Trial Discussion Thread #12 - 14.03.24, Day 14

[MeeBee]

Signed statement with factually incorrect part in it.

 

[zwiebel]

AH - judge now asking OW to translate into English the statement he is reading in Afrikaans!

 

[MeeBee]

Either she didn't notice the error or she changed her account and is making excuses for it.

 

[sorrell skye]

Mrs. Stipp gave her statement to police prior to the photos of her bedroom.

 

[zwiebel]

AS statement: I was in my bed, I looked at my bedclock, 3.02. Just after that I heard gunshots. The balcony door was open, I could see from my bed that the two homes had lights on. I established later one was OP's...........I heard a woman yell. Whereafter I got up and went to the balcony........I thought that it was a family homicide because of the manner in which the woman was screaming. I then went to the balcony with my husband.

 

[BritsKate]

I don't know about "religiously" because not all people are followers of this kind of thing, however in countries where they allow ongoing reports of cases by the press, in high profile cases as this it is very difficult to isolate witnesses from such reports. That is why in the UK we have total press blackout until the trial begins. During the trial official court reporters are permitted to publish snippets agreed by Judge of what goes on during each day, and then after the trial we get all the details. The system works for us.

Speak for yourself. :floorlaugh: I usually have to get my fix stateside as I'm only afforded the merest of crumbs by the British courts.

But I insist I don't have a problem.

 

[MeeBee]

She just seems iffy. Very self aware and defensive about everything.

 

[zwiebel]

AS: My husband went to the bigger balcony first. Moments later I followed him.

 

[Really?]

Didn't we go through all this before tea..

 

[zwiebel]

AS statement: I saw Oscar's house. The light was switched on. I saw a man inside and the man was walking.

 

[kaos]

I would never expect any witness testimony or statements to be identical as you tend to remember little details later when reflecting on events.

 

[sorrell skye]

It says a lot, IMO, about the strength of the State's case & evidence when the Defense tries to impeach every earwitness's testimony.

If one cannot refute the evidence, then one must then try to discredit the witnesses.

 

[katydid23]

Wouldnt you be defensive and self aware, if this attorney was hounding you about the tiniest detail, on worldwide television?

 

[MeeBee]

But she's going backwards. First she says she a figure now she says she didn't?

 

[Really?]

I can see why some people hesitated to get involved.......sheesh

 

[BritsKate]

She just seems iffy. Very self aware and defensive about everything.

To me, she is anything but iffy. She's quite certain what she heard and if I were in her shoes, I'd be getting a bit miffed by being asked the same question for the 17th time. But then, I get irritated with kiddos when they ask 3 times why I've said no.

Apparently 'because I said so' isn't good enough.

 

[MeeBee]

When the defense asks a simple question and everything is qualified with, "yes, but why doesn't seem odd," or "yes, but it's only natural," that's suspicious.

 

[zwiebel]

Cpt Von Art wrote the statement for her, but AS signed it was correct.

OW spots something 'peculiar". AS initial on document, dated. Scratched out: "Something was deleted that was not correct?"

He has just established she and Cpt V discussed her statement and amended it.

 

[zwiebel]

OW says she made a false statement. AS tries to establish 'exactly what you are saying is false'.

 

[MeeBee]

Her testimony seems to have been influenced by her husband. Stipp is the one who saw the figure. This hurts her credibility.