tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757696342634699253.post6427660152828330668..comments2024-02-24T18:44:39.324-08:00Comments on Trials & Tribulations: Stephanie Lazarus Trial: Closing Arguments, Day IISprockethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03837416113512618694noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757696342634699253.post-88137161461892105752012-03-07T05:09:49.292-08:002012-03-07T05:09:49.292-08:00HERE IS WHERE YOU CAN READ all about the kitty in ...<a href="http://sprocket-trials.blogspot.com/2010/08/rip-sprocket.html" rel="nofollow"><b>HERE IS WHERE YOU CAN READ</b></a> all about the kitty in my profile who inspired my blogging moniker.Sprockethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03837416113512618694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757696342634699253.post-85838958860979978812012-03-07T04:11:09.420-08:002012-03-07T04:11:09.420-08:00Y'all are misinterpreting T&T's histor...Y'all are misinterpreting T&T's historical stats, confusing the five years of hits to a daily readership.Sprockethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03837416113512618694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757696342634699253.post-13778569818436012272012-03-07T02:49:48.946-08:002012-03-07T02:49:48.946-08:00I read somewhere on your blog that you have 2 mill...I read somewhere on your blog that you have 2 million readers?!! Please monetize this blog!!! Your readers will be glad you did so as you deserve it (you should be a millionaire, or close to it, by now - smile)!! Also, most readers would love the convenience of reading up on their favorite case and having the ability to click on a product and/or service of interest at the same time : ) Seriously consider it; don't sell yourself short! : )Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757696342634699253.post-79927996676326135592012-03-07T00:10:31.280-08:002012-03-07T00:10:31.280-08:00P.S.. Sprocket - We possibly have TWIN cats separa...P.S.. Sprocket - We possibly have TWIN cats separated at birth; I have a short-haired version of your cat with exact markings; mine is a female named "BoBo" that literally adopted us, new family, versus a disgruntled owner here at the beach in Sunset 3 years ago. Give me your public email address and I will send you some pics of her. These black & white cats are a different breed from any other cats I have had over the years; I think they call them Tuxedo Cats.debbiescalisinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757696342634699253.post-30705320334478439822012-03-06T23:21:58.986-08:002012-03-06T23:21:58.986-08:00Yes Sprocket, I neglected to comment that in cases...Yes Sprocket, I neglected to comment that in cases of SL and her being an LAPD officer and a lot of conflict that would be involved, a private attorney would be appointed, thus POSSIBLY being paid in lieu of a Public Defender. I can certainly see the reasoning of that in fairness to the defendant. The media did not ever identify MO as court appointed atty or private counsel as far as I can remember, just that SL had hired MO for representation. Over here at The OC Mr."S" did many "conflict of interest" cases where private counsel was hired verus the Public Defender. That was lucky for the defendants; they got Top Gun representation for what many of us would have had to mortgage our homes for.debbiescalisinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757696342634699253.post-82749737486672018902012-03-06T23:05:41.300-08:002012-03-06T23:05:41.300-08:00Robert at 9:16pm 3/6 (Tonight) is correct ! SL we...Robert at 9:16pm 3/6 (Tonight) is correct ! SL went Blank on 2/25/1986 on purpose...she had to go undercover to recover from this horrible ordeal with SR...she was NOT going to put it in her diary. She was a pack-rat; I am a pack-rat; I deliberately dug through my armoire and found my Hallmark Pocket Calendars and I know what I was doing on 2/25/1986: I had dinner with my (ex)husband at a mexican restaurant in Long Beach and if there were no other special notes in that calendar, I was at work (boring) and going home and fixing dinner. The normal female writes notes about lunches, dinners, dates, manicures, hair appts, etc. SL was still obsessed with JR but the damage was done she could not write any more thoughts on him...she knew she was guilty of a horrible crime and his name would NOT ever be mentioned again. Why didn't she go to comfort him? How could she? Yikes, she didn't even attend the funeral! Any other former girlfriend might have.debbiescalisinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757696342634699253.post-80850708883843329322012-03-06T22:57:57.570-08:002012-03-06T22:57:57.570-08:00I have sources that have told me about the cost of...I have sources that have told me about the cost of the defense, but since I cannot quote them at this time, unfortunately I am unable to share the figure with you.<br /><br />All I can say is, it is a considerable amount. <br /><br />Someone from the public defender's office is not the only option. It's my understanding that the court can appoint an an attorney. I've seen this happen in some cases. For example, the Lily Burke case. <br /><br />(I attended the first day of that preliminary hearing but I never got around to writing up my notes, so you won't find anything on the blog. I got sick and missed the second day of the prelim. If I recall correctly, the defendant was represented by two court appointed attorneys. He pled.)Sprockethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03837416113512618694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757696342634699253.post-53166834798405462932012-03-06T22:43:23.178-08:002012-03-06T22:43:23.178-08:00Second comment from me tonight: it is my understan...Second comment from me tonight: it is my understanding, after reading a question from Anonymous today, 3/6 at 8:11pm about SL legal costs? She hired private defense attorney MO so they are paying the bill, correct? If SL and her husband had insufficient funds to cover a defense attorney, she would have been given a Public Defender. I was married to a private criminal defense attorney, they do not work for free unless they are doing Pro-Bono. I remember reading back in 2009 that SL and family "had hired MO" so that leads me to believe they are footing the bill. I am thinking this was not a cheap ticket; I live in The OC and the typical top-notch atty is going to run $100K; I cannot imagine LA being too much different unless MO is doing this for the publicity/coverage such as Casey Anthony's attorney in Florida last year.debbiescalisinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757696342634699253.post-30084930822863652812012-03-06T22:19:05.944-08:002012-03-06T22:19:05.944-08:00Sprocket, please don't apologize for Typos; if...Sprocket, please don't apologize for Typos; if we can't figure out a typo and what it really means, we should not be online...I can type 75wpm, literally; I was trained on a manual typewriter and when I went to work for Rockwell International (Shuttle Program) in the mid 1970's and I discovered I was still going to be typing on an Underwood Manual I almost fainted....my point...on my computer I can type even faster than probably 75wpm BUT the minute I get distracted, i.e. child asking for something, cat rubbing up against desk meowing....typo=typo=typo....you are on a laptop with your mind full of the days' HUGE things and we need to ask for ACCURACY???? Just keep doing what you are doing.....debbiescalisinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757696342634699253.post-74741953538591917132012-03-06T21:53:43.638-08:002012-03-06T21:53:43.638-08:00Robert, as per usual, is right on target.
I am ha...Robert, as per usual, is right on target.<br /><br />I am happy to see a lawyer or two joining the discussion.Shannon from Seattlenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757696342634699253.post-67782283850870113132012-03-06T21:16:13.695-08:002012-03-06T21:16:13.695-08:00Regarding the Anonymous comment about the defense&...Regarding the Anonymous comment about the defense's inability to provide an alibi. Here's an anonymous reply...<br /><br />SL had detailed notes of her daily thoughts and comings and goings... but nothing in her notes, and nothing on her computer about those 3-4 days off in February... She had thousands of pictures of places she had gone, and voluminous notes about her activities... But not a word about days she requested off... They weren't sick days, it was a block of days requested in advance. Doesn't it seem odd that in a notebook that commented about even the most inconsequential moments of her daily life, that such a gap exists in her notes, from her taxes, from her memory?<br /><br />Secondly... don't ever think that the record of a check you wrote twenty years ago has disappeared, even if the bank was bought out. Your phone records, credit card purchases, etc are all available. It just depends on how much the government wants them. And/or in the case of the defense, it just depends on how closely they want to go through the defendant's bank statements...eg, the ones attached to her tax returns. <br /><br />We're not taking about 1942, we're talking about the mid-eighties, and the advent of the computer generation. This was when the government first started asking banks to keep track of who deposited cash in large increments and started tracking your credit card purchases. <br /><br />Believe me, if she took three days off in Monterey and stayed in a hotel, Overland would have found it and had the charges dropped a long time ago. If she was buying a dress at Macy's at the time of the murder, Overland would have had a photo op of Mayor V writing SL a check while he apologized to her. If she was having her transmission fixed on that day, the LAPD would have discovered it and never brought the charges. <br /><br />Anything and everything you have done that involved a credit card transaction or a bank draft of any kind is traceable. This is a computer age and nothing disappears when banks change hands. <br /><br />If the FBI can produce wiretaps of Byron De La Beckwith from the sixties, phone records from the mid eighties can be produced. If the FBI can trace a call from a phone booth in the midwest during the sixties between Stephen Weed and Joan Baez and have a highway patrolman roll up on that phone booth within minutes, credit card records from the mid-eighties can be produced - either by the bank or from SL's tax returns. <br /><br />It has nothing to do with what she can or can't remember, or what she does or does not want to remember. Computers never forget.<br /><br />Get me her pertinent information and have her sign a waiver, and I'll hand you every check she wrote that year and every credit card transaction. You and I both know that If there was a transaction of any kind on Feb 24 between nine and noon, the defense would have already brought it to our attention, so I have to assume it does not exist.<br /><br />Sorry to burst your bubble...Robertnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757696342634699253.post-26809379360708606472012-03-06T20:46:54.318-08:002012-03-06T20:46:54.318-08:00Re drycleaning: if more than one item, mine were a...Re drycleaning: if more than one item, mine were always tied with a twist tie around the hangers. I thought MO's slant on this was ridiculous. I am sure JR was in shock & denial when he realized his wife was dead. Anyone who has experienced a traumatic event KNOWS that feeling. (Mine was a 3:00 a.m. house fire and you absolutely DO go into shock & denial, a defense mechanism.) THANK YOU FOR THIS BLOG, SPROCKET!! FASCINATING!! p.s. I LOVE your kitty!! :)Avery21noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757696342634699253.post-43000496444688024532012-03-06T20:39:53.442-08:002012-03-06T20:39:53.442-08:00Okay - I'm going out on a limb on this.... the...Okay - I'm going out on a limb on this.... they deliberate 1 maybe 2 days. There really isn't that much evidence to talk through unless there is a stubborn juror.Utah Chrisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757696342634699253.post-55261063111158360112012-03-06T20:32:01.813-08:002012-03-06T20:32:01.813-08:00The comments of Anonymous on March 6th at 7:42 am ...The comments of Anonymous on March 6th at 7:42 am show a total misunderstanding of interrogation law and admissibility. Police are under no obligation to notify a person that they are suspected or that they may be or will be arrested at the conclusion of an interview. This precedent was decided by the US Supreme Court in 1983. See California v. Beheler, 463 U.S. 1121 (1983). It does not matter what the state of mind of the police is. What matters is the state of mind f the suspect. If they believe they are free to leave and do not have to speak to the police, the statement will be admissible.<br /><br />The second point is lying to suspects. The courts have long held that police can lie to suspects as long as the lies would not make an otherwise innocent person confess to a crime they did not commit. In the SL interview the lies police told are limited to the ruse used to get SL into an interview room and their level of knowledge about the facts known to them regarding the case. Neither of these issues would make the statement inadmissible. These are the reasons the statement was properly admitted by the court. The person who posted that comment should do a little more research before second guessing experienced detectives and a seasoned judge about the legality/admissibility of a statement.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757696342634699253.post-13064764377944464292012-03-06T20:29:45.891-08:002012-03-06T20:29:45.891-08:00Just a quick FYI that may be of interest to some o...Just a quick FYI that may be of interest to some of you....there will be a tour of the Los Angeles Crime Lab and lectures about the forensic and crime scene investigations on two case studies related to photographers who killed their subjects (one was Linda Sobek) on June 3 (other tours and/or lectures related to crime in the Los Angeles area are also on the site):<br /><br />lavatransforms.org/crimelabjune3TSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757696342634699253.post-14155693382465757842012-03-06T20:17:49.133-08:002012-03-06T20:17:49.133-08:00I agree with Natalie at 8:04 p.m.!!I agree with Natalie at 8:04 p.m.!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757696342634699253.post-31308445909023233062012-03-06T20:11:53.866-08:002012-03-06T20:11:53.866-08:00Can anyone comment or guess at the defense's l...Can anyone comment or guess at the defense's likely legal cost? Is SL or her family paying for this defense team and at what type of cost? Is SL whether found guilty or not guilty liable for her legal defense cost? Thanks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757696342634699253.post-1152629148631385162012-03-06T20:04:00.470-08:002012-03-06T20:04:00.470-08:00Sprocket, you are so amazing and humble... To say ...Sprocket, you are so amazing and humble... To say you couldn't write a book is of course silly. More than 2 million people have visited this site to read what you write! We do it because we love your voice, your perspective, and your writing, typos and all. God bless you!Natalienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757696342634699253.post-24547788957403099962012-03-06T19:50:12.235-08:002012-03-06T19:50:12.235-08:00I agree with Diane, Sprocket! You really do need t...I agree with Diane, Sprocket! You really do need to get blog sponsors as there is absolutely nothing wrong with being compensated for producing a quality product such as your blog : ) Please seriously consider it! : )Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757696342634699253.post-35630061646963393472012-03-06T19:42:02.064-08:002012-03-06T19:42:02.064-08:00Hi, Sprocket!
Thank you for clearing that up for ...Hi, Sprocket!<br /><br />Thank you for clearing that up for me about Presby's closing arguments and how he was only referring to the circumstantial evidence and not the DNA when he made the statement that the evidence doesn't necessarily directly link Lazarus to the crime. Whew!! God bless you!! : )Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757696342634699253.post-17731480399671749632012-03-06T19:38:51.546-08:002012-03-06T19:38:51.546-08:00No Alibi
Overland made a point that Lazarus was a ...<b>No Alibi</b><br />Overland made a point that Lazarus was a pack rat. She kept a lot of old junk. She had old computer equipment, (that the computer expert searched) and she had her "work log" or "journal" as well as a daily calendar for the time period of 1984 through 1986. Entries from the calendar and journal/work log were entered into evidence by the prosecution and defense as to things she did on specific dates and what she wrote about.Sprockethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03837416113512618694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757696342634699253.post-1681596775942137262012-03-06T19:33:31.433-08:002012-03-06T19:33:31.433-08:00SeniorMoments
During all of closing arguments, I r...<b>SeniorMoments</b><br />During all of closing arguments, I rarely saw her move her head. She never looked at the jury. She had her arms in front of her on the defense table, her fingers touching or interlaced. She mostly stared straight ahead or slightly down at the table.<br /><br /><b>Anon @ 1:30 PM</b><br />In his closing arguments, Overland did not give the jurors an explanation as to "how" Lazarus' DNA could have ended up on that bite mark swab, as part of a "mixture" of two profiles. A minor profile that matched the victim and a major profile that matched the defendant.<br /><br /><b>Anon @ 2:09 PM</b><br />I did not write a very accurate description of Presby's argument at the lunch hour update. I apologize. There were several people at my table, (Thomas and Lisa from 20/20 and a friend who works in the DA's office), and I was quite tired from lack of sleep. I could not think very well with all the conversation going on around me, and people asking me questions at the same time. I meant to say, that Presby was referring to the <i>circumstantial evidence</i> (gun type, gun stolen, bullets, day off, etc.,) that supports the DNA match, by themselves, individually do not convict the defendant, but when taken as a whole, in their totality, Presby argued that this evidence was powerful evidence of guilt.<br /><br /><b>Shannon</b><br />Please wait until all my notes are transcribed. It will become clear then.<br /><br /><b>Anon @ 2:22 PM</b><br />Yes, they will get all the evidence presented at trial.<br /><br /><b>Larry</b><br />You're welcome. Thank you for writing.<br /><br /><b>Verdict watch</b><br />When the jurors reach a verdict, they will give three distinct buzzes that we will hear inside the courtroom.<br /><br />Judge Perry said today that the verdict will be read within an hour of that time. In reality, the verdict will be read when counsel reach the courthouse. I believe Judge Perry said that Overland is about an hour away (in LA Traffic, that's not far.). Yes, I will be in court tomorrow, sitting on verdict watch.<br /><br /><b>Shannon</b><br />I never predict a jury as to WHEN they will come back or what a verdict will be. Juries will surprise you. That's like trying to read tea leaves. <br /><br /><b>Diane: Books</b><br />I do not have any plans to write a book. I will be supporting my friend Matthew McGough's book. He already has a contract with a publisher to write a book on this case. Although Matthew would disagree with me, I do not believe I have the skills to write a book that people would be interested in reading. Maybe in ten years, when I've developed my writing chops to compete with Matt. He's a fine writer. No worries about the typos. I appreciate all the help I can get.Sprockethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03837416113512618694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757696342634699253.post-57676831117813185312012-03-06T19:33:14.259-08:002012-03-06T19:33:14.259-08:00Maddie: Reaction to Defendant:
That's an unkno...<b>Maddie: Reaction to Defendant:</b><br />That's an unknown. The jury comes in, sits and listens to evidence. As far as I can see, they are not making any reaction that one could intelligently intuit. Maybe we will know if they talk to the press when they reach a verdict.<br /><br /><b>The Dry Cleaning</b><br />This requires going back to John Ruetten's testimony. I don't know if this is in my notes, but I remember it. Ruetten had come home around 6:00 PM. He came in through the garage. When he first came into the condo, from the door he first say Sherri lying on the floor in the living room. He testified he didn't know what was wrong at first. He said, he wondered why was Sherri lying on the floor of the living room.<br /><br />The first piece of furniture that he would come up against in the living room from the garage would be the love seat. It's logical to think that he would carry the dry cleaning in with him from the car.<br /><br />We could see from the photos, that the dry cleaning was lying draped over the sofa love seat. Did he get that far in the condo, set the dry cleaning down and then realized something was wrong with his wife?<br /><br />In the evidence photo, there definitely appears to be something holding the dry cleaning together. But is it a cord or is it some kind of wire, that looks like a cord, or even a plastic wire tie? If it was some type of cord, there is no way you could determine from the photos, if the cord was <i>exactly</i> like the cord on the floor intertwined with the speaker wire. Exactly like meaning, it's the same material, same thickness, originating from the same source.<br /><br /><b>Liar, liar!</b><br />This will be explained in the detail notes. Please be patient. I'm only one person. <br /><br /><b>Typos</b><br />I do not mind my readers telling me I have typos. I don't have an editor. Y'all should know that, when I was trying to get today's entry published, I had written the detail of the entry on the train. Then when I got up to the 9th floor, I was standing in the elevator bay, waiting for the security check point to open. <br /><br />There are no benches in the elevator bay; no place to sit. I was standing in line, holding my laptop in one hand, and typing my title and doing everything else with the other hand. I copied my entry from my word processing program and got it into blogger; I input links on the Quick Links Page, and got Thomas' sketch entered. I wasn't watching as closely as I should have, when I hen-pecked in my title. I apologize.<br /><br /><b>Becky: Verdict Today</b><br />It wasn't likely, due to the time they got the case @ 2:35 PM in the afternoon.Sprockethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03837416113512618694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757696342634699253.post-15699561560745240692012-03-06T19:26:32.161-08:002012-03-06T19:26:32.161-08:00I would like to comment on the issue raised regard...I would like to comment on the issue raised regarding SL not having an alibi for the time of the murder. In this case because the investigation into SL began 23 years plus after the crime, I think it is unrealistic to expect that people could begin pulling out credit card receipts, bank records or dental appointments. In my case the credit card was bought out by another bank, I don't keep receipts for years and my dentist has retired. Besides, we can not assume that every person, when taking a day off, has a slew of documentation regarding what they did. I believe Lazarus is guilty and I think the evidence proves that she was there, but I don't think that it is realistic to say that she can not prove 26 years later where she was that day and that that is yet another piece of evidence. I think Overland took issue with the prosecutor stating that SL did not provide an alibi as an issue to later bring up for appeal, should she be found guilty. Hey, if anyone out there, short of marriage, family death or lottery win, can definitively say what they were doing on a random day 26 years ago, all the power to you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6757696342634699253.post-23615822563144552172012-03-06T19:01:56.138-08:002012-03-06T19:01:56.138-08:00Thats SO interesting that other people picked up o...Thats SO interesting that other people picked up on the "She got KILLED" comment by SL. That comment alone was one of the things that made me realize her guilt. As a Police Officer she would have said "She was Murdered". She got KILLED almost sounds like she is stating that Sherry DESERVED to be murdered so she did it! SO MANY telltale things in the Interrogation!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com