Afternoon Testimony, Part 1
DAY SEVENTEEN - May 4, 2023
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(Continued testimony of BPD Detective Thomas Hernandez, lead investigator)
The trial of Trezell and Jacqueline West is back in session with an interview being played that was held July 1, 2021 at BPD headquarters. Jacqueline West is being interviewed by Detective Thomas Hernandez and another detective.
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The jury was brought in 15 minutes before the audience. Judge Charles R. Brehmer said the jury examined the make and model of the U-Haul the Wests used when moving from Bakersfield to Cal City.
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The move happened Sept. 18-20, 2020, Jacqueline West says in the interview.
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Hernandez asks her to describe the move, what she did each day. Lots of cleaning and packing, Jacqueline says.
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Hernandez says he's trying to figure out if she stayed with the kids, were Orrin and Orson present when the U-Haul was dropped off, her and Trezell's and the kids' movements from the 18-20th -- the days of the move.
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Jacqueline says she's not good on dates, has trouble saying where the kids were when the U-Haul was taken back.
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Jacqueline says Trezell takes the U-Haul back. She says Wanda West, Trezell's mother-- who was visiting during the move -- may have gone with him.
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Another detective asks if she stayed at home in Cal City the last time the U-Haul was taken. Jacqueline says the last trip they made involved items taken in the van. Who was in the van? Jacqueline can't seem to remember. "It's not that difficult?" a detective says.
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Wanda West has previously testified she never saw Orrin and Orson on the days during the move when she was in Cal City. She testified she thought the boys were with Jacqueline West's mother.
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Jacqueline West, however, says in the interview all 6 of her children -- including Orrin and Orson -- were at the Cal City house.
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"Everybody is a suspect," Hernandez tells her. Her, Trezell, Wanda West, everybody. He asks when she got her new phone. Jacqueline West says on her birthday.
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Hernandez says he looked through "a ton of your stuff" and asks if there is some video or photo taken from when they moved to when the kids were reported missing. Jacqueline says she tried to transfer her photos from her old phone to the new one.
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She says she couldn't transfer the folder. She says she would rarely send photos to people.
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Jacqueline West says when she fostered the boys she was told not to share photos of them. Hernandez tells her she adopted the boys a year ago.
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Hernandez says there is "a mountain of stuff that needs to be answered."
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He says the kids were gone before they were reported. He references what her other children have said about Orrin and Orson not being seen for weeks. He says there is all this info he's gathered "and it leads back to you and Trezell."
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Jacqueline says what happened was very unfortunate but not their fault. Hernandez says he doesn't see how a 10 year old is going to come up with a story that doesn't differentiate from the details after telling it 4 times.
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Hernandez says something happened to those kids before they were reported missing, he knows it for a fact, and he wants to know what happened. He says maybe it was an accident. He tells her to tell him the truth.
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Hernandez says he knows for a fact on Dec. 19, 2020, Orrin and Orson were not in the van when she dropped the other children off at Wanda West's house. Jacqueline says the other kids didn't like Orrin and Orson, so she told them to pretend like they weren't there.
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"There is no way out except for honesty," Herndandez says. Both he and another detective say there are a number of things she has said, on today and other days, that don't match up.
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The unnamed detective tells her at this time everything is still pointing at her and Trezell. The video ends.
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Prosecutor Eric Smith is questioning Hernandez on the stand. Hernandez said 35 warrants were authored by him and other investigators in this case.
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Searches were conducted of the area around California City. There were several big searches. One was at Silver Saddle Ranch, which has manmade ponds and storage sheds.
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Desert areas were searched in the northern part of the town near Randsburg Road. A few different searches were held there, he said. They found no evidence of Orrin or Orson.
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Hernandez testified he wrote the warrants for the Google records for Trezell and Jacqueline West. He found no photos, videos or anything regarding Orrin or Orson after July 2020.
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There was nothing from September through December 2020 about the boys, he said.
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Hernandez is testifying to reports showing call records.
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The reports have been admitted as evidence and will be displayed.
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The messages are between Trezell and Wanda West. Trezell write a bunch of 'hahas" with a photo of his electric bill on Dec. 14, 2020.
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On Dec. 7, there are messages between Trezell and his brother Jamal, something to do with toys.
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A message from Jacqueline to Trezell occurred on Dec. 5 at 2:04 p.m. The message was an address on Oakdale Drive.
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On Dec. 16, 2020 Wanda West sends a message to Trezell and Jacqueline asking for a family photo of everyone.
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The next message was not sent. Then on Dec. 21, 2020, Trezell calls 911 and makes a call to another number that lasts about 4 minutes.
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Hernandez said he found adoption information on Trezell's phone about their adopted children.
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Hernandez testified to photos of the Aspen Avenue residence and its interior. There were photos of the home and its inside on Trezell's phone, but no photos of Orrin or Orson.
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Hernandez said he looked at the gate at the Wests' Cal City home.
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There was a difference to it last month from what he saw in 2021. There were some new bolts on the northern gate, he said.
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Hernandez said he took photos of the gate. A 15-minute break has been called, trial will resume around 3:05 p.m.
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