This trial started November 24, 2003 and is ongoing.

May 14, 2004
by
dll

8:55am – Marc comes in. All attorneys present except Veronica. Roger getting mic’d up. Roger asking Jeff if he gets nervous every day. Jeff says yeah, pretty much.

9:15am – Judge comes in. Roger brings up that KOMO used Haslett's real name on their broadcast.

9:16am – Jury brought in. Roger resumes questioning of S.B. Sunday, July 10th – Phone call between SB & JM. You visited him at his place of work on the 11th. What did you talk about? Nothing important. We just dropped by. It’s a normal thing. I don’t remember, but probably that I was going to be in Bellevue for a week instead of just the weekend. Before or after the bank? Before or after getting clothes? Don’t remember. About an hour before you left for The Keg you called JM. What did you talk about? I don’t remember. Would you agree that whatever it was it was important? No. We did not commit this crime. The phone calls were not about the crime whatsoever. Your dad told you not to use the phone in the motel, right? I’m going to play an audio tape between you and AR talking about Bob Thompson. In this conversation you two are laughing and giggling about gas bombing Bob Thompson. About where his kids go to school and where his wife gets her hair done. Yes. Roger plays the tape which is borderline inaudible. SB says, “When you asked me yesterday about whether I wanted evidence sabotaged I thought you meant in May. But now I believe you meant at any time. In May I was not interested. When I read the memo from the Bellevue scientist saying I was the guilty party, then I did want to sabotage the evidence.” Did you want to sabotage the evidence on July 16, 1994 when they took AR to the park? No. Were you interested in helping the BPD solve these crimes? If I could. Are you saying your actions after the crime were helpful? I gave them 3 interviews. I was willing to do anything, give them my clothes. But they started barking up the wrong tree, looking at us as suspects, and we didn’t do it. Four days before your arrest you wanted to sabotage the evidence. When you were talking about his wife and children. I regret making those remarks but I had a lot of resentment towards him. But AR was making most of those comments about the man who was trying to solve the murder of his family? He was not really trying to solve it but pin it on us. Isn’t it true that you and AR felt like you had committed the perfect crime and were indignant that Bob Thompson was on to you? No. That’s completely false. Roger has SB read a conversation between SB and Haslett where SB is asking if its people in Bellevue are smart enough to read a police report. You felt like you were intelligent enough to read a police report? Yes. You told Haslett that you snuck out of the movie to kill the Rafay family. Yes. You said you tried to make it look like a B&E. Yes. You told us that this is something you and AR came up with July 18 from things in the paper and things Haslett told you? Yes. You just went along with that and made that a part of your story? Yes. And you did that because you thought they were a threat? That’s correct. In 1992 you were friends with Dave Elton and Matt Zouls. Yes. You got into a car crash, hit a pole, with Matt Zouls in your car? Yes. Did you own up to it? No. What you did then is similar to what you told Haslett you did? No. You picked up the pieces of your car and drove to a movie theatre parking lot and manipulated the evidence. Yes. You told Haslett that you manipulated the evidence in Bellevue to look like a B&E? Yes. Then in 1992 you bought movie tickets to use as an alibi? Yes. Do you remember asking Dave Elton to lie? That’s correct. That’s the same thing you did to Haslett. You used a movie as an alibi. Everything we told Haslett is not true. But you used a movie as an alibi in 1992 and you did the same thing in 1994. The difference is one is a car crash and one is a murder. Roger plays a video clip of SB talking to Haslett. In the video SB is saying his “would I rather this never happen?” speech. Roger asking SB if he just heard himself talking about JM and he didn’t think it was a bad idea. Do you remember JM say he was neutral on the idea? I don’t really remember JM’s testimony but I’ll assume you are right. And you told Haslett that you were happier that it did happen than if it didn’t? I wanted AH to think I was comfortable with murder, so he wouldn’t think I would rat him out.

Next video clip. AH asking SB about the murders. SB talking about AR’s sister and how it took more “effort” to kill her. Roger contentious about whether SB said “bat work” or “effort.” And that was the truth wasn’t it? I did not kill those people. Was it part of your plan to giggle? No. We were making up lies. Did you find the lies funny? No. We just felt uncomfortable because we were lying. Did you find it as funny as talking about Bob Thompson and his kids and wife? No, that’s different.

Roger plays another clip. July 19. AR saying they did the crime to become richer and more successful. Was this part of your plan? We were going to tell him we did it for money since that is what everyone thought.

10:05am – Another video clip. Haslett asks SB to get Gary and starts talking to AR. Asks what he will get from the estate. AR adds some figures up. Haslett asking about crime, like when they bought their gloves. AH then asks if he is solid. AR says he would never go to the police about them. Haslett then asks AR about how he feels about the crime. “Pretty rotten,” but it was necessary to achieve what I wanted to in life. Roger asks if it was part of their plan for AR to say that? No, we didn’t plan specific statements. You heard JM say that you guys felt like it was a pretty rotten thing. And we just heard AR say that it was a pretty rotten thing? You’re asking me to confirm what we just heard on the tape? Yeah, he said that. Let’s turn to your comments on your conscience. May 6th scenario transcript. Has SB read from the transcript. If you wanted me to kill some guy, I’d have no problem with that. But it’s the technical stuff, like learning to use a gun, it’s time-consuming. I’m busy most of the time.

Roger plays another clip. Where he says you were telling Haslett that you were capable of the this crime. I was trying to explain why Jimmy & Atif didn’t participate. On June 28th I was trying to tell Haslett don’t go in my vault. We had incidental conversation whether he would kill us or have someone else do it.

10:15am – Break.

10:40am – SB & AR brought back in. Veronica asks Roger how much more? Half hour. Everyone (attorneys, media, guards, spectators) finding their places. Jeff being mic’d.

Roger says there is a question from the jury about the “bat work” or “effort.” They play it again. I sounds like “effort” to me. Then Roger says then AR says “On God.” I have no idea what the question was. Now asking about Nazgol. Asking if she is gifted intellectually. Yes. You and AR & Nazgol were good friends, right? Yes. Asking about ’93 Holiday Season and AR came back to visit from Cornell. One late evening you, Nazgol, and AR got together and talked late one night, and you talked about your capabilities of murder. I made an ironic statement. You said, “I’d like to kill someone someday. I think I’d find it enjoyable.” Yes. I have no further questions.

Jeff starts his redirect. Asks about Nazgol. Is there something that would make you comfortable saying something like that to her? She used to say stuff like that to me also. Jeff asks if there was tension between you because of another girl? Yes. Jeff has SB read a letter into the record.  In it Nazgol says if she was Sara, she would murder him. Also says if Sara does try to murder him, she (Nazgol) will consider seeing him again. Now asking about car insurance. Did they pay? No. What was the end of this thing. It was a complete disaster. My parents found out, the police found out, it was shameful. So after knowing there was a police report about this, would you ever use a movie as an alibi again? No. Listening to a conversation between SB and cinematographer where he says script is not in good enough shape to shoot.

Why did you rent movies after the murders? Because we knew we wouldn’t be able to sleep.

You told two different stories about where you got the bat. Why? I forgot my story – I was lying. Jeff ends.

Roger does redirect. Says the cinematographer didn’t like your script, did he? No. So you went to a different cinematographer. Yes. Roger ends.

11:34am – Lunch called.

After lunch defense rested its case.