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To: Howlin
Aren't you one of the ones decrying the supposed trashing of the accuser?

Yes, I am. But now we are talking about something germane to the case, not who she slept with six months ago or what she may or may not have said at a party days/weeks after the event. There's a difference between gossip and relevant facts.

BTW, if I were a judge, I wouldn't allow the "forced sex with Kobe Bryant" comment to be said in front of the jury (it's hearsay and it's prejudicial - it concludes guilt or innocense in its very utterance when the bellhop was not there to conclude if the statement was true or false). What's relevant is not what she said to the bellhop but what the bellhop can verify in terms of the state of the accused right after she left his room - the condition of her clothes, her emotional state, etc.

Bryant doesn't deny he had sex with her and it will be the physical evidence that will be critical in determining whether it was forced. What the bellhop does is narrow the timeline to refute claims that the woman faked her injuries or made up her story within the 12 hours between the event and going to the police.

It still doesn't prove the case but, if it stands, it eliminates some alternate theories the defense might otherwise use to claim that she "made it up" after the fact.

As for Rita naming the bellhop, don't you think most of these reporters already know the identities of every hotel staff working that night and have been trying to dig up information from them? These folks still have jobs and have to show up at the hotel so it would be pretty easy to find them, follow them and start peppering them with questions. Perhaps reporters have become much more lazy than in my day (sometimes it sure seems so) but I can't imagine a resourceful reporter not being able to find this out if they can get somebody to talk.

52 posted on 08/04/2003 12:15:30 PM PDT by Tall_Texan (http://righteverytime.blogspot.com - home to Tall_Texan's new column.)
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To: Tall_Texan
"As for Rita naming the bellhop, don't you think most of these reporters already know the identities of every hotel staff working that night and have been trying to dig up information from them?"

I did not hear her name the bellhop. It is reasonable to assume the reporters, the DAs staff and the defense ALL have lists of every person that is involved (actually or potentially).

I read a couple of days ago that the defendant's team has Private Investigators, no doubt searching for anything they can find, which could prove useful to their case.

Be certain the defense will have developed a negative slant, for any witness which is favorable to the prosecution's case.



58 posted on 08/04/2003 3:01:13 PM PDT by truth_seeker
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To: Tall_Texan
BTW, if I were a judge, I wouldn't allow the "forced sex with Kobe Bryant" comment to be said in front of the jury (it's hearsay and it's prejudicial - it concludes guilt or innocense in its very utterance when the bellhop was not there to conclude if the statement was true or false).

It is indeed hearsay, but it is nevertheless relevant because it's indicative of whether she was claiming to have been raped right after the incident, not after twelve hours of persuasion by her parents and her own guilty self. So, also, should those reports of her describing his enormity with hand gestures, if they appear to be reliable. There are exceptions to the hearsay rule.

146 posted on 08/04/2003 9:03:45 PM PDT by cynwoody
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