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THE RANDY KRAFT TRIAL WEEK 15*

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<i> Compiled by Times staff writer Jerry Hicks</i>

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 Kraft family members testified that he was at a party until after midnight on New Year’s Eve, 1975, the night Mark Howard Hall disappeared in San Juan Capistrano and was later found dead in a remote mountain area of South Orange County. The week was cut short by the defense’s problems with scheduling witnesses. THE DEFENSE The court’s threatening me with contempt is impacting my ability to adequately represent Mr. Kraft. ‘-Attorney C. Thomas McDonald after the judge said he was becoming impatient with delays. THE PROSECUTION This court hasn’t put 10% of the pressure on the defense (to keep witnesses moving) that it placed on us when we presented our case. ‘--Deputy Dist. Atty. Bryan F. Brown NUMBER OF WITNESSES Last Week: 15. To Date: 229. ITEMS LOGGED AS POSSIBLE EVIDENCE Last week: 26. To Date: 1,146. THIS WEEK Kraft’s lawyers will continue presenting evidence in the Hall death. Five of the 16 murders remain to be addressed before the defense rests. * Jury selection and legal motions began July 25, 1988, and testimony began Sept. 5. The trial recessed for about 2 months at the end of the prosecution’s case.

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