Monday, November 21, 2016

 February 24th

Lonnie was wearing the same clothes as yesterday ~ a blue shirt, beige trousers and a greyish tie that he places over his neck when he sits in his chair and before the Jury arrives.

In the lunch break I very graciously went up to Seymour Amster who was doing his usual pacing of the corridor.  I asked him if Richard Harris could please be allowed back in to the Courtroom as he said yesterday that he’d ‘let me know’.  Well because he had an audience in the corridor, he immediately raised his voice and shouted “Would you stop interfering with my procedure”.  His face was all red as if he was about to explode, but that’s normal for him every time he speaks.   I responded with the fact that I’m sorry however I am speaking on his behalf as he is not allowed in the Courtroom.  After all he had flown here from Atlanta for the Trial and blatantly refuses to be a witness for the Defense.   Amster just shouted again that “Mr Harris has been excused and that’s all there is to it.”

We all walked in at about 1.38pm followed by Lonnie Franklin, who again was putting his tie on in his seat.  Wearing the same blue shirt and beige slacks as yesterday that seemed way to big for him due to the weight he’s probably lost being in jail.

The Bailiff was in a very heated discussion with a black woman who was seated in front of me.  She was sitting where the victims’ family  members usually sit.  The Bailiff was asking her nicely who she is and her association with the Trial.  Was she a family member of a victim or the Defendant?

Bailiff: Would you please identify who you are?  I am coming at you nicely and professionally and asking you who you are here for?  If you don’t tell me who you are I will have to remove you from the Courtroom.”
Woman:  I don’t have to tell you nothin’ I’m a family member of someone.  I was a kid when she died. I ain’ telling you who she was”
Bailiff: “You are being uncooperative and I’m going to have to remove you from my Courtroom.  This is my Courtroom and I need to know who is sitting here.”
She sat there with her arms folded as the Bailiff lent in to her very closely and said “Ok step out of the Courtroom right now.”  She resisted and I could see all the other Sheriff’s closing in, including the Defense and Detective Dupree.  It looked like a takedown was about to happen but she got up and stormed out being escorted with no less than 4 Sheriffs, one of them being the Bailiff. 

At 1.43pm the Jurors walked in the main door.

On the stand again was Cristina Gonzalez who had testified yesterday afternoon and this morning continuing with having to basically keep defending her professionalism and the correct procedures and protocol she uses in collecting and analyzing DNA.

Amster gets up for cross

Amster:  Are you saying that it’s not possible in the entire world’s population for there to be the same….
Judge Kennedy cut him right off and said “Mr Amster we’ve been through all this the last time you cross examined”.
With that, he didn’t say a word and gathered his papers and stormed back to his chair sliding his feet as he does with his neck protruding forward at least  a foot ahead of the rest of his body.

1.52pm   The LAPD Seargant Allan Seeget came to the stand. 

Sgt. Seeget works out of Rampart Division now and oversees the training Unit.  He’s been with the LAPD for 32 years.  He used to work at Newton station in South Central Los Angeles where he was a patrol officer.

This crime scene is where Barbara Ware was found.  At 1356 East 56th Street.

DA: Sgt Seeget On Saturday January 10th 1987 at 12.30am, just after midnight, were you called to an alley located in the 1300 block of East 5th Street?
Sgt: Yes I was
DA: Was it a call for a dead body?
Sgt: Yes it was a call for a possible dead body?
DA: What were the weather conditions?  Was it dark out?  What did you see?
Sgt: It was very cold that night and it was still dark, in fact me and my partner had to use our flashlights and walk up the alley. Robert Diaz was my partner at that time.  We saw lots of trash and debris all over the alley.
Judge:  Sgt Seeget you can say what ‘you’ saw but you cannot say what ‘we’ saw.  He turned to look over to the Judge who was sitting directly to his right.
Sgt: Yes your Honour I understand.

Turning back to Beth Silverman again he said:
Sgt:  I then saw a dead body?
DA:  Could you show us?
With his laser pointer he showed us the position the body was found which was to the right of the picture on the side of the alley.  He pointed to a leg wearing a pair of jeans.  He explained that the debris was stacked up on top of her.  He called for additional units to come to the crime scene and put up the yellow tape so that no one else could enter that area without signing in and signing out of a log.  At least one Coroner and at least one Criminalist and Investigator always shows up to a crime scene that appears to be of a homicide.

Every day, by the way, Lonnie Franklin looks straight ahead.  He never looks left or right when he is seated on his chair, he also never looks at the monitor.

DA:  Did a serial killer task force arrive at the scene?
Sgt: Yes at least 8 officers arrived at the scene.

Hang on a minute, I thought, the serial killer task force wasn’t even formed until 2007, so how could it have been possible for ‘a serial killer taskforce’ to be on hand all the way back 2 decades before?  Something doesn’t make sense here and I planned to ask Detective Dupree about this in the afternoon recess.   Plus I will also ask Cliff Shepherd about it too.   More to come on this later……

More horrifically graphic crime scene pictures were shown of Barbara Ware and her lifeless body.  Her face had blood all over it even though she was shot in the chest, my guess is the blood on her face came from when she was fell to the ground somehow after being shot.  I am so glad that Ms. Diana Ware wasn’t in the Courtroom today, she was noticeably missing so I’m sure she was advised not to come in today as it would have been too difficult for her to see.  God Bless that lady, I’m sure her daughter is looking down at her from heaven knowing how much her mother loved her.

Silverman asked Sgt Seeget how many homicides crime scenes he’d been called out to over the years, to which he responded, “Well over a hundred, but that’s a tough one to be exact on that!”

Silverman asks the question of ‘What exactly is a body dump’, quite a lot as she wants us, the Jury and everyone in the Courtroom to be perfectly clear on what it means so that without a doubt it shows that each of these bodies were killed somewhere then transported to the various crime scene locations.

Seeget answered the same way as everyone else – She was killed elsewhere then brought to the dumping location.

Amster was due to take the stand, we waited and we waited while he was banging around on his desk with all the large manila envelopes he had piled on top of each other.  He was making a heck of a lot of noise yet saying nothing.  Then he started looking under the desk for something,  then he was slapping documents down on the desk, clearly making a spectacle of himself, however none of us knew why.  No one said anything, but we all of us looked at each other, the Judge rolled her eyes subtly as she often does when Mr Amster does something that is so out of character for a normal professional lawyer.  If Stan Laurel, from the television show Oliver and Hardy, were to be re-incarnated as a lawyer, his name would be Seymour Amster.   He is a caricature of Stan Laurel.

Then he stayed at his seat and stood up and shouted to the witness on the stand in his typical rude manner:

Amster:  Did you receive a call to go to that location?
Seeget: Yes I received a radio call which was a possible 187 (penal code for murder). The P.R. (person reporting) stated that it was the dumping of a body.
Amster wanted to focus on the graffiti on the wall near the body and ask if the graffiti appeared to be fresh graffiti.  We all know what he was implying and the Sgt responded with a definitive ‘no’.  

Graffitti was everywhere all over almost every wall in South Central Los Angeles, especially in the 80’s.

DA Silverman then cross examined the witness with only a few ‘to the point questions’
DA: Did the graffiti appear fresh to you?
Seeget: No
DA: Did the graffiti appear to be typical of all the other graffiti in South LA?
Seeget: Yes
DA: Thank you, no further questions.


Donald Hrycyk was called to the stand.  A Detective who’d been with LAPD for 42 years.

Hrycyk was stationed at 77th Division for 3 ½ years.   He responded to a homicide call on August 12th 1986.  His partner was Jay Johnson.  He responded to the scene at about 1.15pm.  The victim turned out to be Henrietta Wright.

He described the scene to be filled with trash, trash bags, mattresses, looks like a transient could have been sleeping there.   It was clearly a ‘body dump’.
Hrycyk has covered well over 60 homicides.

Right before we took the afternoon break the Judge got a little irate with Beth Silverman saying she didn’t want her to use the names of the victims.  To which Silverman responded that “every time a slide is show, the victim’s name is always at the top so the Jury see it anyway”.
Judge:  When I make a ruling, it stands.  That’s it.
DA: Fine!

And with that heated exchange we were released on a break.

I saw Detective Dupree in the hallway and went up to him.  He is so easy to talk to and always has time for people.  I told him that I was confused that a ‘serial killer task force would show up to a crime scene in 1987 yet as far as I knew the serial killer task force wasn’t formed until 2007?   He knew why I was confused and stated, “That’s what Margaret Prescod would like you to think.” But there were various ones formed earlier on.

Hmmmm I want to get to the bottom of this as I have never heard of one being formed before 2007… I’m calling Cliff Shepard tonight!

We came back after the break and Hrycyk explained that he responded to a crime scene at 9.15am at 9414 South Western Avenue, South LA a parking lot adjacent to an alley way, with his partner Jerry Collins .
When he showed up there were already uniformed officers on the scene.  There was a dumpster on the south east corner was adjacent to the alley with two lids, one lid was open and one was closed.  It was an overly full dumpster.  He saw a foot with a grey sock on the open side of the dumpster.
They made sure to always wear gloves to preserve the integrity of the crime scene.  There were ligature marks on the right side of her neck.

DA:  Were there similarities between this crime scene of Bernita Sparks and the homicide we spoke about before, Henrietta Wright?
Seeget:  Yes, both were shot in the chest.  Both were African American women. Both were dumped in the South Central area location.  Both were dumped in trash or covered in trash.  Neither had any identification.  Both were either in or adjacent to an alleyway.  Both were covered to disguise the body and there were no 25 calibre casings at either crime scene.

Amster:  Good afternoon Detective.  On January 10th 1987 you were responding to the crime scene of….. oh… no wait…. Ha ha ha….” Seymour exploded again in hysterical laughter leaving all of us sane people in the Courtroom trying to piece together where the potential joke was.  “ha ha ….I must’ve gone back to far.. sorry about that.  I meant on August 12th 1986 you went to a crime scene with your partner Detective Collins.  Part of your duty is to request a latent fingerprint analyst to come to the scene. Correct?
Seegret:  I don’t recall
Amster: Well do you recall seeing an examiner there?
Seegret: I don’t recall
More hysterical laughter as he rummaged through his paperwork frantically searching for something that nobody besides Mr Amster himself could have any idea what he was looking for.
Amster: So you mentioned that when you arrived on the scene that a transient might have been sleeping there? 
Seegret:  Yes it’s possible that that area might be an area where a transient might sleep there.
Amster:  Are you familiar with the types of people that frequent that area?
 After much of a mess going around and around in a circle so that he could make his question more clear, the Sgt responded with:
Seegret:  Well yes it’s an area where there are people on drugs, it’s an African American area, there are transients there and a lot of graffiti..

That was where we adjourned for the day……

Once I arrived home to write up my events of the day, I decided to call my friend Cliff Shepard to clarify my confusion regarding this ‘serial killer task force’ and when it all began.


Cliff:  In 2007 I was working for Homicide supervisor Rob Bub in the cold case unit at that time, he was aware of cases that occurred in the 80’s.  When Janecia Peters murder came in (in 2007) Cliff was on a day off and Captain Jackson was let know that the same DNA matched 6 0r 7 other victims, Kilcoyne overheard this conversation and they all decided to form a task force which began at approximately the end of April in 2007.

Where my confusion was is how come it was around in the 80’s as well and Cliff let me know that that was the ‘Southside Slayer task force’.  (The Southside Slayer is another serial killer I have interviewed extensively by the name of Chester Turner, he is currently on Death Row.   He was killing women in South Los Angeles at the same exact time as the Grim Sleeper so this would make sense).  So yes, there was a serial killer task force that came to the scene of the murder of Barbara Ware, however it wasn’t the ‘serial killer task force’ that was assigned to the Grim Sleeper.  This is very interesting as I had no idea that there were 2 serial killer task forces.


Updates in the Tanaka Trial...

Yesterday after I left the Federal Building after the Jury went to deliberate in the Paul Tanaka Trial, I walked over the the CCB building which I have done each day.   Thinking that yet again the Defense would still be focused on the DNA comparisons, as they had been all that morning and all the previous week (I was told this by my tipsters) and all the previous week, I was pleasantly surprised.

I walked in to a Criminalist and Firearms expert on the stand by the name of Rafael Garcia.  On the Elmo was a picture of on of the guns found in Franklin's home.  One picture was a view of the hallway and the west closet showing a picture of the jacket in which the gun had been found.  The firearm was in the picture next to this one.  It was of a semi-automatic pistol.  A Raven 25 caliber Auto.  Silverman asked if these types of guns are designed for 'easy storage' to which Amster Objected right away.  It was over ruled and the answer is that 'yes, absolutely it is designed for easy storage and concealment.  "One that  a person might carry in their pocket".

Mr Garcia was handed to envelopes at 2 separate times in his Testimony to which he opened them both slowly and pulled out a small coin envelope with a magazine inside.   Also in this large envelope was a gun with a flex tie on it so it would be safe if even Amster was to 'approach the Witness', it still wouldn't go off accidentally!

The second envelope he opened was a 380 automatic 'Highpoint' firearm which was displayed for us to view in a larger format on the Elmo.  It seemed like a larger gun that probably wouldn't have been concealed too well in a pocket.  This too was tied with plastic flex ties for safety in the Courtroom and had 6 live rounds of ammunition inside it.  They kept it the same way in which it had been found.

Before I walked in, I was told that during the search of the hallway and closets of Franklin's home, a machete, 19 cell phones (approximately that many but I wasn't there to hear it first hand, I'm trusting my sources with this paragraph) and pornography including a video titled something like 'Big Booties etc'.  Well I happen to know for a fact that Franklin loves big booties especially on black ladies.

We ended the day on this Witness.

Today April 6th.

Tanaka Trial.. waiting for the Verdict:

I arrived at the Federal Building just before 8am knowing that the Jury would still be deliberating.  They started to deliberate yesterday at 12.15pm until 1.30pm and then came back to deliberate from 8am today.  I went in to the Courtroom, no one was there.  So, I decided to wander around the building and see who I could be with while I/we waited for a Verdict.  I love being around people (as I'm an only child) so sitting with the cleaner would be better than if I was to be by myself with no one to talk to.
So I went to the 2nd floor... there was a door that said "Attorney Conference Room".. Basically a room private for Attorneys only.  So...... I opened the door and peeked my head in.  Immediately I was faced with Jerome Haig, the Defense lawyer for Paul Tanaka.  There was no turning back now so I said "I'm so sorry, I was looking for the Cafeteria"... I wish I thought up something better than that.  Anyway he beckoned for me to come in and sit at his desk.   I really didn't want to be in his way knowing that he probably had a thousand calls to make and probably receive too.

Jerome Haig and I had a long chat about everything under the sun, including the Trial what he thought the outcome would be, who he's represented before, how he deals with the other side etc.   It was very interesting because he was the stronger of the 2 Defense lawyers yet much more on the shorter side.  I would guess he's about 5ft 6 but he certainly makes up for that in his strength and professionalism as a lawyer.  He knows Seymour Amster and informed me that he is not a public defender as I'd thought.  He is appointed by the Court or State or something like that when a p.d. isn't available.  Therefore Amster does get paid quite a bit to represent Lonnie Franklin.  I was utterly shocked and didn't hold back in letting him know what I thought of this blundering fool by the name of Seymour Amster.   The lack of professionalism and complete disrespect to everyone in the Courtroom on Amster's point is what gets me the most.   Mr Haig and his partner Dean Steward and Brandon Fox and Ed Hardy (spelling) all showed complete professionalism and comradeship when they were working alongside each other during the Tanaka Trial.  It was like night and day.

After about 50 minutes of sitting with him, he offered me his card which I gladly accepted, and then I went up to the 4th floor where the Cafeteria is.  Look I"m still learning the building so I wasn't to know that the Cafeteria wasn't on the second floor.

I sat with the rest of the media and we all had coffee and breakfast sitting at the same table then we moved around a bit to get signal on the phone which is virtually impossible in that building.    I had been told that this Judge, Percy Anderson, sometimes receives a note when the Jury are ready to come back with a Verdict and that's all he will inform his Clerk.  The Clerk doesn't call any media to inform them and there is only 10 minutes between  the note being received and the Jury coming back to reveal their Verdict.

At 9.32am this morning, someone in the room was told there was 'a note that had just been passed to the Judge'.  I then told everyone that this means for sure that the Verdict would be read.  I was told that I may be wrong about that, but I kept trying to say...."No, on this I think I'm right.".  I started to run down the corridor, throwing my un-sipped coffee away as I left, Steve, Judge Anderson's lawyer was walking down the corridor and I asked him "Is it going to be read now?"  Knowing that he doesn't like to talk to any media (and I"m not media), I took a chance.   He just turned to me and said with a wink, "I'd go straight to the Courtroom if I were you!"  I then did as I was told and then I told the media that 'the note' is definitely going to be the reading of the Verdict!

I think what helped was that after Jury was selected about 10 days ago, I placed a call in to the Clerk of Percy Anderson's Courtroom and left a message for 'Steve' as his name was on the machine.  I wanted to know what time the Trial would start the following Monday morning (April 2nd I think), I left my number but stated that I don't expect him to call me back and have a nice weekend.  Within 10 minutes he called me back telling me that they aren't in session that Monday, he told me the hours of the Court day which ends daily at 1.30pm and no lunch.  I said to him on the phone how much I greatly appreciated him calling me back that day and he went way above his call of duty to do that.   So, I feel this is why today, almost 2 weeks later, he was more apt to tip me off than others who may not show appreciation quite as much.

So after less than a total of 3 hours, today and yesterday, the Jury was about to come back with a unanimous Verdict.  We all landed on the front row, media and all, keeping our same spots as we had done throughout most of the Trial in fact.  A lot of people weren't there as no one could really inform them, especially in a building with very little signal.

Within 10 - 15 minutes the Jury came in and the Clerk read the Verdict.

"Guilty on both counts: Conspiracy to Obstruct Justice and Obstruction of Justice."


Tanaka sat stone faced and stoic with his head firmly in the same position as it was when he sat down, facing the Judge.  His wife sat next to me across the aisle with her mother.  She looked stoic for the most part until you could see tears welling up in her eyes and, at the same time, a look of utter shock came across her face.  Yet the whole time she didn't move a muscle.  His brother, who is a Judge, was also in the Courtroom along with his sister.  They seem like a lovely family.  They are the innocent victims in this whole mess.

Judge Anderson went down the row of all 12 Jurors and 4 alternates and each one agreed that this was their unanimous decision.   I left the Courtroom and wanted to get a shot of Tanaka, as I had done yesterday which was aired on the ABC7 News.  I also wanted to hear the press Conference with the lawyers from both sides and the FBI.  They all gave very good statements especially Jerome Haig, Tanaka's Defense and David Bowdich from the FBI.  I recorded as much as I could and will try to attach it to this Blog.

I will close here in saying this.  The Tanaka Trial was important to me on a very personal level which is why I attended every day (except one) due to my personal involvement in this case.
I'm glad, however, that this Trial is now over and I hope that his Conviction will help the wrongly convicted Sheriff's who served underneath him.  I have already started my book on this case.  However due to being commissioned for my Grim Sleeper Book first by my Publisher I am committed to attend the Grim Sleeper Trial as much as I can.  These past 10 days I have been torn in half and running between 2 Courthouses for different reasons.
The Grim Sleeper Trial is not personal to me at all.  I have been commissioned to write my 4th book (2 I co-authored and this one is my 2nd as a sole author).  I have the exclusive life story from the 'alleged' serial killer and I am covering that Trial almost every day too.  This Trial will be going on for at least another month or two however my livelihood is wrapped up in the Grim Sleeper case.



The Grim Sleeper Trial and the Continuing Circus..

Monday April 18th

A number of cases were heard before the Grim Sleeper Trial began so there were many other lawyers in the room at 9am when I was already sitting in my seat.

Beth Silverman walked in, very loudly greeting everyone in the room (except me of course), spending a lot of time talking to the victims family members and 6 Witnesses whom she had brought in for the day.  I recognized a few of the 6 male Witnesses as a few of them had testified before.  They were all firearm experts with various law enforcement agencies.

At 10.01am, Lonnie Franklin was walked in wearing an orange jumpsuit and waist chained.  Overkill to the max I thought.  He's harmless to everyone in that Courtroom and less than 9 days ago he was wearing a dress shirt and slacks and sporting a studious pair of glasses, yet today (as the Jury wasn't present) he's back in his prison garb, waist chained and then chained to the chair.  If anyone should be waist chained and chained to a chair it should be Seymour Amster!

To be Continued...