Will Witness X "Melt" Stacey Barker's Defense ? Chances Of A Forecasted Plea Deal Diminishing....Blizzard Hits The AV !

When last reporting to you about the Stacey Barker murder case, we told you about a storm that was brewing in the case of the 26 year old Lancaster, CA woman who is accused of killing her 18 month old daughter, Emma, dumping the baby's body along the freeway and falsely reporting she was attacked and Emma kidnapped, on March 18, 2009. Barker has been held on a $1 million bond, in the Central Regional Detention Center in Lynwood since her arrest on April 23, 2009.

There have been several delays since this case was first scheduled to go to trial last Summer. The trial is now expected to take place early 2011. The "storm" that's been picking up momentum this winter involves an inmate who exchanged written and recorded communications with Barker during their 90 mile transport each direction to Lancaster for court hearings.Over the last couple months, during the exchange of discovery some 'flurries' with potential to develop into a plea deal have blown in concerning these communications. On December 3, 2010, when Superior Court Judge Hayden Zackey scheduled the hearing for December 17, he said," It's my understanding the parties are having an ongoing discussion regarding this case....we'll see if those discussions are fruitful on December 17th" adding, "Kelly will make a motion......you will make a motion, right?" DDA Cromer agreed. Zackey continued," If an agreement can't be reached and this goes to trial, January 7 will be a pre-trial hearing that will start 0 of 59." The next day's headline of the Antelope Valley Press (AVP) was much more blunt, reading,  " Baby Barker's Mom Seeks Plea Deal !!"
 

Well...The hearing was held on December 17 at the Michael Antonovich Antelope Valley Courthouse in Lancaster, CA....... One of the rulings by the court, early on in the hearing, is in reference to the inmate who may testify of his communication with the defendant. From here on, the court ruled, in court this witness will be identified as "Mr. X" or as "Witness X". Neither the content or time line of the communication between Witness X and Stacey Barker has been disclosed in open court, but when the state told the court there are 4 Audio recordings, Barker's Public Defender, Roberto F. Dager shook his head and said I only have one.....so we  learned from this hearing that the winds of discovery are still blowing.

Even though there wasn't a plea agreement reached between the parties and a court date wasn't set,  this proved to be a very interesting hearing.  Afterward, some are forecasting this case will develop into a full blown trial instead of a plea agreement.

For some reason the next hearing is scheduled for January 24, 2011 instead of on the 7th as Judge Zackey had eluded to on December 3. (I'm not sure how this affects the count? Does 0 of 59 now start on the 24th? Anyone know? That would take us into March, if so.)

It sounds as though our "friends in the courtroom" had a long day in court on the 17th, not just because there was testimony from several witnesses, but because this case didn't come up until almost lunch time. (Again,  all of you who attend, thanks so much for using your time to attend the hearings and especially for sharing what you see and hear with us.)

Several of the witnesses to testify at this hearing were law enforcement who have also been present at the last several hearings.....apparently in anticipation of being called to testify. Detective. Sgt. Sandra Nava, Detective Sgt.Walls and a uniformed Sheriff's officer, whom we have seen in court before, but didn't know either his name or relevance to the case (Both Detectives had testified at the preliminary hearing so they were familiar)...The uniformed officer's  name is Sims and he is a module officer in the 'high power' section of the Men's Central Jail . We'll hear more from him in a bit.

Tori took some very extensive notes from the testimony in this hearing. She commented that she couldn't keep up with the pace the hearing was moving. I think you'll agree, she did a great job of capturing the "climate" in the courtroom. It was a blizzard! 
I wanted to share this picture T sent, this is taken  looking out her window in the Antelope Valley on January 2, 2011. It was a blizzard.....certainly not a common occurrence in the desert!
A note of interest....January 2 is Stacey Barker's birthday........hmmmm....... is that blizzard an omen or coincidence?

Here is Tori's report from the December 17 hearing:

When Stacey Barker came into the courtroom, she had her hair in a pony tail, all curled with full make up on  in contrast to her yellow scrubs.We were about the only ones in the gallery (the usual people) besides the defendant's family. SB came into the courtroom with a half smile looking at her family behind the defense table before she sat down next to Dager and looked straight ahead.

First called to the stand is Officer Sims. Before Sims is sworn in, PD Dager asks Judge Zackey to make Detective Nava  and Detective Walls leave the courtroom during Sims testimony. Dager says they going to testify and he doesn't want them to hear what Sims has to say....so they can't change their testimony. DDA Cromer told the court she needs Nava to help her with questioning. Judge Zackey announced it was his understanding Detective Walls wouldn't be testifying (Walls agreed) and decided to allow Detective Nava  to stay. PD Dager said he wants it on the record that he does not like it. Judge Zackey said " Detective Nava will be under oath and I don't feel she will change her testimony based on Sims testimony."



Men's Central Jail

 Officer Sims is sworn in and takes the stand. Cromer asks him about his job, then she asks him how he knows Mr.X. Sims said he is an officer in the unit that housed Mr.X  in Men's Central Jail. The unit is a Protective custody unit and Mr.X is classified as a "High Power Inmate". Next, Kelly Cromer asked Sims why Mr.X contacted him?  Sims said X told him that he had information on a case and wanted him to contact the homicide detectives working the case for him. Sims said he told X ok, he wasn't sure what he could do, but he would try.

Now it's the defense' turn for cross examination. Roberto Dager asked Sims if he and X are friends? Sims replied, " There is a line of separation between an inmate and officer " adding," I don't cross that line with any inmate." Dager asked, " Well do you have friendly conversations with him? " Sims said, "What do you mean?" Dager continued," Like do you talk about football and stuff?" Sims said "Football ?....No..it's just a inmate/officer relationship sir!

Dager asks Sims," Do you trust Witness X? Sims said "I trust no one sir." Next, Mr.Dager asks the officer if X has discussed the reason he is in jail with him? Sims said," Not really." Dager makes several attempts to ask Sims a question, but NO one can understand what he's asking....evidently Judge Zackey understood where the attorney was trying to go....he asked the question in a way that the officer and the rest of us  understand...Dager wants to know how was it that every time SB and X had to go to court, they always seemed to be next to each other on the bus? Sims said," I don't know, X may have asked the transport driver or the bus officer if they could sit next to each other." Dager replies, "Oh, so you get to pick your own seat on the bus?" Sims said," NO." Dager asked, " Then why was HE allowed to pick where he sat?" Sims told Dager he didn't know, adding he wasn't the bus officer. Now PD Dager asks Officer Sims, "Did you put X in contact with Detective Nava at some point ? " Sims said, Yes, he set up the call between the detective and X. Dager asks," How many calls did he get from Nava? Sims said, "A few." Dager gets in a few more questions (didn't note) and then we're told to go to lunch and be back at 1:30pm

While having lunch we discussed the possibility that Witness X is at the courthouse and going to be on the stand today. We heard  X  mentioned and someone said "You can ask HIM that question yourself"  but don't remember what question it was or who asked it because things were going fast!

Sure enough, when we go back after lunch, the Judge asks everyone in the front rows to move back 2 rows....then they bring out Mr.X... He is in chains so tight that his hands look deformed in front of chest....he is wearing glasses and doesn't look as evil as he did the first time we saw him....I think he knows that we are the 'bloggers' because he looks right at us and SMILES a broad smile (admittedly, no one else was really there in the gallery) We noticed when X came in, he and SB also shared looks, he had a joker grin on his face and she just had a sour look on her face. Witness X has been housed at The California State Prison at Lancaster since entering into the 10 year plea agreement with the state.

Judge Zackey tells the inmate he will be identified as Witness X from now on.

DDA Kelly Cromer starts the questioning of this state's witness, " How did you meet Ms.Barker? Mr.X said he "conversated" with her on the bus ride to court, she was in the CAGE next to his cage. He said that she started talking about her case and  at first, he thought she was innocent.

Kelly asks X, " How did you come to talk to with Detective Nava?" Mr X replied he no longer believed Stacey Barker's story of what happened because she had told him so many different stories of what happened on every bus ride. Mr.X emphasized that he just wanted justice for a dead child.....so no matter how much drama he had to go through it was the RIGHT THING TO DO.

Next Cromer asks Witness X if he works for the Government in any official way? NO was his answer.

Kelly asked," Are you a Agent for the Government?" Again, X replied NO.

 "Did you get any special deals for your testimony against Ms. Barker?" X replied," No I didn't , I did not ask for anything in return." 

Cromer asked a few other questions and then PD Roberto F. Dager is on cross....

Dager starts, "WITNESS X, How did you come in contact with Detective Sandra Nava?" Witness X relies, " I had been talking with Stacey Barker......she loves to talk about her case......I started not believing her story and asked to talk to the Detectives working her case."

Dager questioned X further, "So you talked to Nava and told her that you had information from Stacey Barker about this case and you wanted to try to get more out of her?" Witness X answers,"Yes."  Mr. Dager asked X, "What did Sandra Nava say during your phone call?" X said, "She wasn't interested in this information , but she said she would contact the District Attorney and ask if they needed what he knew or thought he could get from her."

Dager then asked X some (allegedly ) dumb questions.8D Witness X ( and others) looked dumbfounded as to what Dager was asking. Judge Zackey asked the question another way and X, without missing a beat, said OH, Ok and answered the question, then shook his head and said "This guy is making me dizzy" ....Judge Zackey asked X if he wanted some water and X said "Yes, please". LOL

Dager started questioning X about how he got next to SB on the bus. Witness X answered," Because I asked and you know......they know I don't see girls that often, so it was nice."

Dager asked X, "Why did you want to get information from Ms. Barker? X answered, " Because, like I said before, I started to think she was guilty and if she was, I wanted her to spend the rest of her life in jail!"

Next, PD Dager asked witness X," Why were you in love with her? " Kelly Cromer said, "OBJECTION!" ...X answered anyway, laughing, he said, " NO WAY. " Dager fired back, " Then why did you want her in jail for life?"  X said, " Because I thought it was the right and moral thing to do for this child. I am against abuse and murder of women and children.

Dager kinda smirked like sure buddy.....

"So you get what you want, huh?" Mr X said," No." Dager asks X if the Bus driver knows he is trying to get information from Stacey Barker?"  This time X said," Yes."  Dager says, "Oh.... so that is why you got the seating?"

Dager then asked  X how long he has been in the system.  X said, "Since 1993."

PD Dager- "How long was your first stint in prison?"

Mr.X-..."About 4 years."

PD Dager-"And the second time?"

X-" About 5 years, I don't know something like that."

PD Dager- "So you know the system and know how to work it...

DDA Cromer Objects..argumentative! Judge Zackey, "Sustained."

PD Dager moves on..."How many times have you been to court here?"  Mr.X replies,"A lot."

Next Dager said to X, "So you have a friend in lock up that can do things for you? X replied," I have no friend here. I think all the officers don't really like me." Dager continues, "What about (? ), a lock up officer at the court that is a woman. You say on tape to Stacey Barker that you can get special treatment from her." Witness X said, "What... like extra lunch or what kind of special things??"?  Dager said, "Sure." X said, "No, nothing special, I eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a apple, just like everyone else!"

Mr.Dager seems to finally come to the point he is trying to make when he says, "Do you know what a SNITCH IS?" Mr.X said, "Sure."  Kelly spoke up and said, " DEFINE Snitch....I am sure Mr.Dager can."

Barker's Public Defender, Dager, then asks X, " Are you a jailhouse informant and have you testified as an informant in other cases? X said, " I testified in one other case." Dager asked X," Did you get anything special for that testimony?" Witness X answered,"No."  Dager asks," What about the apartment and money?  Mr.X replies," Oh. Well, I was in the witness protection program that is why."

Dager asks/states,"So you gave information on the MEXICAN MAFIA?" X replied," No, I gave information on the gang I was in ( that was affiliated with the Mexican Mafia)." Dager asks X, "What kind of gang was that?" Witness X told Dager, "It was a local street gang that I was trying to get out from under...."

Dager asks X if he has Agent status? X says, "No, I'm not a Agent." 

Dager said," Then why on the tape do you ask, 'Do I get a badge'? and one of the officers said," Ok, you'll get a badge?" X laughed and said, " That was a joke..." 

 PD Dager now asks, "Who suggested you wear a wire?  X said  he did. Dager said, "Who wired you?" Witness X says, " It wasn't really a wire, it was a tape recorder that was in my pocket." Dager, "Did they tell you how to question her?" X said," The only thing they told me was to let her talk, do not question her about  her case, just let her do the talking and if she goes on to other things just guide her back to her case."

Apparently Mr. Dager has a hearing problem, he asks again," So they told you what to ask her?" Witness X said,"NO, They me NOT to question her, just let her talk, she does talk a lot." Dager asked X, "Who wrote who first? X said, "She wrote me first."

Next, Dager asked X about his other case. X said his first trial hung and when it was going to go to trial again he was offered 10 years...Dager asks," How does a 25 to life 3rd strike felon get a deal for 10 years? X told Dager, he was offered that and it was 'sweet' so he took it.

Obviously, Dager is wanting to know if (or imply that) the DA on that case gave X a sweet deal in the other matter because he was working Stacey Barker for the state. X was relaxed on the stand and did not get mad at the questions asked. He kinda laughed at a lot of them asked by Dager. When X answered some of the questions, SB would make a look and lean in to Dager's ear and tell him things. X did not give Dager an INCH...he stood his ground, it's obvious he knows his way around the court.

Detective Sandra Nava is next on the stand. The state only has a few questions for Nava, just foundational things like credentials, involvement with the case......

When Dager does cross, he asks Nava most of the same questions he asked X.... about the wire,  how many times was X on the bus when he had no hearing (6 to 8 times)...Nava was only on the stand for a short time...

The last witness called was Ted Swanson, again, the state just laid out the foundation for Swanson's testimony. He was the prosecutor on X's most recent criminal case. Swanson was asked by Dager if he had given X any reward for ratting on Barker? Swanson said, No, he didn't. At that time he didn't even know what or who X had information about, he was just working X's case from the file...

Dager asks Swanson how does a 25 to life felon get a 10 year sentence? Swanson said that the 3rd strike law is based on the merits of the case..(3 strikes law has changed since it's inception) Dager asks Swanson why X said "he got a sweet deal" and Swanson said, "Well, anything other then life is a sweet deal, I would guess."

Dager is taking X's words and phrases as a man of 45-50 or so would, some of the things that X said are in street terms and young adult lingo. I am sure Dager doesn't know that. Sweet deal to Dager means X got some type of consideration for ratting SB out....To X it means....hell yeah, sweeeettt (good) I don't have to do life behind this POS child molester. 

For those who don't know about X's 3rd strike, it was a charge of robbery from an incident with a registered child molester who had tried to arrange private guitar lessons with Witness X's daughter. According to X, a new trial could have gone either way because witnesses were caught in lies and other things. Reportedly, the jury was hung in a 7 to5 split to convict...when they went to the table the state may have thought it better just to make a deal with him given  almost half of the last jury was ready to acquit X.

Again, Dager seems to think ( or imply)  that Swanson's boss made a deal with X for the information against SB but as Swanson said " I knew little or nothing about what information X had " so Dager is going to interview Swanson's boss to see if he might have made a deal with X. As desperate as this may seem, the defense really must try to discredit this testimony.....particularly if it supports statements Barker made to law enforcement before she was arrested.

Dager told the court he  wants to talk to X's Public Defender on the that case, the DDA Swanson's boss and he also wants to revisit previously filed motions.....Change Of Venue, Excluding media, etc... Judge Zackey said that can all be done on the 24th.... this was just a fact finding hearing and that he would offer a ruling next month. Should he find the inmate was acting as a government agent, Zackey said he suspects his only order would be that all audio tapes be given to Dager before trial.. ( Perhaps the state has just turned over the one audio recording they plan to use at trial ?) " The reality is, the information gathered by this witness was recorded " Judge Zacky said adding, "The documents and recordings speak for themselves."

We should learn more at the hearing on the 24th.....Will witness X 's testimony and communications with SB be allowed at trial? Will there be a trial?.....Or,  once the blizzard has blown over will this case result in a plea deal? If only we knew a weatherman who could predict this for us......

Sphere: Related Content

Will There Be Justice For Emma Barker? UPDATED 4/30

UPDATE below Original Story-
                                                                                   

Emma Leigh Barker
September 2, 2007-March 18, 2009

 Emma Barker was just 18 months old when her mother, Stacey Barker, 25, led police to her little body on March 19, 2009 . Emma’s mother had dumped her body along side the Golden State Freeway in Sylmar, CA. 12 hours earlier.

When Emma was first reported missing Stacey Barker claimed she had been attacked and knocked unconscious, when she came to Emma was gone, evidently taken by her attacker(s). Later Barker admitted she had made up the story of the attack and kidnapping, she said Emma had died accidentally and she feared being blamed so she dumped her daughter’s body.

On April 27,2009, Barker was arrested and the charges filed against the young mother include murder, assault on a child causing death and child abuse. The complaint alleges that Barker willfully caused and permitted the child to be injured and harmed and that injury resulted in death. Barker pled not guilty to all counts on August 12, 2009. She has been held at the Century Regional Detention Facility on a one million dollar bond since her arrest.

For more details on this case click here.

There was supposed to be a hearing on Monday, April 12 in the Stacey Barker Murder Case. We had hoped to learn at this hearing if there would be a plea deal or if this case would be going to trial. There was not an actual hearing according to our friends Tori, Ange and TD who attended the “hearing“ and shared what happened in court with katfish….ponders, so that I could share with you. (Thank you friends!)

Public Defender Roberto F. Dager told the court that at 10 am, Stacey Barker was still en-route to the Michael Antonovich Antelope Valley Courthouse in Lancaster, CA. from the Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood. It's a 90 mile drive from the jail to the courthouse, one way. Dager told the court that when Barker arrived he wanted to see her for 5 minutes so she could sign some papers. Superior Court Judge Hayden Zackey set the next court date for Thursday, April 29, 2010.

PD Dager was overheard telling a few of Stacey Barker’s family, who had also came to the courthouse for the hearing, there was no use for them to stay because Stacey wouldn’t be seeing the judge today and after signing papers she would be on the bus right back to LA.

Our friends think it is pretty likely that Stacey Barker is accepting a plea deal and noted that Deputy District Attorney S. Kelly Cromer wasn’t present in the courtroom when this "hearing" took place. Had she and the Public Defender already discussed what needed to be discussed before the “hearing“? Hopefully we will find out more on April 29.…stay tuned.

Update- 4/30/2010
There was another short hearing held  4/29 in Lancaster, Ca in the Stacey Barker murder case.Just a few short notes from our friends who attend the hearings and share with us:

The defendant's bus was late again coming from the Central Regional Detention Center. While waiting for the defendant to appear, DDA Kelly Cromer and PD Roberto Dager had a "little side conference" in the jury box. Our friend said Dager said "something" to Cromer, to which Cromer was heard to laugh and say," The only deal I'll go for is 15 to Life." With that the discussion was over until the Barker was brought up to the courtroom. (keep in mind this was just part of a conversation that was over heard, so should be evaluated on that basis, not as fact pertaining to this case, just something you might have heard as well if sitting in the courtroom)

Something that was put on the record is Judge Hayden Zackey's desire to get a court date set in this case. PD Dager told the court he needs more time to interview more witnesses and there was still a question of some discovery. Judge  Zackey said," I would like to start TRIAL within the 60 days, this is getting OLD." Zackey added, "I understand the nature and gravity of the crime, but I would like to proceed with trial soon." (Tori's thinks the "this is getting old " statement was in reference to the defendant being brought to court, 90 miles one way, and nothing being accomplished.Given the financial crisis in CA that seems a reasonable assumption.) Another hearing date was set for June 7 and court was recessed.

Our friends noted that Stacey Barker was in GREAT spirits today. When she entered the courtroom she said hi to her boyfriend in a flirtatious manner, during the hearing she was bouncy and laughing with her attorney, and when she was led out of the courtroom by the bailiff (despite an admonition earlier in the case not to have make any contact with the gallery) she turned in a "coy" way and said "BYE" to her family...kind of like she was somewhere other than a court of law.....bidding farewell to her fans. ( LOL, whatever)

Check back, our friends will attend and give us an update of what happens in court on June 7. Hopefully there will be a trial date set so there can be some Justice for Emma.

In this writer's opinion, getting to the  Truth = Justice. Sphere: Related Content

KTLA Showing a Short Clip of Opening Statements In Spector Retrial

The retrial of Phil Spector started a month ago, but you certainly wouldn't know it based on news reports or lack thereof. I won't go into a rant about that, instead I'll focus on what is out there this week.

As I have mentioned before, Sprocket at Trials and Tribulations has been attending the retrial and blogging about her experiences there. She mentioned in her entry for yesterday, December 1, (day 11 of testimony) that Harriet Ryan of the LA times had attended court for a bit in the afternoon session.

Ms. Ryan did an interesting piece on the trial. I found her article here on ktla.com. More on her article in a bit, what really caught my eye was a less than 2 minute clip from opening statements on the same page as Ms. Ryan's article. Sprocket reported early on there was a pool camera in court for opening statements but this is the first I have seen of them.
I WANT MORE! Alan Jackson is so riveting and I would love to see Truc Do (prosecution co-council) in action as well. Will we get the opening statements in 2 minute increments? I wish I knew, of course I'll report if I find it anywhere. Please let me know if any of you find something as well. OK?

Back to Harriet Ryan's article, while she attended court yesterday and posted the article yesterday, it had nothing about yesterday's testimony in it. The article focuses on Spector's defense strategy this time around. Rather than try to portray Spector as a gracious and generous eccentric as the defense did in round one, Doran Weinberg paints a much different picture of Spector. Weinberg goes so far as to describe Spector as a gun-obsessed boor with a mouth filthier than a truck stop restroom and mood swings as sharp and scary as a dagger. Whew!
The point of this is to show that Spector pulls guns on everyone, not just women. The approach, his lawyer says, is the only way to combat what the defense considers the most damning evidence against Spector in the fatal 2003 shooting of actress Lana Clarkson: the testimony of five women who say he terrorized them with guns under similar circumstances. Whatever.

IMO, The testimony of Adriano De Souza (Spector’s alternate driver on February 2nd, 2003) is the most damning as it is pretty much a confession of sorts. I think the legal term is an "Excited Utterance". De Souza's testimony ended yesterday. My impression from Sprocket's report is that De Souza held up pretty well even though Weinberg did his best to discredit him. We'll have to wait and see how this jury perceives it all. There is still a long way to go and at the rate it's going this trial will probably last as long as round one.

One last thought I wanted to share. Beth Karas of InSession (CTV) has attended the trial a few days in an unofficial capacity. Beth did call in a report to Jamie Floyd of Best Defense and I thought it interesting she reported Dr. Michael Baden won't be back for this trial. Do you think his reputation couldn't withstand another "aha" moment or does Phil just not have enough money this time around? Probably both! Sphere: Related Content

KTLA will provide limited coverage of Phil Spector's re-trial

UPDATE 3:
November 11

I have noticed a lot of hits looking for coverage of Phil Spector round 2, first let me say welcome to katfish ponders, and second....I don't have any good news. There is no live or taped coverage. I can tell you what I have been doing to get my Spector "fix" so far.

Trials and Tribulations carries Sprocket's " in the courtroom " coverage and that is my first go to place. I then head over to Juror Thirteen, they have some interesting insights about the case based on Sprocket's coverage and other press, such as Linda Duetch of AP. One thing I really like about Juror Thirteen is they are good at supplying links to other relevant stories that are out there. Another place that has some interesting insight to Phil Spector is mControl blogs. This blog is by Michelle Blaine, assistant for Spector on Febuary 3, 2003. I didn't mention this earlier because it had been some time since she posted there.....but she's back! Very funny lady! MB also created the People vs Spector V2 website. Right now there isn't a lot of action on the forum there, but it is well worth checking out...as the trial progresses there will be more to talk about. There are some knowledgeable and funny posters on there!
Once again if I find any other coverage is out there I will post it. Heck, I'd like to know who has the tapes from opening statements....it must be top-secret...noone is fessing up to it. LOL! Please let me know if there are any other places out there discussing this trial.
katfish
UPDATE 2:
October 27
Sprocket has posted another update! She reports the agency that inquired about the web cam has pulled out. There will be a pool camera covering opening statements, although it's not clear who will be carrying it. For more detail check out Trial and Tribulations. I will update when I hear anything! Jeesh!
UPDATE:
October 27, 2008
I bumped the date up on this post so it will be near the top of the page.
Sprocket, from Trials and Tribulations has been attending the voir dire of the jurors for Phil Spector's re-trial.
In her report this evening about the last day of voir dire, Sprocket reports that Judge Fidler said that the court has received a last minute request to have a "web cam" in the court. There apparently would not be a computer [camera] operator, but that wasn't clear. He does not know the particulars of the request so he can't rule on the request at this time. The details are currently being worked out with Allan Parachini.
There will be a still camera for opening statements. This is apparently a camera on a tripod in the gallery of the court and not mounted on the walls. This would just be for opening statements.
The media organization that made the "web cam" request was not named, nor was the organization that will film opening statements.
Opening statements begin Wednesday.
I'll let you know when I hear anything. Trials and Tribulations is the go-to blog for anything Spector 2. Thanks for the heads up Sprocket!

October 21, 2008
Recently there have been rumblings that KTLA has decided not to cover PS 2.
I have hesitated to report these rumblings here until there was definite confirmation . Unfortunately, While I haven't been able to get actual confirmation from KTLA, I have heard from a reliable source that they have backed out.
If I get confirmation or better yet, good news, I will post it here ASAP.

When word came that no media outlets had applied for access to cover the re-trial of Phil Spector many of us were shocked. Just a year or so ago, the first Phil Spector murder trial was fairly "big news". CourtTV (now InSession) carried all 6 months of the trial.

There was also a strong Internet following, with gavel to gavel live streaming available through several sources. I personally switched to Internet coverage when CTV started cutting off the trial midway through the day (programming changes at the network... grrrr). When just watching by yourself was too frustrating or if you missed a day and needed to catch up, there were plenty of places online to go and discuss the trial, and MANY people did.


In the first trial, Spector, the eccentric music producer who created the famous "Wall of Sound" recording technique, avoided conviction after a six-month trial that ended with a jury deadlocked 10-2 in favor of finding him guilty. Given that result, regardless of our opinion as to guilt or innocence, many of us who had devoted so much of our time to this quest for justice, took solace in the notion that there would be another trial and again we would be there.....had we been told then that just one year later the re-trial would be viewed as old news....I am certain more would have been done to encourage the media to cover the re-trial.

The 68-year-old music producer is charged with murder for the Feb. 3, 2003, shooting death of 40-year-old Lana Clarkson. Spector and his attorneys have maintained that Clarkson committed suicide in the foyer of Spector's home. (After the first trial, the state said that Spector murdered Lana Clarkson and his defense murdered her character.)

The re-trial got under way with Jury Selection on October 2 and 3 in Los Angeles Superior Court. Three hundred prospective jurors were to report over these two days to weed out those who had personal reasons for not participating and to give questionnaires to prospective jurors to fill out in order to gauge their knowledge of the case and determine whether they have formed any opinions. They are to return October 20 for voie dire (questioning by the attorneys). This trial is expected to take 3 to 4 months.

Sprocket and Donchais, at Trials and Tribulations have been working behind the scenes to facilitate some type of coverage and have reported that Judge Fidler approved local channel KTLA's "TV" application and The Associated Press's "still photographer" application. KTLA requested, "opening statements, portions of testimony, closing arguments, verdict, and sentencing. For whatever reason that the media isn't as interested this time around, some coverage will be better than none. Let's just get this show on the road! There is also a petition that was started on September 18. It's probably too late for the petition to do any good at this point, but it certainly wouldn't hurt anything to add your name if you feel the Spector re-trial deserves more coverage.


At this point KTLA will be the only place to go for coverage, however, trial discussion can be had at many places. Here are the places on the web that I intend to go during this trial:

For" in the courtroom reports " go to Sprockets blog at Trials and Tribulations
For great trial discussion there will be several places to go....
of course the KTLA message boards will be a great spot. You can also find some great discussion at jurorthirteen,they have message boards and chat! And last but not least, there is a forum that was developed specifically to cover the re-trial of Spector. It is called People v Spector V2. This site was developed by a former assistant of Spector and will offer not just message boards and chat but possibly some "insider" insight to Phil Spector. Normally I would include TruTV/InSession message boards but since they chose not to cover this trial, I choose not to go there for this trial. If anyone knows of any other sites that would be of interest let me know and I'll add them.



yahoo.com

Sphere: Related Content

Phil Spector famous or notorious?

I love it! Phil Spector is a stop on a bizarre true crime and cultural history tour in L.A.! Right where he belongs! This is a bulletin posted on MySpace by True Crime Blogs. Made my day!


True Crime Blogs
LA 9/13- Blood & Dumplings Crime Bus Tour

WHAT: Esotouric's Blood & Dumplings Crime Bus Tour

WHEN: Saturday September 13 2008, 12pm-4pm (repeats 11/29 in a special Thanksgiving edition as part of the Noir November series)

WHERE: Tour departs from Philippe the Original, 1001 N.Alameda Street
COST: $63, including dumplings (vegetarian options available on request)INFO: http://www.esotouric.com/ or call 323-223-2767
LOS ANGELES- On Saturday, September 13 (repeating 11/29), offbeat bus tour company Esotouric presents its most bizarre true crime and cultural history tour, BLOOD & DUMPLINGS.
Starting from the premise that the secret heart of Southern California's weirdo culture beats strongest in the Eastern San Gabriel Valley, the tour introduces passengers to such fascinating local characters as the Man from Mars Bandit, record producer Phil Spector, lion tamers Charles and Muriel Gay, and indie filmmaking icon Timothy Carey, whose notorious "The World's Greatest Sinner" was shot on location in 1960s El Monte.
Heading due East out of downtown, the tour explores several historic communities that reflect the growth and eccentricity that are hallmarks of 20th century L.A. Crime Bus passengers will be explore notorious, strange and fascinating forgotten tales from the past hundred years, each told at the scene of the crime. They'll thrill to the freakish case of the Man from Mars Bandit who stalked area supermarkets for months in 1951 before meeting his match in a police sharpshooter, shock to discover the deadly infighting among El Monte's American Nazi Party members, mourn the Case of the Buried Bride dragged beneath her home on her wedding day by her secret lover, gnash teeth at the weird lion farm (home to every MGM lion) that served lion meat barbecues on special occasions, and view scenes of notorious cases including Phil Spector's spooky hilltop castle and James Ellroy's slain mother Geneva (the true-life inspiration for his Black Dahlia novel).
And since no visit to the San Gabriel Valley is complete without a delicious Chinese meal, the Crime Bus will stop at 101 Noodle Express (one of L.A. Weekly critic Jonathan Gold's picks for 99 L.A. restaurants not to be missed) to pick up a dumpling feast, which will be enjoyed picnic-style at Monster Park, a remarkable sea-themed folk art environment recently saved from demolition. There passengers can enjoy their snack in the mouth of a concrete whale, or under a grinning octopus, then pose for photos with the creatures.All this, plus wild shootouts, dope-dealing druggists, missing Salvador Dali paintings, the original "little girl down a well" 1940s television sensation, and a very strange story about ducks.
Don't miss the Crime Bus tour that guide Kim Cooper calls "My personal favorite of all our tours, packed with more offbeat history, horror, roadside architecture and fabulous Route 66 vistas than any other."For more info on Esotouric, visit http://www.esotouric.com/ Sphere: Related Content