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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