The Trial: Day One Part Two

My journal from 1993 continues. I italicize from time to time to keep things clear or smooth out choppy ideas. I wrote most of the entries the day they happened, trying to get down every detail from the proceedings.

Back in synch now...

Now the DA talks about the circumstances of the night of July 27, '89. A fellow named (Rodney) Stokes, in a red Blazer, is traveling westbound on 580 near the Harrison Street exit. A white RX7 pulls up close to him and Stokes sees a gun held in somebody's hand extending from the car. He tries to outrun the RX7 unsuccessfully, then he slams on the brakes just as a shot is fired into the Blazer's lower-right windshield. The driver (extends his arm from the car) turns and pumps two more shots into the grill of the truck, then speeds away. Stokes recovers, unhurt, and follows the RX7 with his lights off. He sees the RX7 approaching a white Honda Prelude in the same manner he was approached. He begins flashing his lights and honking his horn to distract the (shooter) driver or warn the other motorist, but three shots are fired into the Prelude, one of which passes through the skull of the driver, killing him.

The car crashes into the center divider then caroms across the freeway, crashing into the bridge support of the 35th Street overpass. The RX7 has exited at 35th, crossed over the freeway, then down the entrance ramp on the other side to the halfway point, where a man gets out to view the damage. Stokes stops at the accident scene, seeing that he can't help the driver and noticing the suspect watching the action from the other side of the freeway. He gets into the truck and drives down the High Street exit to Walgreen's, where he calls 911. He then drives the opposite way up the freeway (off ramp) back to the Prelude. He sees people gathering at the car, sees people on the overpass, sees the suspect's car still on the ramp with a police car parked right behind it!

A watch commander, out on routine patrol on 35th Ave has gotten the call from dispatch about the shooting. As he turns down the ramp to get on the freeway to double back, he sees Stevens sitting in the RX7, watching the action. The officer gets out of the car with gun drawn and orders Stevens to get out of the car with his hands up. Stevens does this, turns around once completely, then begins slowly stepping backwards. The cop yells at him to stand still and Stevens makes a break for it, trying to hoist himself over a concrete retaining wall. The officer (Smith?) pulls him down, is struck by Stevens, and the officer hears the sound of a gun clattering to the ground. He manhandles Stevens to the ground away from the gun and cuffs him just as Stokes comes running up, shouting that Stevens "..is the guy the guy who shot at me and the other guy!"

Ballistics ties the weapon to the other killings and shootings by the tool marks (on the brass) and the hexagonal striations common to the Desert Eagle. Clark admits, according to the DA, to killing Noyers with the Desert Eagle. The DA wants us to convict Stevens of special circumstances, lying in wait for his victims, a consideration that would bring the death penalty.

Both defense counsel declined opening statements, deferring until their defense arguments began.

With that, the first witness for the prosecution took the stand. His name was Matthews, and he witnessed the incident between Stokes and the RX7 from about 30-40 yards away. He testified that he saw flashes of light and heard reports as if the car was backfiring. He said that it never entered his mind that he might be witnessing a shooting. The RX7 had moved close to the Blazer, and after the flashes the two vehicles swerved around each other, with the RX7 accelerating quickly away. The Blazer pulled over, turned off its lights, then sped after the RX7. Mr. Matthews lost sight of both of them, then came upon the Prelude crashed on the side of the road, with the Blazer stopped and (Stokes) trying to render aid. Matthews drove to a gas station, where the phone did not work. He went back to Walgreen's where Stokes was already on the phone. Matthews went home, calling the Homicide Department later, after hearing about the shooting.

The defense attorney for Stevens seemed to try to cloud the testimony somewhat by asking if Matthews could see how many people were in the RX7 or the Blazer, or whether he had seen the gun or identified the shooter. Matthews said that he could not make out details like that in the dark. The DA clarified things by asking the witness if he could see the actual bullets fired. The witness was excused. That pretty much took up the day.

The DA really put a hell of a lot in front of us. The thing I need to do most is maintain objectivity in the face of all this damning evidence before it is presented as actual fact. (What the hell did I mean by that?) It's snake-man's job to do just that, just as the two or three doughboys at the other end of the table will try to make me see it a completely different way. Well, one day down and (?) to go.

From my courtroom notes on that day:

"Note:
I wish the DA would get his names straight. He constantly confused street names and victim names. This doesn't help us keep track."



To Be Continued...