Chapter 36
A Low Blow
When my alarm went off on Monday morning, I had trouble waking up. I'd been up late going over witness outlines and working on my closing argument. It was going to be a pivotal day in the trial and I was scared it wouldn't go well. After Thornton was done cross-examining Laura Bell, I was putting Julie Iverson on the stand and I knew Thornton would be ready to rip her apart. I wondered how she would hold up against a ruthless prosecutor like Will Thornton. If she didn't convince the jury that Jim was with her when Luther was killed, Jim would likely be convicted. I lingered in the shower a little too long, so Bart came looking for me. "You're going to be late for court."
"I know," I said and turned off the water.
"You want some breakfast?"
"No thanks. I don't have time."
After I'd dressed and put on my makeup I looked at my watch and said. "Sorry, I'm not going to have time to eat."
Bart shrugged. "Okay. Let's go."
Jim Cochran was sitting at the defense table when I walked in at 8:58 a.m. He exhaled when she saw me. "Cutting it close aren't you?"
"I'm sorry. I overslept."
Cochran shook his head. The court reporter came in the room and the bailiff stood. "All rise!" The judge came in and quickly took his seat. He shuffled a few papers and then looked at the bailiff.
"Bring in the jury."
After the jury was seated, the judge told the bailiff to put Laura Bell back on the stand. When she had taken her seat Thornton began crossing examining her. Although he tried hard, he was unable to soften the impact of her testimony that she had given Margie Mason $20,000. Finally he gave up. I didn't bother to take her on redirect.
"Ms. Waters. Call your next witness," the Judge said.
"Yes, Your Honor. The defense calls Julie Iverson."
All eyes immediately focused on Julie as she strolled down the aisle toward the witness stand. She was elegantly dressed in a black knit dress, silver earrings with matching bracelets, and a big diamond ring. After she was seated, the judge administered the oath, and I got up to take her on direct examination. I couldn't help but feel sorry for Wanda who was sitting in the first row, as I knew this line of questioning was going to be painful for her.
"Miss Iverson. Will you tell us where you are employed?"
"Yes, I'm a dancer at the Sunset Strip."
"I would like to direct your attention to the defendant who has been sitting next to me. Do you know him?"
"Yes, that's Jim Cochran."
"How do you know him?"
"He's a customer at the Sunset Strip."
"And what is the Sunset Strip?"
"It's a men's club."
"I see. And did you have an occasion to see Mr. Cochran on the night of October 19, 1983?"
"Yes, he came into the club, and I spent most of the evening entertaining him."
"When did he arrive?"
"About eight."
"And when did he leave?"
"At ten. I remember because it was just before the ten o'clock news came on. Everybody was in the dressing room watching because Lindsay, one of the girls, had been caught with a minister, and it was gonna be on TV."
"So there is no doubt in your mind that Jim Cochran was in the Sunset Strip between eight and ten that evening?"
"No, sir."
"Did you know the victim, Luther Bell?"
"Yes, he was a customer too."
"Now, I am sorry to have to ask you about this, but did you and Luther ever have sex?"
"Objection!" Thornton yelled. "Your Honor, this is totally irrelevant and calculated to prejudice the jury!"
I replied, "Your honor, if I may continue I will show Miss Iverson's sexual encounter with the decedent to be very relevant."
"Ms. Waters alluded to this earlier in the week. I'm relieved to find out it wasn't pure fabrication. Proceed, counsel. I'll give you a little latitude but get to the point. Objection overruled."
I turned back to Julie and said, "Miss Iverson, did you ever have sex with the decedent?"
"Yes, one time."
"And when was that?"
"He took me to the Blue Ribbon motel a couple days before he was murdered. October 17, 1983, I believe. We partied awhile and then had sex."
"When did he leave?"
"About eleven fifteen"
"Do you know Luther's girlfriend, Margie Mason?"
"Yes, we had met on a previous occasion."
"And on that occasion what happened?"
"Margie caught us together. I was cooking breakfast and didn't have any clothes on."
"How did Margie react to that?"
"She was livid. She stormed out of the house and told him their relationship was over."
"Did Margie see you and Luther the night you went to the Blue Ribbon Motel?"
"I don't know."
"But she might have?"
"Objection! Speculation."
"Sustained."
"If she had seen you together do you think she would have been angry enough to kill Luther?"
"Objection! Move to strike! Calls for speculation! Inflammatory. Again, Margie Mason is not on trial here."
"Your honor. She testified that Margie was livid the last time she caught them together."
"Objection sustained. You haven't established that Margie Mason saw them that night. The jury is instructed to disregard the question."
"No further questions."
"Mr. Thornton, your witness," the judge said.
"Miss Iverson. Do your customers pay you?" Thornton asked.
"Yes, most of them do."
"And on the night in question, did Mr. Cochran pay you?"
"Yes."
"How much?"
"Two or three hundred dollars."
"And was he a regular customer?"
"Yes."
"So, if Mr. Cochran is convicted, you stand to lose a lot of money, isn't that right?"
"I suppose so."
"So, you'd do anything to make sure Mr. Cochran wasn't convicted, isn't that right?"
"No, I've told the truth. I wouldn't lie under oath."
"You sell your body for money, but not your honesty. Is that what you're saying?"
"Objection! Argumentative," I said.
"Sustained," the judge ruled.
Thornton hesitated a minute while he looked at his notes. "No further questions, Your Honor."
"Ms. Waters. Redirect?"
I stood. "No further questions."
"Thank you, Ms. Waters. The witness is excused."
I called several more witnesses that day but they were mainly rebuttal witnesses that didn't provide any additional evidence. Margie Mason and Laura Bell's conspiracy was my defense and I was satisfied the way it had played out in court. On Tuesday the case went to the jury. Stan waited with me in the courtroom hoping a quick verdict might come down, but it didn't happen. By five o'clock the jury hadn't rendered a verdict so the judge sent them home.
That night Bart stayed with me again. I was getting used to his company and pampering and wondered if it would continue after the trial was over. He had really stepped up since I'd taken on Cochran's case and I wondered what it meant. Was he just being a good friend or did he have more serious intentions. I wondered.
It rained hard on the way to the courthouse the next morning. It had rained all night, and I wondered when it would let up. I couldn't believe the jury was still out. I didn't sleep well with Jim Cochran's fate still on the line and my first verdict as a criminal defense attorney in the balance. I hadn't been at my desk for more than ten minutes when Paula called. She said the jury was coming back with a verdict. When I got to the courthouse, Stan was sitting on a bench outside the courtroom.
He smiled and said, "Hi. Wonderful weather, huh?"
"For sure. . . . So what's happening?"
> "The bailiff is getting ready to bring them into the courtroom. Jim and Wanda are already inside. We better go on in."
We went inside and I took my seat at the defense table while Stan took a seat next to Bart directly behind me. The gallery was nearly full and I could feel the excitement and tension in the air. Thornton gave me a hard look and I stared right back at him. He finally turned and started to talk to an associate. The court reporter's door opened and she took her place. Then the bailiff rose and said, "All rise!"
The judge entered the room and sat. "Be seated," he said. "Bring in the jury."
The bailiff got up and went into the jury room. A moment later members of the jury began filing out. When they had all been seated, the judge said, "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, have you reached a verdict?"
The foreman rose and said, "Yes, Your Honor, we have."
The foreman handed a piece of paper to the bailiff and he took it to the judge. The judge read it and handed it back to the bailiff. The judge said, "How do you find?"
The foreman said, "On the charge of murder, we find the defendant not guilty."
The gallery erupted into excited conversation. I turned and smiled gleefully at Stan and Bart. I shook Jim's hand and then looked over at Thornton. He was shaking his head in disbelief. I laughed.
The judge said, "The defendant is free to go. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, thank you for your jury service. You are dismissed. This court is adjourned."
Relief and joy quickly engulfed me. I felt like I was going to float away as the weight of so much responsibility had finally been shed. I was as high as a satellite. My dreams of being a big time criminal attorney had finally come true and I'd gotten off to a incredible start.