On the day after Easter, emotions, for a change, took a holiday at the latest status hearing on the way to a trial for accused murderer Scott Alan Ansman.
After Mr. Ansman’s attorney once again this morning said that she would need still more time, Judge James Dabney, freshly returned from a week’s vacation, ordered the parties to return to his courtroom in 24 hours, the first time that has happened.
Both sides want the busy Judge Dabney to preside over the trial, and he feels the same. As the two attorneys privately huddled with him this morning, the judge reiterated an earlier statement: “I would like to be able to try this case.”
Now that the lawyers are meeting on a daily basis, it seems likely that a starting date for Mr. Ansman’s trial will be established soon.
But prosecutor Joe Markus, who, along with two judges, has been sparring with defense counsel Nan Whitfield in recent weeks, would not hazard a starting date.
As the trial date for National Guard veteran Mr. Ansman has neared this spring, Ms. Whitfield repeatedly has requested postponements on the grounds that the defense’s investigation has encountered unforeseen delays.
The latest defense detour seems to have been caused by the slow filing of findings by an expert who last week examined the hard drive on Mr. Ansman’s computer in the months leading up to the violent murder of his pregnant girlfriend, JoAnn Crystal Harris, on Aug. 24, 2007, at the National Guard Armory in Culver City.
Ms. Winfield further told the court she was awaiting separate findings that the sender assured her would take two weeks to deliver.
That news caused the eyebrows of Mr. Markus and Judge Dabney to elevate. But, unlike recent appearances, no harsh words were exchanged.
A week ago today, Judge Stephanie Sautner, standing in for Judge Dabney, directed Ms. Winfield to dispatch her witness list to Mr. Markus by the end of the day.
Seven days later, Mr. Markus said, evenly, he still had not seen it.
However, this factoid seemed to have been willingly overlooked on a day when other reasons for the postponements were deemed more pressing.
