 Archive for the 'Life in trial' CategoryProgramming note: Off until MondayOctober 24th, 2008, 2:15 pm by Nick R. MartinThe trial of Serial Shooter suspect Dale Hausner is off today, but it will return on Monday, Oct. 27. Live blogging will also resume that morning. In the meantime, catch up with the trial. Last week’s highlights: Defense wants juror tossed for nappingOctober 20th, 2008, 2:55 pm by Nick R. MartinDuring a break this afternoon, attorney Ken Everett complained to Judge Roland Steinle that today was at least the second time a young juror has been seen sleeping on the job. Everett said he even wanted to “ask that he be excluded right now” — lawyer speak for kicking him off the trial. The 20-something man in the front row might be forgiven for having heavy eyelids, though, especially today. The room is a little warm and the air is stale. The testimony this afternoon is entirely from Maricopa County medical examiner Robert Lyon, who is going over detailed autopsies in which the most interesting info is a brief but intricate discussion on how lividity helps determine time of death. It’s dry stuff. Steinle told Everett he wasn’t ready to yank the juror just yet. But, the judge said, if the man continues to nap, the court may revisit this issue sooner than later. Hausner disputes Tribune storyOctober 20th, 2008, 1:08 pm by Nick R. Martin
Last Tuesday, I wrote about a brief blackout in the courtroom that happened just as testimony was getting underway for the day. Lights went out for about 30 seconds in the windowless courtroom, and guards fumbled with their flashlights to shine them on the defendant, Dale Hausner, who is accused of eight murders. Now, Hausner is disputing the story. Standing in the courtroom during the lunch break today, Hausner was reading through a handful of newspaper stories printed since the start of the trial. Remember, prosecutors have called Hausner a “narcissist” because he reportedly cut out and saved dozens of newspaper clippings about the Serial Shooter killings while the they were ongoing. In the near-empty courtroom a few minutes ago, he read aloud part of my story published the day after the blackout. “About 30 second later, the lights came back on,” Hausner read. “All the jurors sighed with relief.” (Note: Hausner added a couple words for emphasis.) “Come on!” Hausner said to his attorneys, apparently not knowing the writer was in the courtroom. “The lights were out for about seven seconds and when I looked over, all the jurors were fine.” “Be careful,” his attorney Ken Everett said, “I think the reporter is right over there.” Hausner looked back at the gallery, mumbled something, sat down and laid the story on the table. He read other stories silently to himself. Photo by pool photographer. Hausner listens to testimony last week during his trial in Maricopa County Superior Court on eight murder charges. Trial on break until MondayOctober 16th, 2008, 9:41 am by Nick R. MartinAnother juror conflict today means the trial of Serial Shooter suspect Dale Hauser is on hold until Monday. We will pick up coverage then. In the meantime, take a peek through the highlights of the first two weeks of the blog to get caught up with the case. Highlights so far: Hausner’s jurors get their turnOctober 15th, 2008, 2:04 pm by Nick R. MartinIn criminal trials in Maricopa County, jurors get to ask questions of witnesses. After the prosecutors and defense attorneys finish running the witness through the ringer a time or two, the judge asks if the jurors have any questions of their own. If so, they scribble them down on a piece of paper and hand them to the judge. Often the questions are things the attorneys forgot to ask or needed clarifying. Even as a journalist in the courtroom, I’m grateful for some the questions asked. Here’s a sample of some of the questions Tolleson detective Ronald Rock was asked by the jury at the end of his testimony. Most were about the death of 20-year-old David Estrada. Q: You do not have a background in ballistics, do you? Q: From your investigation of the scene, was there any evidence that a struggle took place before Mr. Estrada fell to the ground? Q: What was the approx distance between the body and his belongings and the body and the freeway? Q: Is it common to have panhandlers and hitch hikers near this exit? Q: Were there any blood stains from his belongings to where his body was found? Q: Did you investigate the murder as a random event or targeted killing? When your investigation was wrapping up, did you believe it was a random shooting? Hausner takes a spillOctober 15th, 2008, 11:02 am by Nick R. Martin
No cause of mysterious power outageOctober 14th, 2008, 4:48 pm by Nick R. MartinI’m still trying to find the cause of the mysterious power outage that interrupted court this morning. A court spokeswoman said she doesn’t know. Another county official has yet to return my e-mails. A programming note: The trial is on a break until tomorrow morning. Check back here for updates. Small commotion, blackout in the courtroomOctober 14th, 2008, 11:00 am by Nick R. MartinMoments ago, just after the mother of David Estrada, the second victim, took the stand, power went out in the courtroom. Pitch black in the windowless room. Two guards pulled out flashlights and shined them toward Dale Hausner. In the darkness, Hausner reached out toward one of them. “I’m right here,” he said. About 30 seconds later, the lights came back on. Jurors could be heard sighing in relief. Judge Roland Steinle said, “Kind of thought the county forgot to pay the electric bill.”
Three days on, five days offOctober 8th, 2008, 7:51 pm by Nick R. MartinDale Hausner’s trial has only been in front of a jury for three days. Yet, all the players are going on a break for the next five days. The trial is taking Thursday off because a juror has a conflict. No proceedings are scheduled on Fridays (it’s a four-day-a-week thing). And Monday is Columbus Day. The trial will resume in full on Tuesday. So will live blogging. In the meantime, check back here in case of breaking developments.
|
Here’s a strange one. Just as the jury was being brought in for the day, the defendant, Dale Hausner, fell out of his chair. He was trying to sit down, but missed his seat and landed on the floor. There was a loud boom and everyone in court looked over to see Hausner on the ground. His attorneys picked him back up and patted him on the back. He appears uninjured if not a little embarrassed. Court resumed as normal moments later.
