Cameron Brown Retrial: Quick Links

I will be working on updating this page to include all pretrial entries and other media stories. This page will also be the quick links for the third trial. Sprocket

CASE SYNOPSIS
Sometime after 12 Noon, on November 8th, 2000, Cameron Brown picked up his four-year-old daughter Lauren Sarene Key from preschool earlier than usual.  It was a regularly scheduled, court ordered visitation.  Hours later, Lauren ended up dead at the bottom of Inspiration Point, a dangerous 120 foot cliff in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.

Brown was arrested three years later on November 16th, 2003 and charged with 187, felony murder.  He's been in the custody of LA County Sheriff's ever since.  He's had two trials that ended in hung juries and is awaiting his third trial. The first trial was held in the Torrance courthouse and ended in August 2006. The second trial was in downtown, Judge Pastor's courtroom that ended October 2009.  In each trial, every juror voted guilty, however they could not agree on the degree of Brown's guilt (first degree, second degree or involuntary manslaughter).

The prosecution alleges Brown, a baggage handler for American Airlines, threw his daughter off a cliff for several reasons: he hated Sarah Key, Lauren's mother; he never wanted children --tried to pressure Sarah into an abortion-- and for financial gain.  The monthly court ordered child support, amounting to 40 percent of his salary was crippling him.

The defense contends that this was a tragic accident and Brown did not kill his child.  Brown's defense (in the second trial) said he loved his daughter and wanted to spend more time with her.  The defense presented in his second trial has been that he was sitting down near the cliff edge when Lauren accidentally fell to her death.

On the last day of her life, little Lauren Key started crying inconsolably when she learned that her biological father would be picking her up from school.  Her continued crying so alarmed her teachers that after a few hours, they called Sarah so that Lauren could talk to her.  It didn't appear to help.  A few minutes after that conversation, Sarah decided to ignore the court order and take her daughter home.  When she called the school back to tell them she was coming to get Lauren, she was told it was too late.  Brown had arrived early for his daughter and they were already gone. 

Attorneys
Prosecution:  DDA Craig Hum
Defense 3rd Trial:  Aron Laub
Defense 2nd Trial: Pat Harris
Defense 1st Trial: Mark Geragos

Major Case Players
Cameron Brown -- Defendant, charged with 187 felony murder.
Lauren Sarene Key, 4 -- Victim

Sarah Key-Marer -- Victim's mother
Greg Marer -- Sarah's husband
Patty Brown -- Cameron's wife, married in 2000.
Ted Kaldis -- Patty Brown's brother

THIRD TRIAL JUDGE PASTOR

T&T PRETRIAL COVERAGE 
07/27/2012 Cameron Brown Pretrial 1, Third Trial
09/21/2012 Cameron Brown Pretrial 2, Third Trial
10/02/2012 Cameron Brown Third Trial, Pretrial 3 and Kelly Soo Park News
10/12/2012 Cameron Brown Third Trial, Pretrial 4
02/22/2013 Cameron Brown Third Trial, Pretrial 5 & Courthouse Stories
03/21/2013 Cameron Brown Third Trial, Pretrial 6 & Dropping in on the Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter Murder Case
05/02/2013 Cameron Brown Third Tria, Pretrial 7http://sprocket-trials.blogspot.com/2013/05/cameron-brown-third-trial-pretrial-7.html

SECOND TRIAL JUDGE PASTOR

T&T TRIAL COVERAGE

Personal Videos Taken at Abalone Cove to Inspiration Point
Inspiration Point: Entering the parking lot
Inspiration Point: Trail from Abalone Cove
Inspiration Point: Beach
Inspiration Point: Trail up to the point
Inspiration Point: Edge of the cliff

T&T PRETRIAL COVERAGE
05/27/2008 Cameron Brown Pretrial Hearing 5/14/2008
05/30/2008 Cameron Brown Pretrial Hearing 5/14/2008, Part II
06/14//2008 Cameron Brown Pretrial Hearing 6/13/2008
06/21/2008 Scott Peterson Civil; Cameron Brown Retrial
08/15/2008 Spector Pretrial, Cameron Brown, Etc. 08/14/2008
10/20/2008 Phil Spector Retrial Day 1 of Jury Selection
07/24/2009 Cameron Brown Retrial

MAINSTREAM MEDIA REPORTS

The Daily Breeze
Denise Nix's notes on closing arguments are the most complete, accurate notes I've seen on a closing ever. Sprocket
08/25/2009 Cameron Brown Update --Denise Nix

09/14/2009 Cameron Brown re-trial winding down
09/16/2009 Cameron Brown retrial closing arguments Part I
09/16/2009 Cameron Brown retrial closing arguments Part II
09/17/2009 Cameron Brown retrail closing arguments Part III
09/17/2009 Cameron Brown retrial closing arguments Part IV
09/18/2009 Cameron Brown retrial closing arguments Part V
09/21/2009 Cameron Brown retrial closing arguments Part VI
09/21/2009 Cameron Brown retrial closing arguments Part VII
10/5/2009 Cameron Brown: Jurors engaged in misconduct, Judge says
01/28/2010 No Dismissal in Cameron Brown Case
05/05/2010 Cameron Brown-Rancho Palos Verdes cliff death case


Other Media
09/18/2009 ID Blog -- Did Cameron Brown toss his daughter off a cliff?



TESTIMONY
PROSECUTION WITNESSES
Bright blue text indicates missed testimony.

Day 1: July 27th, 2009 Opening Statements Part I
Day 1: July 27th, 2009 Opening Statements Part II:
#1 Sarah Louise Key-Marer, Mother of victim, Lauren

Day 2: July 28th, 2009 Morning session: #1 Sarah Louise Key-Marer
Day 2: July 28th, 2009 Afternoon session: #1 Sarah Louise Key-Marer

Day 3: July 29th, 2009 Morning session: #2 Fiorella Miletech: Prior testimony read into the record. Knew victim from school. #3 Jacquline Martin: Knew victim from school. #4 Marlene Quiram: Knew victim from school.
Day 3: July 29th, 2009 Afternoon session: #5 Jeanie Herrera Saunders: School administrator and teacher. #6 Deborah Jenkin: Abalone Cove parking lot attendant. #67 Saad Omar: Witness who observed defendant and victim several times during the hike.

Day 4: July 39th, 2009 All Day: #7 Saad Omar; #8 Jeremy William Simmons; Sacred Cover sun-bather who loaned defendant cell phone to call 911. #9 James Witherow: Hiker at the scene who saw the victim and defendant on the hillside paved road. #10 Richard Barber: Motorist who observed victim and defendant walking on Palos Verdes Drive South. #11 Cptn. Fred Curcio, Jr.: LA Co Firefighter. supervisor at the scene, first responder. #12 Victor Rosenthal: LA Co. Firefighter specialist; one of the first responders, paramedic but working truck detail that day. #13 Jessica Paige Brothers: LA Co Sheriff Sgt. first responder at scene

Day 5: July 31st, 2009 Morning session: #13 Jessica Paige Brothers; #14 Richard Erickson: LA Co Sheriff Lt., first responder at scene.
Day 5: July 31st, 2009 Afternoon session; #14 Lt. Richard Erickson; #15 Antoinette Martinez: LA Co. Sheriff Deputy who responded to scene and gave death notification to Sarah Key-Marer. #16 Detective Jeffrey Leslie: LA Co. Sheriff Homicide Detective, one of two lead detectives.

Day 6: August 3rd, 2009 Part I (Short entry. No testimony.)
Day 6: August 3rd, 2009 Part II #15 Antoinette Martinez

911 Call

Day 7: August 4th, 2009 All Day: #16 Detective Jeffrey Leslie; #17 Linda Peterson: Sarah Key-Marer's roommate in 1995. #18 Leena Patel: Teacher at Lauren's school who knew Lauren and Sarah. #19 Leigh Ann Ormes: Friend of Sarah Key-Marer's and babysitter for Lauren from infancy until preschool and after.

Day 8: August 5th, 2009 #20 Dr. Berkowitz: Child psychologist who also visited the scene and took the hile with the coroner.

Day 9: August 6th, Morning session: (Unknown; Guessing #16 Detective Jeffrey Leslie.)
Day 9: August 6th, 2009 Afternoon session: #16 Detective Jeffrey Leslie; #21 Phyllis Masey: LAX police officer, retired who took an incident report from defendant. #22 Detective Mark Lillienfeld: LA Co. Sheriff Homicide Detective; went undercover as LAX Officer to interview defendant about incident report.

LAX Airport parking garage conversation between defendant & Sarah Key-Marer

Day 10: August 7th, 2009 Part I #23 Mitchell DeGraff: Former neighbor of Sarah Key-Marer and family friend. Witnessed incident on Halloween and over-heard defendant make statements. #24 Laura Roberts: Friend of Sarah Key-Marer. Observed Lauren on the church camping trip to O'Neil Park. #25 Janice Roque: Friend of Marer family. Observed Lauren on church camping trip to O'Neil Park. #26 Jeane Barrett: Former girlfriend of defendant. Defendant told her he got a girl pregnant and said he was trying to deport her.
Day 10: August 7th, 2009 Part II #27 Jon Hans: Former life-time friend of defendant. Discussed conversation he had with Patty Brown about custody of Lauren. #28 Jane Doe: Former girlfriend of defendant who had an abortion.

Day 11: August 11th, 2009 Part I #29 Jack Laisure: Former Port Marina neighbor of defendant who overheard him make statements. #30 Chris Lord: Co-worker of defendant who had a confrontation with him at work.
Day 11: August 11th, 2009 Part II #31 David Banister: Co-worker of defendant. #32 Scott Simonson: Neighbor and friend of defendant who also lived at the marina.

Day 12: August 12th, 2009 #33 Stacy Phillips: Family law attorney explains concepts of family law and how "DISSOMASTER" program works. #34 Cynthia Nichols: Orange Co. DDA who handled the child support request from Sarah Key-Marer. #35 Joni Dodge: Social worker who investigated allegation of child abuse against Sarah Key-Marer.

Day 13: August 13th, 2009 #36 Victor Rendon: American Airlines employee who presents defendant's employment records. #37 Jane Ngo: DDA, CPA and financial forensic investigator who presents the financial data on the defendant and his wife. #38 Thomas Fortier: #39 LA Co. Sheriff's Dept. High Tech Task Force. Examined computers in the Brown home. #39 Anke Raue: Coordinator of public walks in Rancho Palos Verdes. #40 Dr. Ogbonna Chinwah: LA County Coroner. Performed autopsy on victim.

Day 14: August 14th, 2009 #41 Robert Olsen: Psomas map maker. #42 Dale Falicon: LA Co. Deputy Sheriff and criminalist. Rappelled down clif and took photos at Inspiration Point. #16 Detective Jeff Leslie.
Day 15: #43 Dr. Hayes: Physics and trajectory expert who determined Lauren was thrown from the cliff.

DEFENSE WITNESSES

Day 16: Three Witnesses