An Insignificant Case
Chapter Fifty
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CHAPTER FIFTY
In a pretrial hearing, Charlie had told the court that the defense wanted to show the jury the entire flash drive that contained not only Annie’s murder but the rape of several other young women. The prosecution had asked Judge Steinbock to forbid the playing of any part of the flash drive. Judge Steinbock had ruled that the defense could show the jury Annie’s rape and murder, but no other part of the flash drive.
“Your Honor, I would like to show the jury defense exhibit one, the video in which Miss Chandler’s sister is raped and murdered,” Charlie said when the jury was seated the next morning.
“I’m going to permit it, and I’m going to clear the courtroom of any spectators who are not members of the press.”
When the courtroom was cleared, Judge Steinbock turned to the jury box. “During voir dire, the parties told you that you might be exposed to a video that showed an actual rape and murder. All of you said that you would be able to handle this type of graphic violence. I’ve seen this video. It is not easy to watch. So, be prepared for a very disturbing experience.”
No sound accompanied the video, but it was obvious that Annie Chandler was begging for her life. Alexis looked down at the counsel table while the movie ran. Charlie watched the jurors. They looked sick and upset. Two of the women and one man had tears in their eyes. All of the jurors looked at Alexis at some point during the viewing. Bridget had her arm around her client’s shoulders during the viewing.
“That’s over with,” Bridget whispered to Alexis when the video ended.
Alexis didn’t answer. Bridget handed her a glass of water. Alexis took several sips, but she didn’t sit up.
“Let’s take a short break,” Judge Steinbock told the jurors. “And please remember that you should not discuss any of the evidence, including what you just saw, until all of the evidence is in.”
“Call your first witness,” the judge said when the jurors returned.
“Miss Chandler calls Lawrence Weiss.”
Charlie had convinced Guido to dress in his suit and tie, and he looked very presentable when he took the witness stand.
“Can you state your name for the record?” Charlie asked and he held his breath in hopes that his witness would use his real name as he had promised.
“My name is Lawrence Weiss.”
Charlie exhaled.
“Mr. Weiss, Miss Chandler is accused of killing a man named Brent Atkins. Did you know him?”
“We had met.”
“How did you meet?”
“I enjoy playing poker. There was a game that was held in the back room of a store in Clackamas County. Mr. Atkins and his brother were two of the card players at my table.”
“Are you a very experienced poker player?”
“I believe I am.”
“What was the result when you played against Mr. Atkins?”
Guido smiled. “Mr. Atkins was a rank beginner, and he had a tell that I identified immediately.”
“Can you explain what a tell is to the jury?”
“Certainly,” Guido said as he turned to the jury. “Bad poker players develop unconscious actions that give away the strength of their hands. For example, a player might scratch his nose if he is bluffing or rub his fingers together if he has a good hand. These actions are called tells .”
“What happened when you played poker with Mr. Atkins and his brother?”
“I won a lot of their money.”
“Were the brothers good losers?”
“No. When I left the game, they followed me into the parking lot with the intent of robbing me.”
“Was Mr. Atkins armed?”
Guido nodded. “He had a handgun.”
“Tell the jury what happened in the parking lot.”
“Mr. Atkins proved to be as incompetent a robber as he was as a card player. He and his brother telegraphed their intentions, and I was able to get the drop on them before there was any violence.”
“You were armed?”
“Of course. It is not unusual to run into thugs and sore losers at these games.”
“Do you live in the country on a farm?”
“Yes.”
“Did you install a security system on your property because of threats you received?”
“Yes.”
“Did the security system detect Brent Atkins sneaking onto your property one evening with a weapon?”
“Yes.”
“What did you do?”
“I left my farm and drove to the coast to avoid a confrontation.”
“Thank you, Mr. Weiss. No further questions.”
Thomas Grant leaned back and stared at the witness. “You gave your name as Lawrence Weiss?”
“I did.”
“Do you also go by the name Guido Sabatini ?”
“Sì.”
“Do you believe that you are the reincarnation of a painter who lived during the Renaissance and studied with Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci?”
“Sì.”
“Do you talk to Mr. da Vinci and Michelangelo?”
Guido laughed. “I would like to, Mr. Prosecutor, but they have been dead for centuries.”
Laughter erupted in the spectator section, and even a few of the jurors chuckled, relieved to have something to laugh about after seeing the rape and murder of Annie Chandler.
“Point taken, Mr. Sabatini,” Grant said in an effort to recover. “Did you study with these two gentlemen?”
“ Sì , in another life.”
“So, you actually think you spoke with Michelangelo?”
“It was before I was reborn. Perhaps you learned your excellent skills as an orator at the feet of William Jennings Bryan or Clarence Darrow in another life before your spirit entered into your mother’s womb.”
“Let’s get back to the real world, shall we?”
“As you wish.”
“You claim that you saw Mr. Atkins on your security camera.”
“I did.”
“Did you see a weapon in his hand?”
“Yes.”
“Did you leave your farm right away, or did you arm yourself first?”
“I did secure a firearm.”
“What did you plan to do?”
“I planned to get the drop on him, disarm him, and send him on his way.”
“Did something happen to change your plans?”
“ Sì , I saw another intruder closing on Mr. Atkins.”
“Why didn’t you stay?”
“I have since learned that Miss Chandler was this person. When I saw her in the woods, she was quite intimidating, all dressed in black with a ski mask, like a ninja, and armed as well.” Guido shrugged. “You know what they say about discretion being the better part of valor. I decided it was time to go.”
“So, you saw the defendant sneaking up on Brent Atkins in the dark in the woods with a gun?”
“Yes.”
“No further questions.”
“I don’t have any,” Charlie said. “May Mr. Weiss be excused?”
“Yes. Who is your next witness?”
“Miss Chandler calls Paul Baylor.
“Mr. Baylor, did I ask you to examine the alleged crime scene in Leon Golden’s mansion?” Charlie asked as soon as the forensic expert told the jurors his academic and professional credentials.
“Yes.”
“Why did I ask you to do that?”
“Your client claimed that Mr. Golden had fired a gun at her. You wanted to know if the evidence at the scene would support her assertion.”
“What did you conclude?”
“I concluded that the evidence was consistent with her assertion.”
“Why did you reach that conclusion?”
“I observed a bullet hole in the wall next to the front door. A police report confirmed that a bullet had been extracted from the hole, and a ballistics expert at the Oregon State Crime Lab reported that the bullet had been fired from a weapon that was found next to Mr. Golden.
“I learned Mr. Golden’s height and the distance from the floor to his right shoulder. Mr. Golden is right-handed, and the handgun that was discovered at the scene was near his right hand. I also learned that a test had established the presence of a significant amount of gunshot residue—hundreds of characteristic particles—on Mr. Golden’s right hand and no particles on his left hand. So, I assumed that he would have fired the weapon with his right hand.
“Next, I fixed the trajectory that the bullet would have followed if Mr. Golden fired the gun while standing. I concluded that the bullet from Mr. Golden’s gun would have ended up in the vicinity where the bullet was found if he was aiming at someone standing in the front door and missed his mark.”
“Your witness, Mr. Grant.”
“Thank you, Mr. Webb. Mr. Baylor, you said that you concluded that the scenario at the crime scene was consistent with the defendant’s claim that Mr. Golden had fired a gun at her?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s assume that the defendant knocked Mr. Golden unconscious and determined where his right shoulder would be if he was standing. Then assume that she raised Mr. Golden to his feet, fitted the gun in his hand, used Mr. Golden’s finger to fire the gun from the appropriate height, and left the gun next to Mr. Golden’s unconscious body. Would you also say that the scene was consistent with this scenario?”
Baylor thought before answering, “I guess that scenario is possible, but unlikely.”
“But it is possible?” Grant asked.
Baylor shrugged. “Anything is possible.”
“No further questions.”
“Mr. Webb?” the judge asked.
“Nothing further. May the witness be excused?”
“You may step down, Mr. Baylor. Any more witnesses, Mr. Webb?”
Charlie leaned over to his client. “You’re on, Alexis. Bridget is going to handle the direct examination. Remember what we told you. Talk to the jurors as if they were friends who were at your house for dinner and wanted to know about your case. The people in the jury box are just ordinary people, and they want to hear what you have to say.
“When Grant cross-examines, don’t be combative, answer honestly, don’t be afraid to say you don’t know an answer or aren’t sure, if that’s the truth.”
“Okay,” Alexis said.
Bridget stood. “The defense calls Alexis Chandler.”
A murmur passed through the spectator section, and the jurors sat up and focused on the witness-box as Alexis took her seat.
“Please tell the jury your name,” Bridget said after Alexis was sworn.
Alexis turned to the jury box. “My name is Alexis Elin Chandler.”
“Where were you born?”
“Scranton, Pennsylvania.”
“Are your parents still alive?”
“No, they were both killed in a car crash.”
“Who remained in your family after your parents passed?”
“Just me and my sister, Annie.”
“Were you close?”
“Very close. We did a lot together when we were in the same town and talked a lot during the week when we lived in different places.”
“Did you go to high school in Scranton?”
“Yes.”
“Did you do well academically?”
“I graduated fourth in my class.”
“Were you involved in track?”
“Yes.”
“How did you do?”
“I was third in the state in cross-country, and I won the mile at the state championships in my senior year after placing in my sophomore and junior years.”
“Did your athletic and academic accomplishments earn you a scholarship to UCLA?”
“Yes.”
“Did something happen in your sophomore year that derailed your college career?”
“Yes.”
“Tell the jury what happened.”
“The team won the Pac-12 track championship, and I was in a tavern near the campus celebrating with my teammates. Some members of the football team were there, and they were drunk and obnoxious. One of them put his arm around me and tried to kiss me. I told him to stop, and so did the other women, but he would go away and come back.
“The last time, he grabbed my breast and squeezed so hard it hurt. I was holding a beer mug, and I was very angry. I smashed it in his face, and a piece of glass lodged in his eye. When he reeled back, I continued to attack him, and I injured him severely enough so he had to go to the hospital.
“The police arrested me, even though everyone said I was acting in self-defense. The player I injured was from a rich family, and they put a lot of pressure on the DA. My father served with distinction in the military. To make a long story short, I made a plea deal where the charges would be dropped if I went into the army.”
“Where did you serve?”
“I did tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
“In combat?”
“I was a sniper.”
“Can you tell the jurors about some of the action you saw?”
“I can’t, Miss Fournier. Most of what I did is classified. The army won’t let me talk about it.”
“It was in service to your country, the United States of America?”
“Yes.”
“Did you receive commendations and medals for the things you did?” Bridget asked.
“Yes.”
“Did you receive training on computers and other areas of technology?”
“Yes.”
“Specifically, did you learn how to place wiretaps and other surveillance technology in a building?”
“Yes.”
“Did you leave the army?”
“Yes.”
“What did you do after you left?”
“I went back to UCLA to finish my degree.”
“At some point, did you leave California and move to Oregon?”
“Yes.”
“Why did you do that?”
Alexis looked down and took a deep breath. When she looked back at the jury, she had still not regained her composure. “It was Annie.”
“What about her?”
“She was living in Portland, and I got this excited voicemail from her.”
“Is this the voicemail that the jury heard in which she told you that she’d met Gretchen Hall, who was taking her to the estate of Leon Golden to audition for a part in a film?”
“Yes.”
“I’d like to play the voicemail again,” Bridget said.
“No objection,” Thomas Grant said.
The bailiff played the voicemail.
“Was that the last time you heard from Annie?” Bridget asked.
“Yes.”
“What did you do?”
“I called her, but the messages went to voicemail. I didn’t know any of her friends.”
“Has Annie’s body been recovered?”
“No. I didn’t know what happened to her. Then I heard that Leon Golden and a woman named Gretchen Hall had been arrested for sex trafficking young women, and I flew to Portland.”
“When you came to Portland, did you use the name Elin Crane ?”
“Yes.”
“Why did you do that?”
“I wanted to find the people responsible for murdering Annie, and I didn’t want anyone making the connection if I used the name Chandler .”
“What did you do when you got there?”
“I found out where Leon Golden lived, and I broke into his house and installed listening devices.”
“Did you hear anything that helped you find out what had happened to Annie?”
“I learned that Golden, Gretchen Hall, and others were panicking because an artist named Guido Sabatini, whose real name is Lawrence Weiss, had taken a flash drive from a safe in Hall’s restaurant that contained crucial evidence that the DA could use to convict the people who were charged in the sex trafficking case and Annie’s murder.”
“Did they specifically mention your sister?”
“They never used her last name, but once, when talking about the murder, they used her first name. I also learned that Mr. Sabatini was willing to return the flash drive to Hall if she would hang a painting he’d sold her in the dining room of her restaurant. If that happened, the evidence would be lost.”
“What did you do next?”
“I decided to steal the flash drive from Mr. Sabatini. I put on dark clothing and went through the woods that surrounded his farm.”
“Did you encounter someone in the woods?”
“Yes. There was a man in front of me. I learned later that he was Brent Atkins. I assumed he was going to harm Mr. Sabatini because he was sneaking up on the farm.”
“What happened next?”
“I came up behind him.”
“What were you planning to do?”
“I wanted to protect Mr. Sabatini. If something happened to him, the flash drive might be lost.”
“Were you planning to kill Mr. Atkins?”
“No. I wanted to disable him so he couldn’t hurt Mr. Sabatini. Then I was hoping to persuade Mr. Sabatini to give me the flash drive so I could give it to the police.”
“What happened?”
“Mr. Atkins heard me and turned. He had a gun, and I shot him.”
“Why did you do that?”
“I thought he would shoot me.”
“So, you shot him in self-defense to save your own life?”
“Yes.”
“What did you do next?”
“I hurried to the farm to see if I could convince Mr. Sabatini to give me the flash drive, but he’d left. I learned later that he had a security system and had seen me and Mr. Atkins on his equipment.”
“Did you do anything else to find out what had happened to Annie?” Bridget asked.
“I called Gretchen Hall and told her that I had the flash drive and would sell it to her for fifty thousand dollars. I arranged to meet her at night in Tryon Creek state park.”
“Why did you do that?”
“I planned to force her to tell me what happened to Annie.”
“What happened in the park?”
“I found a place to lie up in the park way ahead of the meet so I could see if Hall would try and double-cross me.”
“You used the skills you’d developed as a sniper?”
“Yes.”
“Did Hall do something that alarmed you?”
“She sent Yuri Makarov to ambush me.”
“What did you do?”
“When I saw Hall walk into the park, I confronted Makarov. He tried to shoot me, but I was faster and shot him.”
“So, you shot Mr. Makarov in self-defense to save your own life?”
“Yes.”
“What happened next?”
“Miss Hall must have heard me, because she tried to shoot me.”
“How did you react?”
“I shot her in self-defense.”
“To save your own life?”
“Yes.”
“Did she bring fifty thousand dollars to the meet?”
“Yes, but I had no interest in her money. I just wanted to find out what happened to Annie, so I left the money.”
“At some point, did you learn what happened to Annie?”
“Yes. Mr. Sabatini agreed to turn over the flash drive to me and Judge Anthony Noonan. We were alone in Mr. Sabatini’s barn. Mr. Sabatini had seen what was on the drive, and he knew what the judge had done to my sister.” Alexis stopped.
“Do you want some water?” Bridget asked.
Alexis nodded.
“Would you like to take a break?” Judge Steinbock asked.
“No. I want to get this over with,” Alexis said in a voice that was barely audible.
“Do you feel you can tell the jury what happened in the barn?” Bridget asked when Alexis drank from a glass of water.
“Yes. Mr. Sabatini said that the video showed Judge Noonan raping and killing Annie. Noonan pulled out a gun, and Mr. Sabatini… he stabbed him in the eye with a paintbrush. He saved my life.”
“So, you learned that Annie had been murdered by Anthony Noonan, and Leon Golden was responsible for her being held as a sex slave?”
“Yes.”
“What did you do?”
“I went to Golden’s estate to force him to confess.”
“Not to kill him?”
“No. I wanted him to suffer in prison, and I needed him to tell the police the names of the other men who had abused the young women he held prisoner at his estate.”
“What happened at Golden’s mansion?”
“When I went into his house, he tried to shoot me, but he missed. I didn’t want to kill him, so I shot him in the knee.”
“What happened then?”
“I forced him to give a taped confession that I sent to the police.”
“What happened next?”
“The police arrived, and I ran out a side door into the woods. Detective Blaisedale followed me, and I disarmed her and used her to get a car so I could escape.”
“Alexis, you’re charged with the murder of Gretchen Hall and Yuri Makarov. Did you plan on killing them?”
“No. I’m not sad that they’re dead. They were horrible, evil people who… They were responsible for killing my Annie. But I shot them in self-defense.”
“What about Brent Atkins?”
“I feel terrible about that. He had nothing to do with Annie’s murder. But I was trying to protect Mr. Sabatini, and I defended myself when he tried to shoot me.”
“What about the charge that you assaulted Mr. Golden?”
“He tried to kill me when I walked in his front door. I was lucky he missed and I didn’t shoot to kill. I just wanted to disable him so he couldn’t shoot at me anymore. I needed him alive to get him to confess to the horrible things he’d done.”
“Thank you, Alexis. We have no further questions,” Bridget said.
“I think this would be a good time to take a break,” Judge Steinbock said.
“You were great,” Charlie said when Alexis was seated beside him and the jury and judge had left the courtroom.
“I don’t feel great. That was very hard.”
“It might get harder. Grant questions you next.”
Alexis looked at Charlie. “I told the truth, Charlie. Don’t they say the truth will set you free?”
The guards took Alexis away so she could use the restroom.
“What do you think?” Charlie asked Bridget.
“I don’t believe a word she said about shooting Hall, Makarov, Golden, and Atkins, but I was watching the jurors, and I think she created a lot of sympathy and, just maybe, a reasonable doubt.”
“I’m sorry that you lost your sister under such horrible circumstances,” Thomas Grant told Alexis at the start of his cross-examination.
“Thank you.”
“Do you agree that losing a loved one under those circumstances can make a person do things they normally wouldn’t do?”
“Yes.”
“You seem like a well-educated woman. Can I assume you know that it is against the law for anyone, no matter how badly they have suffered at the hands of a criminal, to take the law into their own hands?”
“Yes.”
“You know by now that my office has sent the man who killed Annie to prison for life and that Mr. Golden is also in the Oregon State Penitentiary along with other people who participated in Mr. Golden’s sex ring.”
“Yes.”
“Do you understand that the people of Oregon did that by using the courts and our criminal justice system, and not by resorting to vigilante justice?”
“Yes.”
“Miss Chandler, do you think of yourself as someone who is basically honest?”
“Yes.”
“When you arrived in Portland, were you honest when you told people your name?”
“I used a false name to disguise my connection to Annie.”
“You did more than that. Didn’t you insinuate yourself into Charles Webb’s law practice by pretending to be someone named Elin Crane?”
“Mr. Webb was representing Guido Sabatini, and I wanted to get close to him so I could convince him to give me or the authorities the flash drive.”
“Can I assume that someone with your military background has elite skills with weapons?”
“I don’t understand the question.”
“Are you an expert markswoman?”
“Yes.”
“Skilled enough to disable Leon Golden when you had a choice to shoot him in the knee instead of killing him?”
“I did that.”
“From your testimony, I take it that you wanted Gretchen Hall to tell you what happened to your sister.”
“Yes.”
“Could someone with your level of skill have disabled Miss Hall, the way you disabled Mr. Golden, instead of killing her?”
“That was not an option in the park. It was dark, she had her gun pointed at me, and I didn’t have time to think.”
“You testified that you confronted Mr. Makarov.”
“Yes.”
“So, you had the drop on him. You surprised him.”
“Yes.”
“But you chose to kill him and not incapacitate him.”
“When I told him to lower his weapon, he brought it up very fast. I had no choice.”
“Did the army train you in hand-to-hand combat?”
“Yes.”
“Are you skilled in that area?”
“I am.”
“Are you telling this jury that, with all your highly skilled combat training, you couldn’t take Brent Atkins from behind?”
“I was planning to, but he heard me and turned with his gun pointed at me before I could get close enough.”
“Let’s talk about Guido Sabatini, Miss Chandler. You told the jury that you wanted to get close to him so you could convince him to turn over the flash drive to you or the authorities.”
“Yes.”
“Didn’t you take some drastic steps to obtain this result?”
“I don’t understand the question.”
“Didn’t you frame Mr. Sabatini for Gretchen Hall’s murder by draping one of his paintings over her body and planting the gun you used to shoot her in his farmhouse?”
“Yes. I believed that he would turn over the drive if he was arrested for murder.”
“There was another possibility, wasn’t there?”
“I don’t understand your question.”
“Wasn’t Mr. Sabatini tried for a murder that you committed?”
“It wasn’t murder. I acted in self-defense.”
“That’s what you claim, but you made it look as if Mr. Sabatini had murdered Miss Hall in cold blood, a crime that could have sent an innocent person to death row.”
“I never intended that to happen.”
“But it almost did, because you were willing to do anything, without regard for the law, to avenge your sister. I have no further questions.”