Rachelle Short opens her mouth and removes all doubt

Updated!
I drove to court today, because I wasn't sure how long I would be staying. As I round the corner of the 9th floor security, I see the hallway outside 106 is relatively empty. Dominick is there, as well as a few reporters that I don't recognize. W is also there, playing the role of the social butterfly. Dominick graciously signs an issue of Vanity Fair for a friend for me. Roger Rosen arrives, and the CTV camera operators go in. Michael Christian breezes by and heads on into 106. Mirian Hernandez is in the hallway, working on her laptop. I'm given a lottery ticket, but I don't need it really. There are so few reporters, I'm able to sit next to Steven in my old seat at the very end of the second row. Linda Kenney Baden is here, and so is the defense's exhibits clerk, Jennifer. One of the camera operators has a microphone, and he's taping it to Judge Fidler's clerk's desk. W, who is sitting on the aisle in the third row is so loud, I can hear everything they are saying from where I sit almost against the left wall in the second row. Sudi enters with the prosecution's cart carrying their many case files. The AP reporter comes in and sits in her regular seat. W, who is sitting behind her, starts to talk her ear off. There are some detectives (they look like detectives) who are talking to Judge Fidler's pretty bailiff and Alan Parachini.

Tawni Tyndall arrives. Jennifer and Tawni hug and kiss, while standing next to Roger Rosen in the well. Chris Plourd arrives and makes his way through the crowd that's milling around the aisle. He stops to exchange a few words with the AP reporter. Peter Hong arrives and he says hello to me and gives me a smile and a wave. Michael Christensen asks Alan Parachini about getting a copy of the jury instructions, and I believe Alan answers him with "There may be one more." And I'm getting that to mean that there is one more instruction that needs to be added.

Spector arrives with his daughter Nicole and Rachelle, who is dressed in all black. Linda Kenney Baden and Nicole greet each other and exchange a cheek kiss. Now the pool photographer arrives. After taking her seat, Rachelle is immediately on her blackberry, texting away. A elderly man who looks like Santa Claus with a very long yellow/white scraggly ponytail is over on the defense side, sitting with Rachelle. I later find out that this is Michael Baden's brother and LKB's brother-in-law. Steven arrives. The defense is filing a motion to reopen the closing arguments. If the Judge allows this, Steven says it will really screw up his day. He's way behind on other assignments, and he was hoping to get back to his office to write in the afternoon. The reporter's in the second row pass a DVD back to Peter Y. Hong in the back row. It's of an old TV show, I Dream of Jeanie. In one of the episodes, Phil plays a record producer, and I'm told it's actually quite funny. I chat a bit with the camera operators and afterwards, Matthew in the back row catches my eye and gives me a nod hello. I smile back.

The attorneys are all in chambers and we wait. There is a big discussion among the reporters next to me about jurors going online, but I'm not really trying to listen too hard because they're talking in really low tones. I tell Steven about the jurors in the Melanie McGuire case who were called into the Judge's chambers and asked about reading stuff online. He then tells the group that Mondo Video in Hollywood is going out of business, but they are having a closeout offer to customers! If you go in dressed as Phil Spector, Ronnie Spector or Lana Clarkson, you will get something free! We chuckle about that.

9:23 am, the attorneys emerge from Judge Fidler's chambers, and a few minutes later the jury comes in from the hallway and files past us into the jury room. 9:27 am, Lana Clarkson's family arrives, and they have several friends supporting them sitting in the second row. The sheriff's close the courtroom doors and at 9:30 am, the Judge takes the bench. John Taylor, one of the family's civil attorneys sees me and gives me a big smile, happy to see me. The defense's motion to reopen the closing is presented with their argument that this is the first time the prosecution presents a theory of the blood on the back of the jacket arm/sleeve. Plourd is the first to speak to their motion, then Rosen stands up and says the video is "inaccurate." For his argument, Rosen says in the animation the white jacketed figure is standing over Lana Clarkson and that there was testimony that the bullet trajectory was upwards. Pat Dixon stands up and argues for the people, stating that the video shows Lana's head tilted back and that fits with the evidence presented. Although Plourd stands up Rosen also stands up and he begins speaking before Plourd who eventually sits down. Plourd then gets up again to argue their position. After all this posturing by the defense, the Judge denies the defense's motion to "reopen arguments for five minutes." CA's are over, and Steven can breathe easier.

Jackson wants an instruction regarding LKB's statements about the "five" 1101B witnesses, but the Judge says he needs to read what LKB said. Problem is, they don't have a printout of Friday's transcripts yet, so the court has to go off the record while Mary Lou finds the text the Judge wants on her computer screen. It takes a bit, but it looks like she found it, and the Judge is reading it on one of his computer screens. There's still very little press in the room. Most of the third row is empty as well as the row of plastic chairs behind the wood benches on the defense side. The only person in that row is one of Spector's bodyguards. It's very quiet and I can hear Pat Dixon whispering to AJ. I can't hear what he's saying, but I can hear the highs and lows of his voice. Nicole, sitting in the front row, turns around to speak to pony tailed Santa. As I write this, it finally dawns on me who is the barrel chested salt and peppered haired guy who wore glasses. That must be Vikram Jayanti. And a Google search pulls up a photo. Yep. That's him. Another Phil lover.

The reporters tell me that word just came down from the AP reporter that Phil denies talking to the press. This is hysterical because the guy he denies talking to, has been in court quite often getting hugs and kisses from Phil.

And then the Judge gets to the issue that everyone has been waiting for. We want to see if the Judge is going to admonish Spector for the interview he gave to the press over the weekend as well as Rachelle ignoring the Judge's order on Friday to stop talking to the press. It appears that she was emailing reporters to look at her web site to see a statement she put up. The Judge starts by admonishing Rachelle. But what happens next totally blows me away. Rachelle removes all doubt that this is one dumb assed bitch. She starts to argue with the Judge. My mouth is almost agape I can't believe what I'm hearing. Holy mother of God this woman opened her mouth and removed all doubt that she is just a stoopid ho who has latched onto a decrepit daddy warbucks meal ticket. And every time the Judge speaks to her, she gets more petulant, and his voice gets louder and she doesn't stop talking back! Chris Plourd had gotten up from his seat, and he's trying to get her attention with hand signals like he's trying to flag down a bus but it's no use. She's completely ignoring him. She's like the energizer bunny, she just keeps going and going and going. And just as it sounds like the Judge is one whiny Rachelle statement away of either throwing her trailer park ass in jail or kicking her out of the courtroom all together, she finally shuts the f-up. Inside, I'm laughing my ass off. It really would have been poetic if he had done something, anything, even just kicking her from the courtroom.

You see, back when I was falsely accused of talking so loud the jury could hear me, several of my detractors on the Court TV message board insisted I must have been guilty of the charge because I didn't address the Judge and tell him he was wrong. That if it wasn't me who was talking, then I should have told him so. I mean, because that's what THEY would have done. ROTFLMAO! Yeah. I'm going to address the Judge and tell him he's wrong. Did these people have the exact same rocks in their heads that Rachelle has? Because when you are in a Judge's courtroom, when he addresses you and admonishes you, you agree with him and you shut the fuck up. Because the consequence of arguing with a Judge is, you can be thrown in jail. End of story. It's disrespectful to challenge the Judge, and it's outright stoopid. No wonder Spector married 26 year old wanna-be actress/singer "I find myself intelligent," Rachelle Short. She's so stoopid she probably really does believe that Spector is innocent of shooting Lana Clarkson and that the moon is made of swiss cheese.

I turn to Steven after that and say, "I can't believe it." Unfortunately, I didn't get Steven's permission to tell you his witty reply. You'll just have to wait until Friday, to read his latest piece at The LA Weekly. For a blow by blow description of Rachelle's ah ha moment, Kim of The Darwin Exception has an excellent recap of the days events.

I have several more notes on the proceedings, but they pale in comparison to what just transpired. Right before the Judge is going to read the instructions to the jury, he tells the room that no one will be allowed to enter or leave the courtroom while those instructions are being read. He doesn't want anything distracting the jury. So, there are a few reporters who think this is a good time to go hit the restrooms, because who knows how long these instructions might take. When Dominick comes back from the restroom, he tells us he ran into Phil a second time at the urinals but this time, they didn't speak. Steven asks Dominick if Phil is really right handed, and we all chuckle over that.

As the Judge reads the instructions, the jury appears very attentive. They rarely take their eyes off the Judge the entire time. The Judge tells them that the would get a copy of these instructions, so it really wasn't necessary to take notes, although they could if they wanted. Reading of the instructions takes about 30 minutes exactly. Afterwards, the clerk swears in the bailiff to take charge of the jurors, and their off to deliberate. The five alternates are whisked off to separate room. At the very end of the day, Rachelle must have had a miraculous transfusion of brain cells because before the Judge leaves the bench, Plourd gets on the record that Mrs. Spector has written on a piece of yellow lined legal tablet paper an apology to the Judge. I think it's more likely that someone finally made her realize that she better do something ~and wrote some words out for her to sign~ because the next time she opens her mouth she could be sitting in a jail cell, wearing a matching orange jumpsuit just like her husband.

There are several housekeeping issues the attorneys deal with, and the reporters file out a few at a time. During the morning Mrs. Clarkson and Fawn both get a chance to talk to me and tell me how happy they are to see me in court, and everyone thanked me for the gifts I made, again. Once all the exhibit issues are cleared up, Spector's entourage exits the courtroom and a short time later so does the Clarkson family and their friends.

I mill about the courthouse for a bit, trying to decide if I want to stay the rest of the day or not. I'm pretty sure that a verdict isn't going to happen today, so I decide to head home, so I can make a stab at that huge pile of waiting laundry. I don't get much done though, because I can't tear myself away from reading what the Court TV posters said about Rachelle's behavior. There are also some hysterical posts on another thread, starting around Page 13, and continuing for several pages. One of the posts that stood out for me (and there are quite a few that are very funny) was this one by Court TV poster lovelaw: (Thank you for making me laugh lovelaw!)

WOW! WOW! WOW!

Hmmmmmmmm...I wonder if she stands up to PHIL that way??

OOOHHH.....wait....she's alive, so obviously not!

In closing, take a look at the latest humor by Court TV poster Sedonia Sunset. It's called Rachelle's Statue of Limitations. Enjoy!

P.S. On September 10th, I had my some of my highest numbers to date! Third highest for page loads at 2,445, and second highest for unique visitors at 1,789. Thank you all so much for visiting.

Update: September 11th, 7:50 am
This is interesting. A poster on the Court TV Spector Forum identifies himself as being related to Rachelle Short. Here is what they said.

ranger75
rachellemarie.com
By the way I'm almost happy to say she is MY sister -in -law! I've been reading the posts since the trial began, but out of respect for my wife(her sister), I haven't posted. After yesterdays outburst I felt compelled. Utterlty disgusting and embarrasing! But I've been saying that all along but the family doesn't like to here it from me.

GUILTY

I have no idea if this really is Rachelle's relative or not, but it's interesting to say the least.

Video link to the Judge admonishing Rachelle.