Kraft Allowed to Stay on Own Defense Team

Randy Steven Kraft, who is charged with 16 murders, may remain a co-counsel on his own case, an Orange County judge ruled Friday.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Thomas M. Goethals had argued that Kraft has three lawyers, and that that should be enough.

Kraft had been granted co-counsel status more than two years ago, after his attorneys argued that, because he is gay, Kraft might be better able to question any gay witnesses.

Superior Court Judge Donald A. McCartin denied the prosecutors’ motion that Kraft be removed from the defense team, pointing out that nothing had changed in the case since Kraft had been granted co-counsel status.

The next motion in the Kraft case will come Thursday from the defense, which wants 16 separate trials, one for each victim.

Prosecutors argue that Kraft should be tried once, because the slayings are related and all of them would have to be introduced at each of the trials anyway.

Kraft, now 43, a computer consultant from Long Beach, was arrested May 14, 1983, after two California Highway Patrol officers who stopped him for reckless driving found a dead Marine in the front seat of his car.

Kraft could face the death penalty if convicted of the 16 slayings. His case has taken five years to reach trial--now scheduled for next month--primarily because prosecutors have added 21 slayings to the case, for use at both the guilt and penalty phases of his trial.

Six of those victims are from Oregon and two are from Michigan; the rest are from Southern California. All were young men, most between the ages of 18 and 25. All of the slayings occurred within a 10-year period.