Summary From June 1st

Blogger Trapellar has sent us a summary and impressions of the first day at the william ayres trial:

8:12 am:
Weinberg arrives in the courthouse alone, with a rolling suitcase. Deeply, scarily tanned. Either he was out sailing or under a sun lamp. As he scanned the board to find his courtroom, he cocked his head and started talking to himself. He did not look peacocky as in the old days but rather humbled. I would say it was the Spector loss that has taken him down a peg or two.

8:20 am:
Ayres and Solveig are spotted approaching the courthouse. Ayres with his walker and Solveig with giant Jackie O shades to shield herself from the TV cameras. Ayres was as fat as ever but pale and waxen. Solveig had on a peacock blue blazer and top and white pants and white shoes. She seems to have lost weight. She was in full makeup - mascara, bright red lipstick, hoop earrings. She was quite tanned and looked the picture of health. Is it possible she is looking forward to getting rid of her husband? The life has drained out of him and she seemed to be coming to life.

8:30 am:
When the hearing starts, Ayres sits in the hall outside the courtroom like a shadow of his old self, with his walker in front of him. He looks glum and defeated. They wait out there for several minutes before gracing the courtroom with their presence.

There are also two prisoners in orange jumpsuits who have hearings in the same courtroom. One is a scary jaundiced yellow; one can't help think back to when Ayres was in an orange jumpsuit two years ago.

McKowan and Weinberg for the first hour frequently walk out of the courtroom to discuss matters.

Solveig and Ayres sit in the back row by the door. Solvieg has a sad smile on her face. Ayres looks pale and glum. He rests his two fingers on his cheek or taps his fingers impatiently on his walker or smooths his mustache with his waxen fingers.

Gone is the laughing, smiling, goofy charmer who helped women off with their coats in December, Solveig surreptitiously checks her watch by 10:00 am. I can't tell if they're bored, stressed or that perhaps Ayres is being medicated.

10:05 am:
Judge James Ellis, a no nonsense guy with an orangish crew cut announces that the new judge will be Beth Freeman.

Ayres grabs on to the wall with one hand, stands up, and grips the walker.

10:35 am:
The onlookers and lawyers move down the hall to Judge Freeman's courtroom. Freeman has a lovely demeanor, with black hair that sticks out a bit like Roseanne Roseanndana's. (Gilda Radner of Saturday Night Live fame.)

She announces that it will be a jury of 12, with 4 alternates.

Judge Freeman is ok with Weinberg filing a 977 waiver so that Ayres won't have to be in the courtroom for the rest of the week. Funny when one thinks that Ayres loved testifying in court cases for all those juveniles. He's certainly not being a man about it.

Weinberg has filed 6 motions and McKowan said she will have read them all by tomorrow.

10:45 am:
The hearing is over and Ayres and the wife slowly file out.

Melissa talks to the parents in the hall. She told the parents that the Voir Dire questionnaire was prepared by Weinberg and that she has reviewed it and Ok'd it. She said that 120 people prospective jurors would be screened. It should take three weeks to select the jury.

Sounds to me that Weinberg pulled a trick out of the Spector book - In that trial, Spector had some minor surgery done on his throat right at a very key point in the case - when the defense witnesses were caught lying and losing their tempers on the witness stand: On Friday the DA was notified that Ayres was having a minor operation on a small tear on his aorta.

Ayres was such a bully to victims and now he can't face the music.. Many people have tears on their aortas and can live with it. From his waxen and gloomy demeanor, it is clear he is not looking forward to hearing witnesses testify.

It may be possible that Solveig is relieved that her husband may not be on her husband's hands much longer.