Appeals Court Puts Adair Murder Trial on Hold

An appeals court halted jury selection Monday for a woman accused of beating her husband to death with a baseball bat, agreeing to hear prosecutors who claimed a Superior Court judge ordered the trial to begin over their objection.

Jeanie Adair, who is being held without bail, maintains that she was attacked by robbers who killed her husband and then fled.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Marsh Goldstein has repeatedly asked for delays, citing late disclosure by the defense of its witnesses.

Goldstein also said a key police witness is home resting because of hypertension and an aneurysm and will not be able to testify before the end of the month, at the earliest.

“It would not be fair . . . for me to go forward without knowing the status of my witness,” Goldstein said. “This is a murder case of considerable importance to too many people.”

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Wiatt said defense lawyer Richard Plotin turned over his witnesses’ names as soon as he had them. He also said the prosecution could begin its case without the ailing witness and call him a couple of weeks into the trial, when he recovered.

“I’m deeming you ready to proceed,” Wiatt told Goldstein on Monday morning. “We’re going to start this immediately.”

But as prospective jurors were being questioned by court workers Monday, the district attorney’s appellate division filed a letter with the 2nd District Court of Appeal in Los Angeles, requesting a stay of the proceedings.

“Furthermore, the court has no power to ‘deem the People ready’ in the circumstances of this case,” wrote Head Deputy Dist. Atty George M. Palmer.” There is no evidence to support the conclusion that we are ready but stalling for time without a showing for good cause. Here, good cause has been shown.”

The appellate court granted that request Monday afternoon, ordering the prosecution to file papers on the matter by Thursday and the court to respond by Monday.

The appeal came after Wiatt’s decision last week to allow Adair to present evidence that the Nov. 5, 1996, slaying was part of an attack on Jeanie Adair undertaken at the behest of Mindy Shapiro, ex-wife of Dr. Michael Shapiro. Shapiro was Jeanie Adair’s lover at the time.

The prosecution intends to show that Adair killed her husband to collect insurance money and then made their Sylmar condominium appear as if a struggle had taken place. The key to the prosecution’s case is a phone call Adair allegedly made to Shapiro at a time when she told police she was bound and gagged.