Kelly Soo Park Misses The Boat. Appears In Court To Start Preliminary Phases Of Her Murder Trial
By Lonce LaMon - December 2, 2010
Just for a moment, I forgot that if Kelly Soo Park showed up for court yesterday, she would not be wearing an orange or dark blue jail outfit. So, when I saw her sitting in Department 100 in Downtown L.A. in the 210 E. Temple Street Court House in the morning looking rather elegant with her trademark long almost-black hair flowing down below her shoulder blades, I had the fleeting thought of “that woman looks a lot like Kelly Soo Park… that could be her sister…” until I snapped-to in the present and registered that Kelly Soo is out on a 3.5 million dollar bond and can walk around nicely dressed—as she was—looking rather fine just like the finest of attractive women. Henceforth, that was her.
Clearly now this puts some cold water on the speculation that she was going to sneak out of the country on a cargo ship leaving out of San Pedro harbor. So, chuck that rumor. Her case was moved to Department 109 around 10 am. And Kelly Soo walked in her sexy stiletto black high heels, well tailored slender black pants which betrayed her svelte figure even under her off-white long vertical trench coat which she sported on top with a multi-colored wool scarf slung around her neck, through the security systems on the ninth floor, to the Ladies’ Room, and into Court Room 109 where six to eight of her friends and family were waiting, having arrived ahead of her.
It’s hard to imagine when you see her like that, looking just like any kind of professional woman who may be appearing in court on a civil matter, that she is involved in a criminal matter being handled by the District Attorney’s office’s Major Crimes Unit. Kelly Soo is accused of murdering 21-year-old aspiring actress and model Juliana Redding, who was found murdered in her Santa Monica apartment on March 15th 2008. Her death occurred as a result of being strangled, and according to the L.A. Times, so forcefully that some bones in her neck were crushed.
The man who is speculated to be behind the murder, workers’ compensation medical mill doctor, Munir Uwaydah, M.D., Kelly’s boss, has been charged with no crimes. The latest rumor about him is that he is no longer in Cyprus, but is back in Southern California working at a hospital—some speculate at Coast Plaza Doctors’ Hospital in Norwalk. However, this writer has not yet confirmed this hearsay.
The salient reason Uwaydah has been suspected of being connected to the murder is because of large payments in the six figures which Uwaydah paid to Kelly Soo before and after the murder. Kelly Soo and her defense claim the payments were for real estate deals. She is an experienced real estate professional who has owned and operated a real estate practice based in the Thousand Oaks, California, area called Sherwood Financial. One reason among others that she is charged with the murder is because her DNA was found at the crime scene, according to the Santa Monica Police Department. According to an L.A. Times reporter, Kelly Soo Park’s DNA was found on Juliana Redding’s neck, throat, and clothing.
Uwaydah left the country immediately after Kelly Soo’s arrest back in June of 2010. This act of fleeing just as he was wanted for questioning, raised eyebrows and aroused suspicions. Munir Uwaydah, M.D. and Frontline Medical, the practice of which he is the principal, has been and is the subject of investigations by SIU investigators at numerous and sundry third-party-administrators and insurance companies, including State Compensation Insurance Fund, Zenith Insurance Company, and Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies. Uwaydah allegedly had a business deal going with Juliana Redding's father, Greg Redding, a pharmacist. The deal ostensibly fell apart just days before Juliana was murdered.
Kelly Soo Park’s defense counsels, Jennifer Keller and Kay Rackauckas, showed up in court and sat on the left end of the table from the audience perspective. Eric Harmon and Halim Dhanidina were the D.A.’s representing The People. Prosecutor Alan Jackson was not there. Before the judge took to the bench, Jennifer Keller turned around and spoke to Kelly Soo, who was seated with her family and friends in the center row of the audience seats.
Jennifer Keller (to Kelly Soo Park): "You can come sit with us as soon as the judge comes out."
Kelly Soo Park: "Are you sure?"
Jennifer Keller: "I’m positive."
The first issue the judge, Kathleen Kennedy, wanted to take care of was the Media Request. One NBC camera man was present standing up directly behind me with his camera equipment loaded on a sort of dolly. He had not yet set-up to shoot.
The defense, expressed by Jennifer Keller, wanted no cameras in the court room. She expressed that the “Media frenzy” was a threat to her client’s right to a fair trial.
Jennifer Keller: "We object to the continued Media frenzy. It impacts my client’s rights to a fair trial."
The judge expressed that Keller was offering up no specific legal reason for banning the Press’s cameras.
Jennifer Keller: "One justification is the redaction of Discovery. Because of cameras in the court room and the Media interest, witnesses don’t want to come forth. There is such wholesale redaction. Information is redacted. They even redacted my client’s sister’s address."
Jennifer Keller was big on the words redacted and redaction. This writer has never used the words redacted and redaction, so I looked them up and studied them. I think what Jennifer is expressing is that the Prosecution has edited and clipped information about and from witnesses, per the witnesses demands, from their (the D.A.’s) documents offered up in the Discovery process. Many of the Prosecution witnesses do not want their information getting into the hands of the Defense. They are scared and frightened. There is much fear in the hearts and minds of the witnesses in this case. So, the Defense feels that all the deleted, clipped, and redacted information they are getting from the Prosecution in the Discovery process is compromising Kelly Soo’s chances of getting a fair trial.
The Prosecution had no objection to the Press with cameras being in the courtroom.
Eric Harmon: "Media interest stirs up anxiety. Yes. If that argument works, there will never be cameras in any courtroom. My view is that if the court wants to allow cameras, it has nothing to do with the redactions."
The judge ruled to allow the camera.
Kathleen Kennedy: "The public has a right to know what is going on in this case. I don’t see that your client’s right to a fair trial is implicated."
Time was then allowed for the camera man from NBC to set up in the jury box area. CBS was not there. I noticed no other Media person present other than the NBC film camera reporter and myself.
The defense previously filed a Request for Discovery. The parties agreed that The People now have until January 5th 2011 to respond. The Defense subsequently has until January 14th to respond with a further response to the People’s response, if they decide to file one.
Now the hearing on the Motion for Redaction is set for January 19th 2011.
D.A. Eric Harmon: "I did speak with the victim’s family. They would like a speedy trial. They don’t want this (legal and trial process) to linger on. January 19th is not an unreasonable time."
Judge Kathleen Kennedy (to Kelly Soo Park): "Do you wave time until January 19th?"
Kelly Soo Park: "Yes."
Then, the court was adjourned. Henceforth, court will be back in session on this case January 19th 2011.
Upon preparing to leave the court room, an unidentified woman from Kelly Soo’s camp came to me and leaned over so I could hear her quietly tell me to please, this time, write the truth. Her implication was that I have not been writing the truth. I asked her to tell me her name; she would not tell me. I told her my name, which she clearly already knew but I told her anyway. I stood by her in the elevator and asked her what I wrote that was not true. She replied that I had written that Ronnie Wayne Case (Kelly Soo’s significant other) had been in the court room on a previous date, when in fact he had not been in the court room. I had been told by a CBS journalist that Ronnie Wayne Case had been present in the court room back when the case was being heard at the Los Angeles Airport Court House, but I guess now that perhaps that journalist got that fact wrong. I am used to depending upon facts given to me by fellow reporters. So, okay, if I got one thing wrong, that does not make everything I write untrue.
On the way to the exit door of the Court House, as I paused by the front windows, I asked the unidentified woman how it is that Kelly Soo’s DNA was on the victim’s body, if she is innocent. The unidentified woman replied that everything would come out in the upcoming trial. Kelly Soo was not at Juliana Redding’s apartment. She said, “She was not even there…” and she further expressed that DNA could have been planted.
I replied to her DNA planting idea by asking if she thought the DNA had been planted. She evaded my blunt question with a somewhat anxious look and further expressed that Kelly Soo could never have hurt anyone or have committed this crime; she was a wonderful and beautiful person.
I then walked up the steps with this nameless woman and onto the sidewalk within just several feet of where Kelly Soo Park stood with her friends and family members. Then I separated myself and I walked down Temple Street to Spring Street and then walked North on Spring to my car which was parked in a lot adjacent to Cesar Chavez Boulevard. When I got in my car and tried to start it, it wouldn’t start. My car is still in Downtown L.A. as I write this article.
It must be an omen. A sign. Perhaps an inauspicious one? Who knows what will now unfold in this case. All I know is I have a bad feeling. There is something very dark about this case which is symbolized by my car now still being in a shop in Downtown L.A. Juliana Redding was murdered and there are people around who passionately believe that Kelly Soo Park didn’t do it.
So, if she didn’t do it, who did?
Readers may write to writer Lonce LaMon at lonce@adjustercom.com
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