The Trial – Part 4
Chapter 10
Kyla: "Please state your name, occupation and relationship to the defendant for the court."
Ashley: "Ashley Davies, Assistant Dean with the School of Music and I'm engaged to Spencer Carlin."
Kyla: " Ms. Davies we have heard the testimony of your housekeeper Mrs. Bailey regarding that morning two weeks before Mr. Hall's murder, please tell the court your version of that morning."
Taking a deep breath Ashley tells her version, which was basically the same as Mrs. Bailey the housekeeper. Kyla begins her questioning of Ashley about the assault.
Kyla: "Ms. Davies did you scream when he grabbed you?"
Ashley: "No, I was taken by surprise when he grabbed me, I told him to let go of me."
Kyla: "Did he let go?"
Ashley: "No, he became more aggressive, tightening his grip on me."
Kyla: "When Ms. Carlin came and finally got him off of you what kind of condition were you in?"
Ashley: "My blouse was torn open and my sleeve was ripped."
Kyla: "How did your fiancée react when she saw that?"
Ashley: (silence…)
Kyla: "Ms. Davies, answer the question. Your honor permission to treat as hostile?"
Judge: "Permission granted, Ms. Davies you are instructed to answer the question.
Ashley: "She was angry."
Kyla: "How angry Ms. Davies?"
Ashley: "She was… very angry."
Kyla: "Now Ms. Davies, I'm sure you can give us a better adjective to describe your fiancée Ms. Carlin's disposition. Wasn't she more like furious, irate, enraged, incensed?"
Ron: "Objection! asked and answered.
Judge: "I will allow it."
Kyla: "Which one, Ms. Davies?"
Ashley: (taking a deep breath before answering) "She was enraged."
Kyla: "Enraged… enraged enough to perhaps… kill Mr. Hall?"
Ron: "Objection! Your honor."
Judge: "Overruled."
Kyla: "Ms. Davies, should I repeat the question?"
Ashley: "Hell, I was enraged enough to kill Dexter, HE ATTACKED ME!"
Judge: "Ms. Davies, watch your language please.
Ashley: "Sorry your honor."
Kyla: "Ms. Davies just answer the question I asked you." Could your fiancée, Ms. Carlin in her enraged disposition kill Dexter Hall after seeing him attack you?"
Ashley: (looking at Spencer) "Yes."
Courtroom… again the courtroom goes hysterical, reporters scrambling, people talking… there is utter chaos.
Judge: Banging gavel… "Order… Order in this court!"
Kyla: "No further questions, your witness."
The inconspicuous woman in the back of the courtroom satisfied with the testimony just given leaves unnoticed.
Ron: "Ms. Carlin looked so enraged that she would have killed Mr. Hall, that's what you just testified to, correct?"
Ashley: "Yes."
Ron: "What did your fiancée Ms. Carlin actually see to make her so enraged?"
Ashley: "She walked in just as Dexter had slapped me and rip my blouse open."
Ron: "She saw him actually slap you, how do you know she saw that?"
Ashley: "He started to raise his hand again and she caught it in mid swing, that's when she saw the blood on my lip."
Ron: "Is that when she said I'll kill you?"
Ashley: "Yes."
Ron: "So Ms. Carlin didn't have to wait for that Sunday morning to kill her ex-husband, she could have done it the day he attacked you, if in fact she wanted to kill him."
Kyla: "Objection, your honor, is that a question Mr. Townes is trying ask Ms. Davies or is he just trying to make a statement?"
Judge: "Mr. Townes are you asking a question?"
Ron: "I'm merely making a statement that Ms. Carlin didn't need to wait to kill Dexter Hall.
Judge: "Stay with your questioning counselor, objection sustained."
Ron: "You said Mr. Hall came to give Ms. Carlin papers regarding his alimony payments, but Mrs. Bailey stated he came to pickup a Ming vase.
Ashley: "He was coming about paperwork. There is no Ming vase in the apartment."
Ron: "Why would he lie, Ms. Davies?"
Ashley: "To irritate Spencer. He would call sometimes in the middle of the night or just come over to the apartment unannounced."
Ron: "What did Ms. Carlin do about that, hire a killer?"
Kyla: "Objection, your honor."
Ron: "I'll rephrase the question. Did Ms. Carlin do anything to stop the harassment?"
Ashley: "Yes, she told Dexter if he did not stop the calls and unexpected visits she would call the lawyers and have his alimony stopped.
Ron: "How did Mr. Hall react to that?"
Ashley: "He was livid. He told her she couldn't stop his alimony and she told him she already informed her lawyer and accountants to prepare to file harassment papers and to take steps in stopping payments."
Ron: "Then what did he do, Ms. Davies?"
Ashley: "He started to leave the apartment, but told Spencer he was going to make our lives a living hell. Spencer just laughed at him and told him not only was she going to stop the alimony payments she was getting an order of protection served against him and if he came near us again he was going to jail."
Ron: "How did he react to that?"
Ashley: "He said he wouldn't bother us anymore."
Ron: "When did all this take place?"
Ashley: "He called the next day after the attack on me."
Ron: "No further questions."
Judge: "Ms. Woods redirect?"
Kyla: "Not at this time, your honor."
Judge: "Ms. Davies you may step down. Call your next witness, Ms. Woods."
Kyla: "The people call Ms. Ginger Spears."
Bailiff: "Ginger Spears to the stand."
Kyla: "Please state your name and occupation and relationship to the deceased, please"
Ginger: "Ginger Spears, I'm an exotic dancer and I was Dexter Hall's fiancée.
Kyla: "Ms. Spears where did you meet Mr. Hall?"
Ginger: "At the club where I work."
Kyla: "You are a dancer, correct?"
Ginger: "Yes."
Kyla: "How long have you known Mr. Hall?"
Ginger: "We meet two years ago and became engaged six months ago."
Kyla: "Did Mr. Hall ever talk about his marriage to you?"
Ron: "Objection your honor, hearsay."
Judge: "Overruled."
Kyla: "Ms. Spears answer the question, please."
Ginger: "Oh Yea! All the time. He would say that "The Bitch", oh I am sorry can I say that in court?
Kyla: (smirking) "Yes, Ms. Spears, tell us his exact words."
Ginger: "Well, he would call her "The Bitch" all the time, complaining he wasn't getting enough money and he needed more."
Kyla: "Needed more? Why would he need more money?"
Ginger: "Oh, he wanted me to stop dancing and everything did cost. He was very extravagant. See my engagement ring… this ring alone cost forty-five thousand dollars. So when he bought it, there was no money left for the rest of the month. He went to see her to get more money until his next alimony check arrived."
Kyla: "Mr. Hall went to see his ex-wife for more money?"
Ginger: "Yes."
Kyla: "When did he do that, Ms. Spears?"
Ginger: "Well it started a couple of months ago, but the most recent was the day before he was found dead."
Courtroom… loud whispers disturbing the proceedings.
Judge: "Quiet in the courtroom."
Kyla: "Ms. Spears are you saying that Mr. Hall went to see his ex-wife, Ms Carlin the day he was found murdered?"
Ginger: "Yes, he left the apartment around two a.m. he said he was meeting "The Bitch"… um… I'm sorry but that's what he called his ex-wife. He was meeting her at three a.m. in Central Park and he never came home."
Spencer leans towards her attorney speaking in his ear, "she's lying I did not meet Dexter at three a.m. I saw him at twelve-thirty by one-thirty I was back home." Ron nodded his head.
Spencer then turned to look behind her to glance at Ashley when she again noticed the woman in the wide brimmed hat that covered half her face. She would ask Glen to take a look later.
Kyla: "Ms. Spears why are you so certain he was meeting her at three a.m."
Ginger: "Because I dropped him off at the park myself. He had been drinking and didn't want to drive and the clock in the car had two-fifteen."
Kyla: "No further questions, your witness."
Ron: "Ms. Spears you said you dropped your fiancé Mr. Hall off. Why didn't you wait for him, how was he getting home?"
Ginger: "Well… I… he didn't ask me to wait for him."
Ron: "But you said he had been drinking, he apparently drank so much he didn't trust himself to drive because he asked you. Now how was he getting back home?"
Ginger: "I umm…"
Ron: "Yes, Ms. Spears the court is waiting for your answer."
Ginger: "I don't know how he was going to get back, he just told me to drop him off."
Ron: "You were his fiancée, he was drunk and you didn't know how he was getting back home? You didn't care?"
Ginger: "Dexter did a lot of strange things, I just did what he asked me to do."
Ron: "So you drop him off in Central Park at two-fifteen a.m. for a meeting with his ex-wife at three a.m., correct?"
Ginger: "Yes."
Ron: "So you can't say if he actually met his ex-wife or if he even stayed in the park till three a.m. because you left. Is that correct Ms. Spears?"
Ginger: "Ah, yeah… I guess."
Ron: "You don't know who he met in the park, you said his ex-wife because he told you that's who he was meeting, correct?"
Ginger: "Yes."
Ron: "No further questions."
Judge: "Ms. Woods redirect?"
Kyla: "Yes your honor. Ms. Spears how far do you live from Central Park?"
Ginger: "We live in walking distance, maybe a few blocks."
Kyla: "Is it easy to catch a cab?"
Ginger: "Yes, it's very easy, just step out the door and they're right there all day and night."
Kyla: "So he could have been thinking of getting a cab home?"
Ron: "Objection, there is no way Ms. Spears would know what Mr. Hall could have been thinking at that time. When did she start reading minds?"
Judge: "Objection sustained."
Kyla: "Did Mr. Hall ever seem afraid of Ms. Carlin's threats?"
Ginger: "Only once, that was two weeks before he was killed, he came back home, eyes wide with fear. He was holding his crotch like he was in pain saying his ex-wife threatened to kill him if he went back to the apartment."
Kyla: "Is that all?"
Ginger: "He said the look in her eyes made him feel she could actually kill him."
Ron: "Objection! Hearsay."
Judge: "Objection overruled."
Kyla: "Thank you Ms. Spears, no further questions."
Judge: "Ms. Woods call your next witness."
Kyla: "Your honor, the People rest."
Judge: "Due to the lateness of the hour this court will convene tomorrow morning at nine a.m. Courts adjourned." Gavel… bangs.
Bailiff: "All rise."