THE RANDY KRAFT TRIAL : WEEK TEN

Randy Steven Kraft, charged with murdering 16 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: The defense tried unsuccessfully to have charges involving four of the victims dismissed because evidence had been destroyed. The prosecution closed its case.

THE DEFENSE: ‘The evidence that is left makes the people’s case look a lot stronger than they are entitled to.’ --William J. Kopeny, Kraft attorney

THE PROSECUTION: ‘Isn’t it curious that we have pictures of Mr. Loggins (a victim) recovered from the defendant’s car and his house?...It certainly would appear to this objective observer that Mr. Loggins is dead when he is depicted in the defendant’s house, so how counsel could characterize this as a very weak count causes me to wonder a little bit.’ --Deputy Dist. Atty. Thomas M. Goethals

NUMBER OF WITNESSES: Last Week: 2. To Date: 157.

ITEMS LOGGED AS POSSIBLE EVIDENCE: Last week: 2. To Date: 1,052.

THIS WEEK: No court proceedings. The trial is scheduled to resume Jan. 9, when the defense opens its case. During the week of Dec. 12, defense attorneys are expected to argue that some or all of the murder counts should be dismissed because of insufficient evidence.