News Scrapbook 1986

Los Angeles , CA (Los Angeles Co.) Los Angeles Daily Journal (Cir. D. 20,433) NO\I 4

Los Angeles, CA (Los Angeles Co) Time (S,in Diego Ed .) (Crr. D 50,010) (C,r. S 55,573) NO

1986

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both civil and criminal trials, pr'!liminary hearings, criminal settlement conferences, and traffic arraignments. . "I enjoy the trial and also the pr~lim triie of practice, seeing the attorneys ac~1on, being able to make rulings on ev1dentiary . He has not bad problems adjusting to bis new vantage point, only to the way some attorneys and court employees have been treating him lately. "The thing that I bad~ watch out for, which was haril to. acce~~• IS the deference that's given to a Judge, he said. "You come in, and people w~o you have known for all these year - even m the hall- way they're calling you judge." So~eday, May would like it if people called him a Superior Court judge. "That's one of my goals," be said. "It's not th~ last of my goals, but it's one of my goals. Asked what bis ultimate goal is, May re- plied, "I think that one's just between myself objections," May said.

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attorney Eddie Sturgeon. "Plus, one thing I really like, he usually takes the time to e~- plain his sentencing and what be bases 1t on.ti Sturgeon described May as a tough sen- tencer, while prosecutors Mallen and Boyle said May imposes fair sentences. Another defense attorney, Roland Haddad, agreed with the prosecutors. "I think bis sentencing is on the mark," Haddad said "He makes fair and just decisions." Haddad praised May for understanding the scheduling problems attorneys face when they are required to be in several courtrooms at the same time. He also said May, like all new judges, needs a certain amount of seasoning before he can regularly detect when defendants and attorneys are not being truthful. "Some judges never learn it," Haddad said. "I think he will master that." May bas been trying to master a number of court assignments. He has presided over

ntlnued from Page 1 He spent eight years at it, litigating both civil and criminal cases, until a lengthy and emotional murder trial convinced him he didn't want to be a defense lawyer after all. In 1982, May represented a man accused of suffocating bis two-year-old stepson by lock- ing him in a toy box with a hair dryer that was running. . May was convinced that the ?tan _did not want to kill the hoy, just to purush him, and bad intended to let the boy out of the box before he was harmed. But May was also convinced that the jury would not believe bis client. 'I Tried Like Hell' "He loved that child dearly and this ap- peared to be an aberration," May said. "But to convince a jury of that was -an extreme uphill battle. . . . It wasn't premeditated murder. But regardlESS of the efforts - and I tried like hell - I wasn't able to convince the jury." Shortly after, May became a federal prosecutor. "Bob was a very t.'1orough lawyer," ~d Peter Bowie chief assistant U.S. attorney m San Diego. • 1 we felt be brought a particular dimension to our office and we were sorry to see him go." Bowie said May's experience as a deputy district attorney and criminal defense law- yer made him an effective federal prosecu- tor. ''He handled technical issues of law very well," Bowie said. In addition to drug cases at sea, May pros- ecuted other criminal matters, including the murder of a federal prison guard in San Diego. .. Last April, Gov. George Deukme11an helped May fulfill a long-time ambition by appointing him as a judge. • 'I always felt that I would be a good referee," said May, the father of three and a frequent umpire at youth soccer games. Since taking the be!ich, May has been scor- ing high points with both prosecutors and defense attorneys who say he is an under- standing judge who combines a low-key style with a sharp sense of fairness . "All the D.A.s report that he's helpful, po- lite, efficient, an outstanding individual," said Deputy District Attorney Louis ~yle, who is in charge of the 19 prosecutors m the El Cajon office. Deputy District Attorney Patricia Mallen said May is a conscientious judge ho care- fully listens to both sides bef

• / - HENRY UNGE3/ _

and my wife."

San Diego, CA (San Diego Co.) Evening Tribune (Cir. D. 127,454) NOV 5 1986

El Cajon, CA (San Diego Co) Daily Californian (Cir. D 100,271)

NOV 2 1986

J lflen'• ,x,x 4ey Lucas-case w·tness soared evaluations again ~ v!S-5 By Mike Konon ago examination to the state Su- Tribune S1aff Wmer pr&ne Court, which has yet to rule For the second time, a judge has on the issue. refused to order physical and psych1- Orfield also denied yesterday a re- atric evaluations of the key witness quest by defense attorneys for a in the two murder cases against clo e study of jury records to deter- David Allen Lucas. mine whether certain minority Superior Court Judge Franklin B. groups were inadequately represent- Orfield ye~terday denied a renewed ed. P c B 1 ,

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reqUP~t by d•fense attorneys for a psychiatric evaluation of the witness, .Jody San' iago 34, of Seattle. She sur- ived a throat-slashing, a skull frac- ture and stab wounds June 9, 1984. Santiago is expected to be the key prosecution witness m two murder trials, one scheduled to start tomor- row and the secon on Dec. l. Lucas b charged with six murders and with kidnapping and attempting to mur- der Santiago. He originally denied the request earlier this year. Defense attorneys a. ked him to reconsider the request after Santiago agreed to release her medical and psychiatric records and to allow her therapists to testify. Orfield heard testimony from the therapists and studied the records before ruling that the examination will not be allowed. Lucas' attorneys have appealed Orfield's earlier ruling on the Santi-

Deputy District Attorney George C. Clarke told Orfield that the study, requested by attorney Alex Landon, would take three months to preparP and would reQulfc many documents. In the first trial that opens tomor- row, Lucas is charged with the May 4, 1979, slayings of Suzanne Jacobs, 31 and her son, Colin, 3, in their Nor- mal Heights home, and the Dec. 8, 1981, slaying of real estate sales- woman Gayle Garcia, 29, in a home she was showing to prospective renters. In the Dec. I trial, Lucas is charged with the Nov. 20, 1984. slay- ing of Unjyersjty of Sac Diege stu- dent Anne Catherine Swanke, 22; the Oct. 23, 1984, slaying of Rhonda Strang, 24, and a child she was baby- sitting, Amber Fisher, 3,in Strang's Lakeside home, and the attempted murder of Santiago.

San Diego, CA (San Diego Co.) San Diego Union (Cir. D. 217,089) (Cir. S. 341,840)

3 \986

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.)l{[,,i 's P. C B. l 888 ./4 "The Loya!tv:d~ill be the topic ol a mmaTar1-ii(a:'m. Friday m the Manchester Conference Room at ~Jmve~D1~ fa t,

Escondido, CA (San Diego Co.) Times Advocate (Cir. D. 32,685) (Cir. S. 34,568)

NOVG 1996

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San Diego, CA (San Diego Co.) San Diego Business Journal (Cir. M. 7,500)

J~~~~~~-? 5 has again refused to or~- c.hjatrjc and physical examma- tions for a Seattle woman ex- pected to be the key prosecution witness in the two murder trials of David Allen Lus.as. Superior Court'Judge Frank- lin Orfield on Tuesday denied the renewed request by defense attorneys for Lucas. He is ch«rged with six murders and with kidnapping and attempt- ing to murder 34-year-old Jody Santiago of Seattle. Santiago is e1:pected to be the key prosecution witness in the two trials, the first of which is scheduled to begin Thursday and the second to begin Dec. 1. 0 rfield a l,;o denied a request by defense attorneys for a close study of jury records to deter-

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NOV 3 1986

In the first trial , Lutab ib charged with the May 4, 1979 slayings of Suzanne C'amillti Ja- cobs, 31, and her son, Cohn, :l, in their Normal Heights htlme, and the Dec. 8, 1981 blaying ot real estate agent Gayle Garcia, 29, in a home s he was preparing to bhow to prospective renters. In the Dec . I trial, Lucas is charged with the Nov. 20, 1984 slaying of University a( San D~o~tudcnt Anne Catherine Swan e, 22; the Oct. 22, 1984 slaying of Rhonda Strang, 24, and a child she was baby-sittinl(, Amber Fisher, 3, in Straug·ij Lakeside home, and the 11t- tempted murder of Santiago.

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°'.FRIDAY N 'EM1 AR: 'Th J rhe ro~lJc of. s m~ of ~ir r.1,zabcffi°)\rnol~:tssociate pro es- esrcr onfercncc a.m. at Man- Call 260-4682 or 260-4~8~~r. Fee is $15. / r ' OVF:MBER 7 ~th_1c" ~ill be an~usinc s'fffllr/ hy(Jn,vc ·