Explosive Accusation by DDA Beth Silverman, Moments After Testifying in Francis v. City of LA (LAPD)

Stanley Mosk Courthouse

March 29, 2019
Today’s most dramatic moment came in the afternoon session. This morning, if someone had told me that this event happened without witnessing it myself, I never would have believed them.

DDA Beth Silverman was called to the stand by the defense to testify why she did not want Criminalist Jennifer Francis assigned to the Grim Sleeper case in 2010, after Lonnie Franklin was arrested. Francis had performed some DNA analysis on that case.

Moments after stepping down from the witness stand, DDA Silverman went out into the hallway, then came back inside and announced loudly to everyone in the court room, in front of the jury, “I am being attacked by co-counsel in the hallway.” DDA Silverman asked for an escort to the escalators to get out of the building.



The disruption threw the courtroom into a tizzy. Defense counsel Reginald Roberts exited the courtroom, came right back, and complained aloud, “Courtney McNicholas.” All three defense attorneys condemned McNicholas’s conduct, based solely on DDA Silverman’s outburst.

 Although no one in the courtroom witnessed the incident, Judge Fujie also immediately condemned McNicholas and called her behavior in the hallway “appalling.” Judge Fujie did not question any witnesses about what had happened outside the courtroom. Defense counsel then demanded that McNicholas be barred from the courtroom for the duration of the trial. Judge Fujie promptly agreed.

All of this played out in front of the jury.

Eyewitnesses interviewed by T&T reported that there was no physical altercation between McNicholas and DDA Silverman. All the eyewitnesses reported that McNicholas and DDA Silverman were angry and exchanged words, after which McNicholas walked away and sat on a bench.

T&T has reached out to both parties for comment.

In other Francis trial news, LA Times reporter Alene Tchekmedyian, who has dropped in occasionally on the trial, has a story about Dorothy Tucker, the LAPD BSS psychologist who Francis was ordered to see. 


I’ve been attending most of the trial and hope to catch up on my daily recaps soon.

Additional reporting by Matthew McGough.