WHAT THE JURY WILL NOT HEAR
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THURSDAY – AN IMPORTANT RULING –
WHAT THE JURY WILL NOT HEAR…
Today’s trial contained two additional elements in addition to the cellphone and financial activity testimony heard yesterday and this morning:
(1) A description of three different ‘needle in a haystack’ searches in the Oakland hills for Nina. The impression was left that there was only a slim chance of finding a body in that area, had it been hidden in brush, and no chance at all (obviously) had the body been left outside the search area. The psychological impact of this testimony is simple: When a whole lot of people go looking for a dead body and a full year elapses without a ‘find”, the person is most likely dead.
(2) A hugely interesting exchange out of the jury’s hearing. This email from Nina to Hans will not be read to the jury:
“I will not continue mediation if you keep threatening me. When you give me a hard stare and … that you are very good at combat, your request that I drop domestic-violence charges against you, it very much sounds like another threat. I warn you that if you are going to communicate with me in this manner, I will have to end mediation and report it to the police. …”
Too bad Nina didn’t call the police.
If redacted by the court as proposed the email will seem innocuous. Chalk one up for the defense team.
CORRECTION
The case resumes MONDAY.
Still no knockout blow….
JBG
Comments
can you explain why the jury isn't hearing information re hans's domestic abuse/threats? thanks.
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Yes. I assume that the judge has simply ruled them inadmissable, probably because the defense argued that they are hearsay and don't meet one of the recognized exceptions.
JBG
Posted by: coconut | February 14, 2008 09:25 PM