.  More esoteric DNA questions.

3:25pm - Roger finishes his redirect.  Defense has no questions.  Dr. Blake dismissed.

3:27pm - Stat calls "Staff Sergeant James Dallin."  In walks someone dressed exactly like Dudley Dooright.  James starts his direct.  Dallin was the primary investigator on "Project Estate."  Canada was originally contacted by Bellevue PD to collect "biological and financial" evidence from SB and AR (and JM).  Dallin was privy to all the undercover stuff, but was not in charge of it. Someone named Doug Henderson was in charge of it.  He went to meetings with the undercover guys and they came up with scenarios, like the stolen car scenario.  Says on April 19, 1995 they installed listening devices in SB and AR's house.  Jeff objects, says we've been through all of this with Schwartz.  Judge overrules him.

4:00pm - Most of what Dallin talks about HAS been covered by Schwartz, all the scenario stuff, etc.  I don't feel like re-writing it all.  We find out little facts from him like he was the props guy, and got the guns for the scenes.

4:12pm - Stops for the day.  Trial resumes tomorrow at 9am (yeah, right, more like 9:20!)