“Are you happy?” Judge Elaine Streger asked Tom Shultz after Cara was escorted out of the court room. 

“I’m neither happy nor unhappy.” Shultz retorted. 

“Anyone wish to follow in her footsteps?” Judge Streger asked the other defendants and their counsels. 

“That would make me happy,” D.A. Shultz quipped.

None of the defendants followed suit.  Cara Cruz-Thompson and her counsel Brian Gurwitz had left the Court Room and the other defendants and their counsels remained to continue with the Preliminary Hearing.  They all sat there silent and tight lipped, which let the judge know they were ready to proceed with their Preliminary Hearing. 

Cara had been wearing a dark blue jail tunic and had been seated furthest on the left of all the defendants from my perspective as an observer in the Court Room.  I noticed immediately that to Cara’s right was Rene Montes, then to the right of Rene, was Hector Porrata, her husband.  Then George Martinez sat on the right side of Hector.

It leapt out at me instantaneously the fact that Cara was not seated next to her husband, Hector Porrata.  I felt that clearly the deputies had thought this out in advance, to keep them apart this time, as Hector so longs to speak to his wife and cannot resist speaking to her if she is seated next to him.  The scene at the last court session proved to me that if Cara is seated next to Hector, as she was in late December, Hector will speak to her and look at her.  And that if the deputy sees this going on he will go ballistic. 

(to be continued tomorrow, January 7th 2010)

Readers may write to writer Lonce LaMon at lonce@adjustercom.com