CA - Dr. Felix Polk, 70, stabbed to death, Orinda, 14 Oct 2002

[BillyGoatGruff]

The poor juriors must be ready to run away screaming at this point. I hope Judge Brady keeps a tight rein on SP today and makes her finish quickly.

Ususally during a trial I end up with some opinion regarding the outcome, sometimes I'm right, sometimes I'm wrong. I have absoulutly no idea how this is going to end! I believe she's crazy, but I also believe she did it. We'll all find out soon enough.

Just because she's crazy doesn;t mean she didn't do it.

 

[Moe]

http://cbs5.com/localwire/localfsnews/bcn/2006/06/13/n/HeadlineNews/POLK-TRIAL/resources_bcn_htmlThe jury is deliberating, finally!

 

[Buzz Mills]

http://cbs5.com/localwire/localfsnews/bcn/2006/06/13/n/HeadlineNews/POLK-TRIAL/resources_bcn_htmlThe jury is deliberating, finally!

It's just a matter of deciding which of the following they will find her guilty of:

They will be considering the charges of first-degree murder, an enhancement for the use of a deadly weapon, second-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter.

 

[Niner]

Apparently the medical examiner was on the stand today, testifying that Felix Polk had a heart condition that might have made him more than vulnerable to attack and unable to defend himself vigorously. He also testified that Felix was hit over the head, knocked down, and then stabbed repeatedly.

Susan accused him of lying to support the prosecution.

LOL! I had to chuckle on that line (bold)! :laugh:

 

[Niner]

Is it just me or does this letter from her son sound more like something you would write to a lover?? Very disturbing... :sick:

Susan Polk join in -- delcaring at one point that Sequeira "needs a spanking." Eventually, she was also removed by deputies...

Later, Eli Polk told Superior Court Judge Laurel brady that deputy district attorney Paul Sequeira was smiling at him...

"There's speculation that I wrote the dirty story, and that I wrote the murder story.. and that's total slander. He should be ashamed of himself!"

"First of all, I believe he attacked her that night and she defended herself," Eli said, adding that his father had "every opportunity" to try to make his marriage work. "your father's dead, isn't he?" the prosecutor asked. "I'm not answering that question," Eli said.

Eli told jurors that his father was mentally and physically abusive and that Felix wielded his power over the courts and as a secret israeli intelligence agent to oppress his wife and continue his violence upon the family.

Polk objected no less than 50 times during roughly an hour of Eli's cross-examination Wednesday, arguing with the judge and the attorney, and interrupting so frequentely that the court reporter - who cannot type while more than one person is talking - threw up her hands and said, "I can't do this. I'm just going to go."

WOW!! I'm just catching up with this trial... I know, it's almost over, but - WHAT a trial!! I'm sorry i missed it!!

 

[izzyB]

i have to say i expected the jury to be out for only about 2 minutes....now we are in our second day.

 

[concernedperson]

I was so excited I thought the jury was in.I can't understand why it is taking two days.

 

[mysteriew]

It's just a matter of deciding which of the following they will find her guilty of:

They will be considering the charges of first-degree murder, an enhancement for the use of a deadly weapon, second-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter.

I agree that this is going to be the main crux of the jury deliberation. I don't think the hold up is whether she did it, but more what the degree was.
Even though through the trial, I went from feeling she was innocent to feeling she was guilty, even I am still unsure to what degree- though I am leaning between 1st and 2nd degree.
The fact that Polk was her therapist and married her at such a young age is going to be taken into account. The fact that he is alleged to be schizophrenic himself, and the alleged domestic violence will also be considered.
Does anyone know where the knife she used came from? Was it at the house or did Susan bring it to the house? Somehow I managed to miss that.

 

[LinasK]

Does anyone know where the knife she used came from? Was it at the house or did Susan bring it to the house? Somehow I managed to miss that.

I think I read somewhere that she brought it to the poolhouse, not likely for self-defense.

 

[Buzz Mills]

Iam surprised the jury didn't come back today, Wednesday.

Tomorrow for sure???

 

[mysteriew]

I think I read somewhere that she brought it to the poolhouse, not likely for self-defense.

LOL, now you are pushing me toward 1 st degree. A knife would be an unusual thing to have in the poolhouse.

 

[Bobbisangel]

LOL, now you are pushing me toward 1 st degree. A knife would be an unusual thing to have in the poolhouse.

Didn't she say that she took the knife away from Felix? I just can't picture a man grabbing a paring knife to stab someone. Maybe a woman would but not a man. I do remember that she washed the knife and put it back afterwards.

I don't think that anything else should matter but that she stabbed him to death. She shouldn't even have been at that pool house. If she was so afraid of him why would she go there alone? And then she left him for her son to find. What mother would do something like that? No one but Susan Polk.

I hope she gets 1st degree murder. I just can't imagine them giving her anything less. I think she just wanted Felix out of her life and made the decision to get rid of him. And then she came up with her big self defense story.

I'm surprised the jury is still out. I guess it's a good thing that I wasn't on the jury. It would have taken me long enough to write down my vote and sign my name!

 

[izzyB]

she definitely brought the knife to the pool house. and she killed him only after finding out that certain terms of divorce would not go in her favor...for example i think one of the son's was to end up living with felix.

as for being a battered woman, maybe so to some extent, but they did bring up in the trial all the independent trips she took....all over the country. and when she killed him she had just returned from a trip to montana.

yesterday on CC (who is live out there on verdict watch) two of polk's sons were interviewed and they did not have kind words for their mother. they think she should be put away, and fear for their own safety if she is not!

CC's panel yesterday think that polk unintentionally showed all of the juror's that she was insane and delusional, but she refused to have a diminished mental capacity defense. but they were saying the fact of her insanity may in someway shape the jury's verdict.

 

[Pharlap]

Didn't she say that she took the knife away from Felix? I just can't picture a man grabbing a paring knife to stab someone. Maybe a woman would but not a man. I do remember that she washed the knife and put it back afterwards.

I don't think that anything else should matter but that she stabbed him to death. She shouldn't even have been at that pool house. If she was so afraid of him why would she go there alone? And then she left him for her son to find. What mother would do something like that? No one but Susan Polk.

I hope she gets 1st degree murder. I just can't imagine them giving her anything less. I think she just wanted Felix out of her life and made the decision to get rid of him. And then she came up with her big self defense story.

I'm surprised the jury is still out. I guess it's a good thing that I wasn't on the jury. It would have taken me long enough to write down my vote and sign my name!

My opinon, there deciding between murder 1 and murder 2 I bet....:waitasec:

 

[Buzz Mills]

My opinon, there deciding between murder 1 and murder 2 I bet....:waitasec:

1). first-degree murder with the enhancement for the use of a deadly weapon
2). first-degree murder
3). second-degree murder
4). voluntary manslaughter
5). nvoluntary manslaughter.

 

[mysteriew]

CC's panel yesterday think that polk unintentionally showed all of the juror's that she was insane and delusional, but she refused to have a diminished mental capacity defense. but they were saying the fact of her insanity may in someway shape the jury's verdict.

For a while I thought maybe she was somewhat delusional. But about halfway into the trial, I began to believe she wasn't. She might have some mental health issues, but I think she knows exactly what is going on. Controlling, yes. A liar, yes. Manipulative, yes. Demanding, yes. But delusional, no.

Did anyone notice that with all her claims of abuse, both physical and sexual, she never claimed any post traumatic distress syndrome? If she had, that might have been the only break that I would have given her.

 

[nanandjim]

They better have law enforcement ready if the jury comes back with a guilty verdict. This woman is scary and unpredictable. I can see her going for the jury if they find her guilty. I personally think the woman is guilty as heck.

Her boys seem like really good kids. I saw them on Cc last evening as well.

 

[chicoliving]

After the murder Susan washed the paring knife and put it in the drawer. Her reasoning was that she was a neat person so did what was natural, washed it and put it away.

 

[Share-in]

This is in the Contra Costa Times this morning. It's so amazing to me how well these two brothers seem so well "put together" on the outside, but I have to wonder what kind of mess has been caused by their mother on the inside. Here's a little bite of what's in the article:


"Until he saw the progression of his mother's murder trial, Adam Polk wanted to be a lawyer -- specifically, a prosecutor."
Not anymore.

"I think that (my mother) really has exposed some major weaknesses in California's justice system," Adam Polk told the Times on Wednesday. "The qualifications for being able to defend yourself are way too low. ... It has really polarized me against going into law."

More at the site:

www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/14823324.htm

 

[Buzz Mills]

What's taking them so long???

A hung jury would mean the prosecutor would have to go through this all over again. One Susan Polk is enough in any prosecutor's career. If I were him, I would just disappear never to be found again.

Say it isn't so.