Uncharged Conduct II

Half the Story

In the clerk’s office this week was thirty pages of Defense Joint Response to Government Notice of Uncharged Conduct II and Some Other Stuff.  Nowhere to be found was the government’s notice that this filing responds to, so this doc will have to serve as a study guide.

Who's the mystery long shot pick in the Derby?

In the government’s first uncharged notice from March, AUSA Glenn Kirschner blasted the defendants with the long list of S&M toys gear, “evidence of dominance and degradation, enslavement and electro-torture… evidence of incapacitation” and plenty on defendant Joe Price’s brother, Michael.

Much of that, as they say, has been winnowed.  It now appears the government intends to introduce three categories of “purported” evidence:

Evidence Concerning Access to Restraints

Evidence of the Late Reporting [of the burglary] as Proof of Conspiracy

Evidence of the Nature of the Defendants’ Unique Relationship as Proof of the Conspiracy.

Dylan Ward counsel David Schertler unloads on Kirschner and tweaks his deputy, T. Patrick Martin as well, using the grand jury transcripts of his questioning of Ward and fellow defendant Victor Zaborsky.

Schertler mocks the “Government’s constantly evolving theories” of incapacitation, like the  undetectable paralytic agent succinylcholine, and then of course xylene.   Physical restraints?  No go, says Schertler:

“The erotic toys were not found on or near Mr. Wone.”

“There is no evidence that they were used on him (and the Government has undertaken no effort to test or otherwise prove that any one of the erotic toys was used on Mr. Wone…” and

“The erotic toys are no way relevant to the Defendants’ intentions.”

Brushing back Kirschner’s charges of reporting the burglary late, Schertler quotes  Martin’s grand jury questioning from August 2007.  That does not appear to be a typo; the burglary grand jury sat 9 months after the robbery and a year after Robert’s murder.  Justice delayed much?

MR. MARTIN:   On October 30th was it reported your home was burglarized?

MR. ZABORSKY:  It was not reported in the 3oth and we wanted to talk to counsel.  We wanted advice of counsel.  And so that is the reason that we didn’t pursue this on that night.

– later –

MR. MARTIN:   Joe [Price] was against reporting it [the burglary]  Or is that not a fair assessment?

MR. WARD:   I would way that’s not a fair statement.  I think it was an ongoing discussion that wasn’t solved on Monday, by the time we went to bed.

MR. MARTIN:   Why didn’t you report it in between the time of making a determination on the 31st that you should report it, and November 2nd when it was reported.

MR. WARD:   On the — I was waiting for my counsel.

On page 21 of the filing, Schertler details Michael Price’s March 20, 2007 email apologizing for the burglary and the threesome’s alleged failure to report that as withholding material evidence.  By August 2007, the question was moot as Phelps Collins confessed six months earlier.  Again, Martin’s questioning of Zaborsky is excerpted:

MR. MARTIN:   Let me ask you one more question about grand jury Exhibit 1 [ the email].  Is it, why didn’t you give this to the police when you first got it?

MR. ZABORSKY:   I – to be honest with you, I never even thought of it as being relevant.  I mean… the police very quickly determined that Michael was involved, and… it wasn’t like that was an admission that would… help the case.  And honestly, I literally read that and I didn’t delete it but I just put it in a folder and never read it again.

It’s a decent read if you skip the boring precedent stuff.  A better read may be one waiting for us in the clerk’s office.  You’ll never guess whose testimony the defense wants spiked next.  W-1, W-2, and a whole mess of other W’s:

Defendants’ Joint Motion in Limine to Exclude Opinion and Speculation Testimony of EMS Technicians and Police Offivers [sic]

[Clocker’s Corner]:  Another Derby Day comes around, and wmrw.com hunch players are looking at one particular runner this afternoon.  Stately Victor, the surprise winner of Keeneland’s Blue Grass Stakes goes to the post again today as a long shot, now at 16-1.  Good luck players.

-posted by Craig

0 0 votes
Article Rating
3 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Clio
Clio
13 years ago

I love that the “burglary” is finally being connected in court to the ongoing conspiracy. Bravo, Glenn!

BTW, Editors, the 7th Annual Commonwealth Dinner for Equality Virginia was held at the Richmond Marriott last night. I did not see the trouple there: if you may recall, Joe Ray and Dyl helped to launch this fundraiser in 2004. Arent Fox, needless to say, was not a sponsor of the event; Mr. Price’s old firm had been a sponsor in 2006. As the main speaker, Mr. Andrew Sullivan, formerly of the New Republic, waxed eloquently about gay rights being civil rights. Miss Anderson Cooper, perhaps with Lisa in tow, probably went to the higher-profile White House Correspondents’ dinner instead.

The food at this installment was much better than when Dyl ran the show: after hearing about the burned steaks, cheap wine, and tap water, well, now we know why! Also, the bloviating from stage (of speakers other than the main one) was kept to a minimum; this was probably in reaction to Culuket’s hogging the spotlight in 2005. Joe, we hardly knew or missed ya!

It is the social season, and I love wearing my Edwardian hats to these balls and races: I gonna party like it is 1910! Indeed, Mr. Jerry Clark, Phelps Collins’ former patron, is listed as a host for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force’s Recognition Evening in Washington at the Long View Gallery on May 11. I have yet another event to go to that evening, but perhaps the new intern (dressed for high tea) may want to ask Mr. Clark a few background questions.

MotherOfInvention
MotherOfInvention
13 years ago
Reply to  Clio

Clio, Your scintillating wit never disappoints. I am very glad there is at least one true goddess watching over these proceedings (no offense to any other goddesses whom I have not yet recognized)!

Clio
Clio
13 years ago

Thanks, Mother. There was another goddess commenting on this weblog — Themis, but her unfortunate reference to Aristotle set off the Greek Chorus here last fall, and she fled back to Olympus with her hand-me-down laptop. She occasionally comes back, however, and we’ll probably hear more from her as the trial commences. Fingers crossed!

One diety whom I hope stays away: Bacchus. He has done enough harm by fueling the hedonistic fantasies of Culuket. Nancy Reagan was right about (only) one thing: Just say no to drugs (and drink)!