GUILTY CA - Yolanda Holtrey, 59, and Michelle Luke, 49, slain, Westminster, 1 Jan 2017 *Arrest*

[JoeFromLB]

I long ago went cynical about all this. I see the motion as just another delaying tactic that is so common in these high profile murder cases. I don't understand it, but the defense often seems to want to gum up the works and keep their client from answering for his crimes. The courts go along with whatever the defense wants to raise, at whatever point they feel like raising it.

Again, maybe I'm just too cynical, but this is California. As a related example, there are men on Death Row at San Quentin who were sent there in 1980 and have still not been assigned an execution date. Forty years of appeals?? Something is terribly wrong here.

 

[cbcrime]

Yes it is a defense tactic to try and impeach an officer. It has become one of the standard filings for defense. Justice can sure seem to be hard to come by.

 

[JoeFromLB]

The Pitchess Motion was heard by the judge on December 21st. No public record of what happened, but a Jury Trial is scheduled for January 6, 2021, this Wednesday.
We'll see if there are any more delays after that.

 

[Dina46]

I am online trying to watch today’s hearing but so far it’s not working. I just have a screen that says court in recess. Was anybody else able to access this today?

 

[JoeFromLB]

Postponed once again.

04/09/2021 09:00 AM
Jury Trial - C35

Seriously, this thing could go on for several more years. The court system in California is completely broken. The optimist in me hopes this delay is simply COVID related, but the realist in me believes I'll be following this thread for a long time to come before there's a resolution.

 

[JoeFromLB]

I see that this thread has been moved to Trials. All well and good, but I hope people here are patient.

 

[Dina46]

Postponed once again.

04/09/2021 09:00 AM
Jury Trial - C35

Seriously, this thing could go on for several more years. The court system in California is completely broken. The optimist in me hopes this delay is simply COVID related, but the realist in me believes I'll be following this thread for a long time to come before there's a resolution.

I’m trying to watch it online again but the link is just saying court in recess, that’s what it said last time and after about an hour and a half last time it clicked on and we could see the last few mins of it and then they switched the camera off. Has anyone else been able to watch it?

 

[JoeFromLB]

I’m trying to watch it online again but the link is just saying court in recess, that’s what it said last time and after about an hour and a half last time it clicked on and we could see the last few mins of it and then they switched the camera off. Has anyone else been able to watch it?

I just checked the court records, and his trial has been postponed once again, until August.

As this is probably a death penalty case, it could literally take several more years before he actually comes to trial.
I'm not kidding. There's also the ongoing Covid situation which has caused an immense backlog of cases.

08/20/2021
09:00 AM Jury Trial - C35

 

[JoeFromLB]

Here we go again. The 4th time a trial date has been set.

09/10/2021
09:00 AM
Jury Trial - C35

There have been 57 separate hearings in this case so far.

 

[Dina46]

Here we go again. The 4th time a trial date has been set.

09/10/2021
09:00 AM
Jury Trial - C35

There have been 57 separate hearings in this case so far.

its crazy that there have been so many hearings. I was able to watch a few online because of Covid but they have now stopped streaming them online so I was unable to see this last one. Was there a reason why it was postponed again? It wasn’t postponed as long this time, the others have been pushed forward many months and this one just a month, I wonder if that means it might actually progress this time.

 

[JoeFromLB]

its crazy that there have been so many hearings. I was able to watch a few online because of Covid but they have now stopped streaming them online so I was unable to see this last one. Was there a reason why it was postponed again? It wasn’t postponed as long this time, the others have been pushed forward many months and this one just a month, I wonder if that means it might actually progress this time.

Part of the reason is undoubtedly COVID. California is ultra-paranoid about it and courts have been very far behind ever since this thing started in March of 2020.

A larger part of the reason is this is a possible death penalty case, and delays of 3-5 years before trial are not uncommon. Even longer in some cases. The justice system in this state is completely broken. It's a scandal really.

Speaking of the death penalty, the voters passed an initiative a couple years ago to reform and streamline the appeals process. We'll see what happens with that. It's almost impossible for the state to actually execute anyone right now. There are close to 800 men (and some women) on Death Row and they are probably years, or decades, away from an execution date. Some men have been there since the early 1980's, going on 40 years of endless appeals. More chance of dying of old age.

 

[JoeFromLB]

Delayed once again. No surprise. I'll stay on it.

10/14/2021
09:00 AM
Jury Trial - C35

 

[JoeFromLB]

"Jury Trial" delayed once again, to November 2nd.

I'll check next week, but what usually happens is these "Jury Trials" are nothing of the sort. They get endlessly delayed, often for several years. 5-7 years is not rare. It's been almost FIVE years since his arrest and still no trial. There have been 76 hearings in this case so far.

 

[JoeFromLB]

Wow, some actual progress in this case, almost five years after his arrest.

A jury trial was begun on November 3rd and is continuing, according to court records.

A media link from November 2nd, the first mention anywhere of this since 2017:

Huntington Beach man, prosecutor says, killed 2 women, set fire to Westminster home to cover tracks – Orange County Register

 

[Gardenista]

Wow, some actual progress in this case, almost five years after his arrest.

A jury trial was begun on November 3rd and is continuing, according to court records.

A media link from November 2nd, the first mention anywhere of this since 2017:

Huntington Beach man, prosecutor says, killed 2 women, set fire to Westminster home to cover tracks – Orange County Register

It's about time. I wish they were streaming this trial

 

[Dina46]

Wow, some actual progress in this case, almost five years after his arrest.

A jury trial was begun on November 3rd and is continuing, according to court records.

A media link from November 2nd, the first mention anywhere of this since 2017:

Huntington Beach man, prosecutor says, killed 2 women, set fire to Westminster home to cover tracks – Orange County Register

Thanks for keeping us updated. I’m glad it’s finally going ahead after so many delays. I also think it’s a shame that they are not streaming the cases anymore

 

[JoeFromLB]

Unbelievable. He claims that the women attacked him first and he just lost it. He used a meat cleaver and his fists to kill them.

Huntington Beach man testifies that he used meat cleaver to kill 2 women in Westminster double-murder trial – Orange County Register

 

[Dina46]

I see that he has been found guilty on all counts today and that further proceedings are scheduled tomorrow, i wonder if that is when he will be sentenced.

 

[Dina46]

Unbelievable. He claims that the women attacked him first and he just lost it. He used a meat cleaver and his fists to kill them.

Huntington Beach man testifies that he used meat cleaver to kill 2 women in Westminster double-murder trial – Orange County Register

I don’t think he’s telling the truth here at all. From reading the news articles I am also now starting to doubt his wife. She said she knew nothing about it, I actually spoke to her after this happened and she told me when he came back to the car he looked fine and she was not aware of anything that could of happened. One news article says he his shirt was ripped when he left the house and was seen on security cameras and I would have to think he would have a lot of blood on him from what he described in his account of what happened. I can’t believe that she didn’t know and now I really distrust what she said. Was she lying to cover it up or was she just very afraid of him and didn’t say anything, either way I’m now very suspicious that she did know something

 

[JoeFromLB]

The wife seems like a kook. Just my opinion. I believe she's currently living in England. Mods can delete my comment if inappropriate.