They never found the body... but the forensic evidence and
the suspect's statements led the LAPD to believe that he had shot his brother
and disposed of the body.
The cadaver dogs had positively reacted to the backyard...
There were purchases made from Home Depot for all sorts of tools, including a
shovel, an axe, 30 pounds of briquets, and a hammer.
The bottom lining of the living room couch was missing,
there were human hair stuck in the nails at the bottom.
We stood in court, face to face, the prosecutor and I... she
had charged my client with 1st degree murder, seeking a life sentence. The
detectives standing behind her, holding the 2 volume murder book, spanning the
1.5 year murder investigation, looked at me with a poker face, trying to gauge
my ability and fortitude...
....
In the process of defending the case, and defending my
client's life, in the process of finding justice between a Murder and a
Manslaughter, in the process of matching the facts and deleting the
suppositions, the prosecutor and i tested each other's mettle. I took her to
task. I challenged her theories, her suppositions, and she returned the favor.
.....
A few short years have passed since then. And Madame
prosecutor, who took me to task, and whom i fought hard and long in that battle
is now a Judge. I walked into her Court today... She saw me, she lit up, and
she smiled. Her eyes sparkled. She got off the bench, hugged me and i hugged
her back.
I am reminded of Abraham Lincoln's quote: Am I not
destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?"
Someday, before i am old and grey, before i have lost my
wits to senility, i will write about this one case that cored my soul, hollowed
me of breath, and hallowed my practice. But until that day comes, ... i am the
luckiest girl who practices what she loves and her passion for her work has
translated into a tale of 1001 stories that would put Sheherzad to shame.
On a glorious morning, ...
CDAK.
1/27/2014
Los Angeles
Lecturer, Radio Host, Citizen Journalist, Blogger