Monica Sementilli & Robert Louis Baker, Pretrial Hearing 11

Tuesday, July 16, 2019
8:29am
I arrive on the 9th floor just in time. Judge Coen's courtroom is already open with defense and prosecutors inside. Judge Coen is off the bench, over by the clerk's desk.

The first thing I notice is, Leonard Levine and Blair Berk representing Sementilli are not here today. It is Mr. Hans J. Allhoff, an associate of Ms. Berk subbing in. I've seen him in the courtroom several times before but did not know his role. Levine and Berk must be busy with other cases.

Mr. Simmrin is by the clerk's desk, chatting with Judge Coen, who is out of his robe.

Deputy DA Melissa Opper greets three young male interns from the DA's office sitting in the front row. I believe I hear that one of them is going to Stanford. Sitting right by them on the aisle is a pretty young blond woman, also possibly an intern working with defendant Baker's counsel, Mr. Simmrin.

Deputy DA Silverman is chatting with the really nice victim's advocate representative from the DA's office. I know I've been told her name a dozen times but it escapes me at the moment.

The parties are not on the record and I hear a return date being offered and the calendar would be set at zero of 60. It's not a trial date.  Deputy DA Silverman is chatting off the record with Simmrin, something related to deposits in a bank account and a "$30,000" transaction.

There are counsel from another case in the court room and the defendant in that case is brought out. Judge Coen goes on the record. I hear Judge Coen talk about a Pitchess Motion. That hearing is over in less than two minutes.

I now overhear what the delay is about. Defenant Baker refused to come out of his cell. Simmrin says something about going to visit him down at the jail to try to circumvent a potential extraction order by the court. Judge Coen tells Simmrin that "... once they refuse [I] sign a permanent extraction order."

I hear the September 4 date again and it looks like that will probably be the return date.

Mr. Simmrin mentions that he just received new discovery today, 30 items. One item is different sets of financial records.

I miss the next bit of exchange, but then hear Deputy DA Silverman say to Mr. Simmrin, something to the effect of, This is where [we? you?] can drop the [length of the] trial down ... make some deals. She then says to Simmrin, "Well, you already know what your deal is."

Judge Coen goes on the record in the Baker/Sementilli case. Defendant Sementilli is brought out. She is in an orange jumpsuit. Her hair is very dark brown. The court puts on the record that counsel requested a return date of September 4. Mr. Simmrin agrees on that date for his client and to delay the trial 60 days from that date. Judge Coen asks defendant Sementilli if that date is acceptable and she agrees. Judge Coen then puts on the record a permanent extraction order for defendant Baker.

And that's it.

Next pretrial hearing is September 4, 2019.