Los Angeles Magazine, Stephanie Lazarus Case: 'In Plain Sight' by Steven Mikulan

September 2012 issue of Los Angeles Magazine

UPDATED 5/13/19 Corrected old broken links to Mikulan's story. Sprocket
UPDATED 11/1/13
For those die hard fans that are still interested in Stephanie Lazarus, there is a new article out in Los Angeles Magazine's September 2012 issue, by my good friend Steven Mikulan.  The eight page article is now online.

Along with writing for Los Angeles Magazine, Steven is the editor of Frying Pan News, an online web site that describes itself as “a blog on the current economy” providing, “...original content on politics, business, labor, jobs, the environment, culture...”

I initially met Steven Mikulan back in December 2004, at the Robert Blake trial.  He was the first journalist that I got to know while attending a trial, and has always been most kind, supportive and encouraging of my trial coverage efforts.  Steven was instrumental in saving a space for me in the second row at Phil Spector’s first trial and it’s how I got to know the late writer Dominick Dunne.  The four of us, myself, Steven, Dominick and the Daily Journal's Ciaran McEvoy became a tight knit group during that long drawn-out trial. Ciaran, Steven and I have been friends ever since.

Steven wrote for the LA Weekly for 25 years, mostly covering the local theater scene.  It was later in his career there that he also covered the criminal beat and local politics for the weekly paper.  Steven has a style of putting words together like I’ve rarely seen another writer do so successfully.  For example, he labeled the Lazarus story “media crack.”  I know that Dominick loved reading Steven’s pieces that I printed out for him during the Spector trial.  I’ll never forget when one of Spector’s defense attorneys, Bradley Brunon came over and complimented Steven on the latest story he wrote and asking him about a German term he used in the piece, verfremdungseffekt. Steven’s striking wit is often insightful and at the same time, he has an ability to capture what's most important in a way that can pluck at your heart strings.

What I found refreshing about Steven’s reporting is, he attended some of the trial, did original research on the case and reveals information we haven’t heard about the LAPD’s secret preparations in the hours before Stephanie's arrest.  He also brings new information about Lazarus via interviews with her former partner, Detective Don Hrycyk in the Art Theft Detail Unit, as well as from Stephanie's younger brother, Steven Lazarus. In addition, Steven also scored key interviews with DDA Shannon Presby,  Sherri’s father Nels Rasmussen, and a friend of Lazarus’s who attended UCLA with her.

It’s my opinion that it’s difficult to tell the Lazarus story and do it justice in a magazine article, where others control how may words you get to write.  I thought the article was very good considering the limited amount of space Los Angeles Magazine gave Steven. I should note there are a few errors in the printed magazine version.  However, I believe Steven’s editor is in the process of making corrections to the online version.

I spoke to Steven about his article and he gave me this response:

“Reporting on a story this complex was difficult, because as a writer I know that what got published would become part of a public archive that will be consulted by people in the future. Such readers must always trust a writer to be accurate, they have little choice but to rely on his or her story to be historically true, and yet making sure every factual rivet of any story is secure is no easy task. Throughout this effort I knew that no matter how many times I played back an interview, read a transcript, studied a Thomas Guide, deciphered my trial notes or looked at weather reports from 26 years ago, some little thing could escape my attention." 

 (Note: To view the article online, click on the link in the bottom of the online excerpt that says "subscribe now" and from that page, click on the link to preview a digital copy of the magazine for free.  The article begins on page 152. Sprocket.)


LA Magazine - In Plain Sight

Stephanie Lazarus Trial: Day 4

UPDATED 7:20 PM: Edited for clarity and errors.
UDATED 2-12-12 for spelling.


Sherri Rae Rasmussen, victim



Yesterday, Mr. Sprocket told me more bad news. Besides the broken valve springs, the engine had also blown a head gasket. So more time for the repair and more ka-ching. I told Mr. Sprocket that we have so much time invested in my little old Toyota, we’re never getting rid of it.

Yesterday before court started, Pat LaLama introduced me to her husband, defense attorney Anthony Brooklier. It was like old home week since my colleague and friend Steven Mikulan (now writing for LA Magazine) came to court for the morning session. I adore Steven and think he is a fabulous writer. During the first Spector trial, I used to print out Steven’s articles in the LA Weekly for Dominick Dunne to read while we waiting for trial to start. Dominick appreciated that because he would get frustrated when he couldn’t find them on the Internet. If you ever want to read a very witty slant on that first trial, search for Mikulan’s Spector coverage in the LA Weekly archives.

The number of reporters covering the Lazarus case has really thinned out since opening statements. There are several available seats for the general public for those of you who have expressed an interest in seeing the trial in person. CNN corespondent Ann O’Neill was pulled off the story. ABC 20/20 producer Lisa Tomaselli and I had a working lunch in the cafeteria together on Wednesday, both of us on our laptops. It was 1 o’clock before I finished answering my mail. Lisa has so many other stories she’s trying to juggle and probably won’t be here for much of the science. Lisa is not interested in the science whereas, I love it. One of my inspirations is criminalist Dr. Lynne Herold. I’ve been fascinated by science since my teens. I paid rapt attention when a blood spatter expert testified in the Robert Blake trial as well as when Steven Dowell from the coroner’s office testified about using an electron microscope to find gunshot residue (GSR).

8:00 AM Today
I'm finally up on the 9th floor, waiting for the security station to open. When it opens I go directly to the courtroom to leave my sweater in the spot where I'd like to sit, then come out to the hallway to write. Sherri's family is here and I just saw Scott Young enter the courtroom. I smile and wave at Dateline producer Robert Dean who's just arrived. The rest of the hallway is empty. People are starting to go in so I'll try to post an update on the morning witnesses at the first break.

UPDATE 10:24 AM
My friends in the MSM tell me that Overland stated in his opening statement that the torn bite mark envelope was not sealed.

This morning we had three new witnesses. #13 William Moore, LAPD criminalist who collected evidence from the stolen BMW. #14 Leona Thomas, Retired LAPD traffic officer who located Sherri Rasmussen's BMW. #15 ALICIA RAMIREZ, coroner office evidence room custodian who found the bite mark swab envelope.

UPDATE 2:38 PM
I have to tell you that during the first break, while I was trying to publish an update, Mark Overland comes over to me and introduces himself. I was so caught off guard, I don’t even remember if I told him my name. He tells me that he noticed that I’ve been here every day and he just wanted to come over to introduce himself. I’m almost tongue tied. I explain to him that I’m quite shy, and I usually don’t introduce myself to people. It’s because of a bad experience I had at the Phil Spector trial. I tell him that the Spector’s took photographs of me and posted them on the Internet. Mark smiles and tells me that he would never do that. I explain again that I’m just very shy and that it’s not my personality to introduce myself to people.

After the break, we had #16 Jackie Garcia Partida, who worked in the coroner’s office property/evidence room in 2004 with Alicia. #17 Dan Anderson, LA County Deputy Coroner, supervising criminalist who requested the evidence/property department do a search for the bite mark swab and repackaged the envelope.

UPDATE 5:45 PM
In the afternoon session, there were witnesses that were presented out of order of the prosecution's case, since some of the witnesses they had planned for the afternoon had ill children and were ill themselves.

The next three witnesses were the internal affairs undercover unit that surreptitiously collected a DNA sample from Stephanie Lazarus on May 28th, 2009. #18 Roberto Morales, LAPD Detective, in 2009 worked Internal Affairs Dept., on undercover investigations. Collected the cup Lazarus discarded and another in the trash and placed them in a manila envelope. #19 Dante Palacio, LAPD in 2009, worked Internal Affairs Dept., on undercover investigations. Provided the envelope for the two cups that Morales collected. Took possession of the envelope and closed it with the metal clasp. #20 Sargent Jim Hensely, LAPD Internal Affairs surveillance officer, took possession of the envelope from Palacio and delivered it to a supervisor at the LAPD crime lab, Mr. Yamauchi.

After the DNA sample collection guys, the LAPD crime lab DNA analyst #21 Jennifer Francis, who conducted the DNA extraction tests on several blood sample items at the scene and the bite mark swab took the stand. She's still under direct examination at the end of the court day. We start tomorrow at 8:45 am.

Steve Mikulan & the LA WEEKLY Part Ways

Over a week ago, Ciaran McEvoy told me that the LA Weekly gave Steven Mikulan his walking papers on October 9th.

(This is a very belated entry because this is the same day that Mr. Sprocket got laid off from his new job and not only have I been trying to finish sewing orders, I've been busy helping him try to find jobs in his field~which are very scarce at the moment.)

This was sad news for the LA Weekly, where Mikulan had worked for 25 years as a theatre critic and later, reporting on local politics and high profile trials.

LA Observed was the first to announce Mikulan's firing.

Marc Cooper praises Mikulan's writing. Peter Hong of the LA Times left the following comment there:

"Steve Mikulan’s trial stories read like a Los Angeles version of Murray Kempton’s dramatic courtroom storytelling. His reports from the Phil Spector trial were gutsy and lucid. Steve, by his example, pushed others in the mass market press corps to be more ambitious — precisely what an alternative press guy is supposed to do, right ?"

I spoke to Kevin Douglas Grant, senior editor at Neo Tommy about how I met Steven and through him, the great group of journalists I got to sit with at the first Phil Spector trial.

I wish Steven the best. He is one of the finest writers I've ever had the pleasure to meet.

UPDATE:
Steven is now writing for The Wrap. Here is his latest piece on the Anna Nicole Smith drama, the preliminary hearing of Howard K. Stern and doctors Khristine Eroshevich and Sandeep Kapoor on drug charges.

Dominick Dunne: Power, Privilege & Justice

UPDATED!

Tonight on TruTV, the late Dominick Dunne's series, Power Privilege and Justice will be airing an episode on Phil Spector. Beth Karas, from CNN's In Sessions, Linda Deutsch from the Associated Press and Steven Mikulan from The LA Weekly are interviewed.

Recently, the online tabloid news has reported that Spector, writing his friends and fans from prison has told them that prison is driving him insane. Last night on the Jay Leno Show, Leno quipped:

"And record producer Phil Spector says life in prison is making him insane. Apparently he's no longer the level-headed guy who shot his dinner date..."

Thanks to all my Facebook friends and T&T contributor Dave in Tennessee for the heads up on the show.

UPDATE:
I finally watched the episode this morning. This was one of the best shows that Dominick did. I was surprised to see that another reporter I respect, Ciaran McEvoy with the Los Angeles Daily Journal, was also interviewed as part of the show along with Peter Y. Hong of the Los Angeles Times.