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 about their roles in intercepting Juror No. 12, Alvin Dymally, as he tried to meet with Jon's sister, Sanjana, in an L.A. Starbucks last January.

Dymally became a possible subject of investigation when he

contacted Sanjana during and after the trial. The defense team had

Jon's sister wired to secretly record her conversation with Dymally to

learn what he had on his mind, but never got the chance, once the

D.A.'s people scared off the maverick juror.

The defense is seeking a new trial of Jon without the participation of

anyone from the L.A. District Attorney's office, which Jon's lawyers

claim is tainted because of the misconduct they allege prosecutors and

investigators engaged by stopping Dymally before he could enter the

Starbucks. Following his flustered encounter with the D.A. officers, he

left the scene without speaking to Sanjana Jon.

Under

Richards' questioning, this morning's session was an excruciating, step

by step examination of the roles Parker and Valdivia played in the

interception. Things should perk up this afternoon when the defense

will question higher ups in the D.A.'s office and Judge David Wesley

delves into a flyer containing salacious photos of Jon's female

accusers — along with their names and ages — that has allegedly been

distributed by Sanjana Jon. It reportedly bears the edifying title,

“Prostitutes for the Prosecution Against Anand Jon.”

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