Judge Postpones Olson Trial to Oct. 15 Because Attorney Is Ill

A Los Angeles judge agreed Wednesday to a three-week delay in the start of the trial of alleged Symbionese Liberation Army member Sara Jane Olson because a defense lawyer has an undisclosed health problem.

Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler set a new trial date for Oct. 15, which he said should allow defense attorney Shawn Chapman enough time for “rest and recuperation.” He ordered that all motions be filed by Oct. 1.

“My antipathy for further continuances in this case is well known,” Fidler said in court. “But the well-being of any party . . . is also of paramount importance.”

The trial, which was scheduled to start Sept. 24, has been continued numerous times. A state appellate court ordered a delay in May, ruling that Fidler had abused his discretion by refusing to grant a defense request for a fifth continuance in the trial.

Attorneys on both sides said Aug. 17 that they were ready for Olson’s conspiracy trial to begin in September.

Olson, who attended Wednesday’s hearing, is accused of trying to kill two Los Angeles police officers in 1975 by placing bombs under two squad cars. The bombs did not explode.

She was in hiding more than two decades before being arrested in 1999 and charged with conspiracy to commit murder and possession of explosive devices.

Defense attorneys filed their continuance motion under seal. Citing Chapman’s privacy interests, Fidler declined to unseal the motion.

Prosecutors objected to the continuance, arguing that Chapman is not the only lawyer representing Olson. Her other attorney, Tony Serra, was out of town Wednesday and did not attend the hearing.

Cydney Crickard, an attorney who is on the defense team, appeared on behalf of Olson’s attorneys Wednesday. Crickard said Serra and Chapman had hoped to get the case underway this month. She said Chapman’s health problem is not life-threatening.

“The small health issue that came up was a surprise to us all,” Crickard said outside court. “But hopefully we’ll be up and running on the 15th.”

After the hearing, Deputy Dist. Atty. Eleanor Hunter said she was disappointed about the delay.

Prosecutors said Wednesday they still plan to interview two elderly witnesses in the Sacramento area before the trial begins. But Hunter said they are waiting until both women are well enough to meet with attorneys and answer questions about two robberies allegedly committed by the Symbionese Liberation Army in 1975.

Last month, Evelyn Burns, 78, suffered a heart attack and Marceline Jones, 80, was hospitalized with a broken hip. A third witness, 77-year-old Dorothy White, died last month, a few weeks after prosecutors conducted a brief interview in her home.