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The hearing yesterday for accused murderer Kelly Soo Park, which was supposed to be her "bail hearing", was very short and maybe even sweet on the issue of her bail, for it didn't happen.  At the opening of the hearing which started around 10 am at the Los Angeles Airport Court House, Kelly entered from the side door this time wearing a dark blue jail shirt rather than a bright orange one, but consistent with her everpresent long dark hair flowing down below the center of her back. 

Her attorney, Kay Rackauckas, answered Judge Keith Schwartz very soon after Kelly entered the court, by stating she would not be making any motion to post her client's bail. This exchange of words lasted a maximum of maybe 60 seconds, and then Judge Schwartz moved on to other matters in Park's case.

On August 31st, several friends and family members of Kelly Soo Park's attempted to post bail through a bail bonds company in this same court room before Judge Schwartz, amidst contentious arguments from District Attorney Alan Jackson.  But, after much drama and display, including an offer from Kelly's common law father-in-law to put up his land as collateral, the defense could not prove the collateral had sufficient value.  The bail hearing was then continued, and now appears to have been dropped.

Some opinions speculate that Kelly Soo will be better off staying in jail rather than getting out on bail, as at least in custody she will be protected.  It is speculated that Dr. Munir Uwaydah, a workers' compensation treating doctor and spine surgeon, is the money behind the hit on his girlfriend, Juliana Redding, who was found murdered in her Santa Monica apartment on March 15th 2008.  Kelly Soo Park has been formally charged with the murder--her DNA was found on the victim's body.  But no charges have been made, to date, against Dr. Uwaydah. He has been wanted by authorities for questioning, but has made himself unavailable, ostensibly traveling outside the U.S. 

Large payments to Kelly Soo Park from Dr. Uwaydah raise questions.  A sum of $250,000 was paid from Uwaydah to Park approximately four weeks before the 2008 murder, and another six figure amount was paid some weeks after the murder to a Park family member.  Kelly Soo asserts that the large sums from Uwaydah were payments for real estate deals.  Park was not only an employee of Dr. Uwaydah's before her arrest but was also a real estate professional who had a business in the Thousand Oaks area called Sherwood Financial. 

Judge Schwartz continued with the issue of setting a date for the Preliminary Hearing. But there remains the issue of his need for a written decision on the issue of discovery during the "Pre-Prelim" phase.  The problem as it stands now is that the D.A.'s office has witnesses who do not want their addresses and phone numbers revealed to the defense, but the defense wants this information, arguing that it can't perform a proper defense without being able to interview these witnesses.

Judge Schwartz hopes one side or the other will take a writ.  But it's hard now to get a written opinion.  Schwartz talked to ten different judges, and those judges only knew of a Judge Westley's opinion.  "I don't know how the Court of Appeals isn't going to make this decision," Schwartz said.

The next hearing for Kelly Soo Park is now set for October 25th 2010; hopefully, as Schwartz expressed, to choose a Preliminary Hearing date. 

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