David Wesley

San Yun King's killer, one-man crime machine Larry Stewart, escapes California's Death Row thanks to a single juror holdout, D.A. decides

Stewart won't get the tour​Larry Stewart, the vicious crime machine who murdered the quiet, innocent, liquor store owner Sang Yun "Sam" Kim, severely beating and choking the South Los Angeles shopkeeper with his own belt -- then chemically burning him with bleach -- has escaped Death Row. Ste ... More >>

Coroner: Los Feliz Teen Lily Burk Died from Fatal Wound to Neck

A Los Angeles County Coroner testified today in the brutal murder of Lily Burk, the 17-year-old Los Feliz teen who was allegedly kidnapped and killed by a parolee. Dr. Jeffrey P. Gutstadt testified at a preliminary hearing that the Oakwood School student had injuries from head to toe, including a ... More >>

Sanjana Alexander's Contempt Fine: $1,000 Plus 120 Hours Service

This morning Sanjana Alexander was scheduled to receive punishment from Judge David Wesley as part of the contempt of court citations he'd previously issued to her and Alvin Dymally. She had to wait, however, while Wesley conducted a pretrial hearing involving the two alleged animal right militants ... More >>

Anand Jon Trial Juror Punished

Alvin Dymally, the juror whose rogue conduct both before and after the Anand Jon trial seemingly threatened to upend Jon's November, 2008 conviction, has received his contempt of court punishment. L.A. Superior Court Judge David Wesley, who had presided over the fashion designer's sexual assault tri ... More >>

Anand Jon Trial: A Postscript

Hina/WikipediaAnand Jon: The Long Goodbye?​In the end, nothing came as a surprise. Yesterday, well past the court's normal 4 p.m. closing time and following an all-day hearing, Judge David Wesley tersely rejected fashion designer Anand Jon Alexander's motion for a new trial. Wesley then sentenced ... More >>

Anand Jon Makes Last Stand

"Excuse me, can you please move down and make room?" the young woman asked her neighbors in the packed courtroom. "We have a very famous lawyer here." By that she meant Gloria Allred, who had just arrived at 9 a.m., the time scheduled for Superior Court Judge David Wesley to either sentence celebrit ... More >>

Anand Jon Hearing Continues

Judge David Wesley recessed Anand Jon's new-trial hearing for lunch a little while ago. Jon used almost all of the morning session to passionately attack rogue juror Alvin Dymally, who had reached out to Jon's sister, Sanjana, in an apparent attempt to woo her or to offer his assistance in influenc ... More >>

Anand Jon Sentence: 59 Years to Life

After hearing fashion designer Anand Jon Alexander argue before his court for an entire day for a new trial, Judge David Wesley declared there were no new grounds for granting such a motion. Then, following emotional victim statements delivered by three of the women the designer was convicted last N ... More >>

Anand Jon Tries to Fire Lawyers; Sister Plans Protest

Update: Judge David Wesley has granted a defense motion for a Monday hearing to permit Anand Jon to dismiss his attorneys and represent himself. Wesley indicated that he will allow Jon's request to act as his own attorney. See motion here: 582106569 (2).pdfAnand Jon, the Indian-born fashion designer ... More >>

Anand Jon Judge: No New Trial

After hearing both sides forcefully argue their cases for or against granting fashion designer Anand Jon a new trial this morning, Superior Court Judge David Wesley delivered his decision at 12:15 p.m.: The motion for a new trial is denied. Further, he has just cited Sanjana Jon Alexander and juror ... More >>

Tense Moments in Today's Anand Jon Courtroom

For 100 intense minutes this morning the defense and prosecutors involved in the Anand Jon trial argued to persuade Judge David Wesley on the motion to set aside Jon's first trial and order a new one. The defense motion has kept the fashion designer, who was convicted of 16 sex-related charges last ... More >>

D.A.'s Office: New Anand Jon Trial a 'Grave Mistake'

L.A. Daily has obtained a copy of the prosecution motion to be filed Monday, July 6, arguing against the granting of a new trial for fashion designer Anand Jon. The motion dismisses defense attorneys' claims that the spurned affections of one juror by Jon's sister, Sanjana, could have resulted in th ... More >>

Anand Jon: The Trial After the Trial

It's going to be July 6 now before the Anand Jon case lurches into its next hearing. I say Anand Jon"case" because the actual trial ended November 13, with the celebrity fashion designer's conviction on 15 counts of sexual assault and on one rape charge. By now any reader who's even accidentally stu ... More >>

New Trial Hearing for Anand Jon Under Way

Today was the day convicted fashion designer Anand Jon Alexander's defense presented to Judge David Wesley its case for a new trial. There is much at stake: The original proceedings resulted in Anand Jon, as the designer is known professionally, being convicted of 15 sexual assault charges and one ... More >>

Endgame: Anand Jon's Lawyers Fight for New Trial

One never knows what to expect when entering the madhouse that is the Anand Jon courtroom - known more formally in Superior Court directories as Department 102. Jon, the Indian-born fashion designer, was convicted of 15 counts of sexual assault and one rape charge last November. He was to be senten ... More >>

Judge Denies Anand Jon Recusal Bid, Sets New Trial Hearing

This morning Judge David Wesley heard arguments from Anand Jon defense lawyer Leonard Levine as to why the entire District Attorney's office should be recused from prosecuting a new trial that the fashion designer's attorneys are seeking -- as well as from investigating why a juror in Jon's trial ha ... More >>

Anand Jon's Post-Verdict Twilight Zone

The court afterlife of the Anand Jon trial -- a post-verdict twilight filled with sentencing hearings and new trial motions -- has now stretched out longer than the trial itself. That proceeding ran a mere two months before the Beverly Hills fashion designer was convicted of one count of rape and 15 ... More >>

Anand Jon Hearing Crawls Along

Today's hearing into possible prosecutorial misconduct that occured in the months following Anand Jon's conviction on multiple counts of sexual assault crawled along this morning. Defense lawyer Ronald Richards didn't so much grill as sauté D.A. investigators Chandera Parker and Ronald Valdivia abo ... More >>

Star-crossed at Starbucks: Strange Twist at Anand Jon Sentencing

Now: Anand Jon Sentencing Hearing

Today is the morning fashion designer Anand Jon Alexander (known professionally as Anand Jon) is to be sentenced for the multiple sexual assault charges for which he was convicted last November. All the lawyers have arrived now in Dept. 102. Defense attorneys Lenny Levine and Donald Marks have just ... More >>

Anand Jon Sentencing Hearing Starts

Criminal Courts Building, Department 102, 9:16 a.m.Judge David Wesley has taken the bench. Everyone seems to be here except Anand Jon. Jon's sister, Sanjana, is wearing  a long, scarf-like wrap that is pale-green -- will her brother be wearing a green tie? During the trial his ties matched her ... More >>

Juror Furor: Anand Jon Case Takes Troubling Twist

Call it the extension of March Madness by other means. Those of us reporting on the post-trial hearings of the Anand Jon case have known for more than a month that today would be the date of a hearing regarding explosive charges that the District Attorney's office had thwarted a January 7 meeting be ... More >>

Full Court Press: Dominick Dunne's Cameo at Phil Spector Retrial; Anand Jon's Explosive Evidence of Juror Shenanigans

Anand Jon Trial Shock: Rogue Juror Throws Verdict Monkey Wrench

Today lawyers for fashion designer Anand Jon sought to overturn his sexual assault verdicts and win a new trial, citing a bizarre incident that occurred during the trial that ended in his conviction last November. Although the defense attorneys' motions are under seal, they refer to an event in whic ... More >>

New Questions Raised About Anand Jon Trial

For more than a month now there's been courthouse buzz about a development brewing in the completed trial of fashion designer Anand Jon Alexander, who was convicted last November of 15 counts of sexual abuse and one count of rape. The word was that lawyers for Anand Jon, as he is known professionall ... More >>

Anand Jon Sentencing Postponed

Department 102 began filling with D.A. and media types before 9 a.m. today, in anticipation of Judge David Wesley handing down sentence to fashion designer Anand Jon Alexander. Anand Jon, as he is known professionally, was convicted in November of 16 counts of sexual assault against seven young and ... More >>

Sex, Lie Detectors and Videotape: Anand Jon Takes Polygraph Test AFTER Conviction -- Supporters Ask Rape Victim to Do Same

As we reported here two weeks ago, L.A. fashion designer Anand Jon Alexander, who was convicted November 13 of 16 charges of sexual assault upon young women and girls, including one count of rape, passed a polygraph test during a session in which he was asked two questions. Those queries, which wer ... More >>

Bulletin: Anand Jon Verdicts to Be Read 11:30 A.M.

A very confusing morning. It began with the anticipation that partial verdicts in the case of fashion designer Anand Jon Alexander would be read at 3 p.m. Then the reading was called off and now, moments ago, it was announced that verdicts on all counts will be read by Judge David Wesley at 11:30 a. ... More >>

Anand Jon Trial Alert: Partial Verdicts Reached

At 2:40 p.m. this afternoon the district attorney’s office issued the following statement: “The jury has announced that they have reached partial verdicts in the Anand Jon Alexander case. Judge Wesley told jurors to keep deliberating and that he will read the verdicts at 3 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1 ... More >>

Anand Jon Jury Shock

By now the Anand Jon trial’s jurors know the quickest way to Department 102 on the ninth floor is to take the express elevators up from the lobby to the 12th floor and then catch a car down to the ninth. Today the foreman of the fashion designer’s jury did just that, along with another juror and ... More >>

Seduction or Rape?

Day 2 of Anand Jon Trial's Closing Arguments Prosecutor Mara McIlvain delivered the D.A.’s closing argument Wednesday, followed by the first of three Anand Jon lawyers with the defense’s side, presented by Donald Marks. Marks had only begun his comments when court adjourned yesterday, and picke ... More >>

Anand Jon's Defense Rests

Well, no one at Google got arrested Tuesday -- although 1,500 folks at Yahoo were laid off. Judge David Wesley was ready to issue an arrest warrant for Google’s custodian of records, since the search-engine giant hadn’t responded to defense requests to cough up email records related to Amanda C, ... More >>

Anand Jon Trial: Searching Google for an Arrest

Anand Jon defense attorney Eric Chase vented his frustration in court this morning over lack of cooperation from Google. Since October 10, he claimed, he’d been asking the Santa Monica office of the search-engine giant to authenticate emails sent to Jon by Amanda C, who has accused his client of s ... More >>

Anand Jon's Defense Begins - Sort Of

The prosecution rested its case in chief today against fashion designer Anand Jon, who is charged with multiple sexual assaults against nine girls and young women between 2001 and 2007. The end came not with a bang but with the whimper of DNA testimony, provided by Sheriff’s Department senior crim ... More >>

The Strange and Disturbing Trial of Anand Jon

What we talk about when we talk about rape

Witness Intimidation?

The sexual assault trial of fashion designer Anand Jon turned uglier today amid disclosures that the sister of prosecution background witness “Kristin S” was contacted over the weekend in North Carolina by an anonymous caller who told the sister that Kristin was missing, and who then asked the w ... More >>

Fashion Victim: Anand Jon

Will celebrity designer be in stripes for the rest of his life?

Anand Jon Rape Trial Nears

A semen-stained comforter, a tampon and a camera. These were some of the items listed on a Beverly Hills P.D. search warrant when officers raided fashion designer Anand Jon's pad in March, 2007. Later that year Jon was charged with a list of offenses more often associated with spring break at Lake H ... More >>

Sweating It Out in Summer Courtrooms

Peddle this: Some trying moments

Earthquake: Courthouse Rock

“God has spoken!” Timothy McGhee jokingly quipped to a downtown Superior Court room when the earthquake struck at 11:40 a.m. today. McGhee, the convicted triple murderer and Atwater Village street-gang leader, was testifying on the witness stand about his role in a 2005 jail riot when his attorn ... More >>

The Steve and Bob Show

Ex-D.A. Philibosian has a good friend in Cooley

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