CORRECTION:
After the lunch break
in the Calvin Sharp sanity trial today, prosecutor Maeve Fox resumed her
closing arguments to the judge by saying that she wanted to point out the
misinformation being reported on The Court Reporter blog.
She said prosecution's
police psychologist Kris Mohandie wasn't paid $200,000 as reported in the Court
Reporter blog to do mental health work on Calvin Sharp case. Ms. Fox said
Mohandie was paid $60,000.
In the last five
years, Ms. Fox said Mohandie did mental health work in three or four cases for
the Ventura County District Attorney and was paid $100,000.
Ms. Fox's comments
prompted Sharp's lawyer Mr. Todd Howeth to object, saying that Fox was looking
and directing her comments at The Court Reporter blogger who was in the
courtroom, and this was inappropriate argument.
Judge Kevin DeNoce
said he'll allow some leeway since he is hearing the evidence and testimony.
Mr. Howeth later told
the judge that Monhandie is paid $400 an hour, adding that his mental health
experts were getting $175 an hour.
During a recess in the
trial, Ms. Fox said Mr Howeth's employer,
the Public Defender's Office, has shelled out shell out $170,000 to hire mental
experts to testify for the defense in the Sharp case.
In addition, Ms. Fox
said that the source who told The Court Reporter that Howeth agreed to have a
judge preside over Sharp's sanity trial because this was the only way the
District Attorney's Office would take the death penalty against Sharp off the
table was incorrect.
Ms. Fox noted that the
district attorney decided not to seek the death penalty against Sharp in May
2009. In November 2009, She said Sharp entered a guilty plea by reason of insanity to first-degree murder along with other felony
crimes related to the stabbing of the 6-year-old child, his mother and a
neighbor.
The Calvin Sharp Sanity Trial was packed with emotion and a Judge who complimented the prosecutor's and defense attorney's professionalism.
Judge Kevin DeNoce who presided over the sanity trial complimented the lawyers on their professionalism, saying the case was "extremely well litigated" by both attorneys.
Ms Fox is a feisty,
seasoned and tough prosecutor who doesn't mince words, and Mr. Howeth, is
perhaps, the best attorney at the Public Defender's Office.
During closing
arguments, both lawyers were well-prepared and passionate in advocating for
their side
Mr. Howeth's voice started
cracking with emotion as he began his closing arguments and talked about the
tragedy, describing the 6-year-old Sev'n Molina as a "beautiful and angelic
child."
"I don't think we can
do justice unless we acknowledge these emotions," he said.