THE RANDY KRAFT TRIAL : WEEK SEVEN
Randy Steven Kraft, charged with murdering 16 young men, is on trial in Orange County Superior Court in what some legal experts say will be the biggest and costliest case in California history.
LAST WEEK: Deputy Dist. Atty. Bryan F. Brown presented evidence related to two killings, those of Mark Howard Hall and Keith Daven Crotwell, last seen in a Long Beach parking lot with Kraft. Hall’s body was found Jan. 3, 1976. Crotwell’s skull and body were found in separate locations later that year. Despite defense objections, the judge allowed jurors to hear a taped interview of Kraft by Long Beach police about Crotwell’s disappearance. The defense claimed Kraft did not make the statements voluntarily and should have been read his rights.
THE DEFENSE: ‘If the police had been candid with Mr. Kraft, he might have paused before volunteering any statements. ‘ C. Thomas McDonald, Kraft attorney
THE PROSECUTION: ‘Mr. Kraft walked out a free man. ‘ Deputy Dist. Atty. Bryan F. Brown, arguing that police did not coerce Kraft to talk.
NUMBER OF WITNESSES: Last Week: 30. To Date: 136.
ITEMS LOGGED AS POSSIBLE EVIDENCE: Last week: 56. To Date: 996.
THIS WEEK: The prosecution will finish presenting physical evidence in the last of the killings. The prosecution should complete its case a week after that.
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