This trial started November 24, 2003 and is ongoing.

March 25, 2004
by
dll

9:20am - Veronica talking to the judge about an expert, "Levine", on undercover operations. Jeff now objecting to PowerPoint presentation that's on the big screen that will accompany Henderson's testimony. Judge denies Veronica's motion for expert witness. Judge sustains Jeff's objection to PowerPoint presentation. Says that Henderson should answer the questions without reading what's on the screen, because that would be leading the witness.

9:27am - Jury files in. Roger calls retired inspector John Douglas Henderson. He retired from the RCMP February 14, 2004. He spent 35 years in the RCMP. He spent 33 years in the plain-clothes undercover unit. He was also a polygraph operator. Polyographer? Roger asks about, "project estate." Inspector Henderson has this calm, slow way of talking that makes you sleepy. Even though he is of retirement age, he does not look old. Maybe 55. He was a "cover person" in project estate. He was basically the liaison between the investigators and the undercover cops. The investigators direct the investigation and the undercover cops have the actual contact with the "targets." (i.e. SB and AR)

9:40am - Roger asking about the bureaucracy of these types of operations. Who's in charge of this, who chooses that, etc.

9:50am - There were 12 scenarios total.

9:57am - Talking about haircut scenario at Crimper's Hair Salon in Downtown Vancouver. After that they went to the Bayshore Hotel. Ended up at the Skyline Hotel.

10:10am - Talking about a "beer parlor" at the Skyline Hotel. Talking about how at many "beer parlor's" in Vancouver they have intermittent dripping by "peelers" (strippers). He says it's not a strip bar, because it's not constant stripping, but only one or two girls an hour.

10:20am - Asking how much money the were going to pay SB for driving the "stolen car" from Whistler to Vancouver. Henderson says the parameters were between $100 and $500. They met at Dusty's restaurant in Whistler.

10:30am - Talking about the stolen car. Put baby seat in back to make it look real. Inspector Henderson wanted a Lincoln, but the rental agency gave them a Crown Victoria. He was disappointed in it. After Sebastian drove back to Vancouver in the stolen car, they met at the Fog And Suds, a restaurant.

Some of the scenario names:

Scenario 1 - The Meet 

Scenario 2 - The Stolen Car 

Scenario 3 - Telephone Call 

Scenario 4 - The Four Seasons Hotel

10:45am - Morning Break - all the attorneys are talking about the undercover policewoman. Apparently in pre-trial hearings, when she was interviewed, she described herself as, "and elegant lady, and girlfriend of one of the mobsters." Since the trial has started, all the other cops have been referring to her as "a prostitute." Veronica says she feels sorry for the woman. Mark said, "If the prosecution called her, his opening line would be, 'So, you played the prostitute...'"

11:15am - Judge/Jury back in courtroom. Roger resumes questioning of Henderson. Talking about why guns were introduced in Scenario 4.

Henderson felt that SB was disappointed with the amount of money he "made" in Scenario 2.

11:25am - Asking if SB brought up the Bellevue murders in Scenario 4. "I believe he did."

11:35am - Roger asked Henderson what sort of job SB was going to have in the mobster organization. Henderson said that he had the impression that SB and AR were "computer-friendly" which was unusual for 1995. So they asked SB if he would do some computer work for them. In exchange they were going to offer to help him out with his police problem.

11:40am - "SB didn't fit the norm of our targets. He didn't do what he was told to do. He wanted to run things. He wanted to go from the bottom of the operation to the top at a rate so fast it wouldn't make sense for us to put him there."

11:41am - I leave.