Kelly Soo Park's Defense Demands Her Video Camera And $20,700 In Cash Returned. An MRI Will Require Her Ankle Bracelet Monitor Removed.
By Lonce LaMon - November 14, 2011
It was already well past nine o’clock in the morning inside Department 109 at Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center on 210 E. Temple Street in Downtown Los Angeles this past Thursday, November 10th, while Kelly Soo Park and her entourage waited patiently. They all sat side by side on the center bench in the audience area of the court room while there was still no sign of the attorneys or the judge.
Kelly Soo Park is accused of the murder of Juliana Redding, a 21-year-old aspiring actress and model who was found dead in her apartment in Santa Monica, California on March 16th 2008. Police and prosecutors believe that Park may have been paid to commit the murder by Dr. Munir Uwaydah, an orthopedic surgeon whose California medical license has been revoked and who fled California at the end of June 2010 just on the wake of Kelly Soo Park’s arrest.
Munir Uwaydah and his medical practice, Frontline Medical, are under extensive investigation for workers’ compensation fraud.
Kelly Soo sat on the very end of the bench closest to the front door next to her mother. Deborah Van Cleave, Kelly Soo’s constant companion, sat at the other extreme end of the same bench. But, one person was conspicuously missing: her bail bondsman, Josh Herman, whom I’ve nicknamed the middle linebacker. He’s a hulking brute of a man with very wide, powerful looking shoulders. But, for the first time in a long time, he wasn’t with Kelly and her family in the court room.
Kelly Soo was wearing a light weight grey sweater top and had a very delicate, thin gold bracelet on her slender wrist. Her beautiful, long straight black hair fell gracefully below her shoulder blades. Her dark eye make-up was well applied.
Finally her lawyer, Stephen Bernard, came through a back door near the end of the back row of juror chairs. He is a youthful man in his early 60s who is small, slender, and moves around quite energetically in the court room. He wore a distinguished looking, dark grey suit. He spoke to his client seated directly in front of this writer, and I tried not to overhear the conversation so as not to intrude upon the attorney-client privilege for confidentiality. I looked down and closed my ears, but then I could not resist looking up which is how I caught a perfect line of sight to her exquisite profile.
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There is not a bag or a sag on that gorgeous 45-year-old face. I thought about how Dr. Uwaydah has made a career out of exploiting that kind of sublime beauty. |
Kelly Soo Park’s face is chiseled as if it were crafted by a Renaissance sculptor. Her skin is perfectly evenly toned and tight to her refined facial bones. There is not a bag or a sag on that gorgeous 45-year-old face. I thought about how Dr. Uwaydah has made a career out of exploiting that kind of sublime beauty.
Eric Harmon, the deputy district attorney who is prosecuting this case together with Alan Jackson, also came out the same back door where Stephen Bernard had emerged. They had both—Harmon and Bernard-- most likely been speaking to the judge in her chambers. Then, alas, the honorable Kathleen Kennedy came out of another door on the opposite side of the same wall. Three different people chimed almost in unison, “Good morning, your honor.” However, Kathleen Kennedy did not respond. She seemed so deep in her thoughts that she could not yet take in any stimuli from outside herself.
Judge Kathleen Kennedy: There are three motions, and one just filed this morning.
The motions came from the defense, therefore Stephen Bernard responded immediately. He stated that Kelly Soo needed to have an MRI done, and wanted to go to an MRI facility in Downtown Los Angeles. They would need to remove her ankle bracelet. Thus, it’s apparent from this discussion that law enforcement is monitoring her with one of those ankle monitors. I have never seen any ankle bracelet on her-- most likely because she always wears long pants—so she must wear it higher than the bottom edge of the hem of her pants. I have never seen Kelly Soo Park wearing a skirt or a dress.
The judge stated that she would ask for an affidavit from the bondsman to have the ankle monitor removed for the MRI. She mentioned that for the first time she did not see the bail bondsman, Josh Herman, in the court room. Eric Harmon also expressed that he needed some assurances.
Judge Kathleen Kennedy: I would like something in writing. A lot of bonding companies are kind of slippery. They do the limbo.
Defense Attorney Stephen Bernard: I don’t think he (Josh Herman) can do the limbo. He’s kind of a big guy.
Judge Kathleen Kennedy: I need something in writing.
Then, Stephen Bernard moved on to his second motion demanding the return of $20,700 in cash that was found in a safe in Kelly Soo’s residence and seized by law enforcement the day she was arrested in June of 2010.
Defense Attorney Stephen Bernard: Seized out of my client’s safe at her home in June of 2010 was $20,700.00.
Bernard emphasized that this cash was not enumerated in the search warrant. There was no causal connection between this cash and the crime. The reason given by law enforcement and the district attorney for the seizure is that there’s a connection with this cash and the fraud allegation against Uwaydah. It is alleged that Kelly Soo is deeply connected with Uwaydah in his workers’ comp frauds. But Bernard argued that all of that is pure conjecture.
D.A. Eric Harmon: She had $20,700 in a safe. These are the fruits of the crime.
Judge Kathleen Kennedy: I’m not seeing a big connection with this money and this case.
D.A. Eric Harmon: Ms. Park’s criminality is not limited to the murder
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Kelly Soo has to be charged with something in connection to the workers' comp fraud, or the money has to be returned to her. |
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Judge Kathleen Kennedy: I haven’t reviewed the search warrant. But if some other agency has a claim to this money, then charge her with something.
The discussion continued between the two attorneys and the judge, about the fact that this is a murder case and not the fraud case against Uwaydah with Kelly Soo as his accomplice. No fraud charges have been made. So, the judge’s argument here is that the D.A. cannot hold on to this money any longer. Kelly Soo has to be charged with something in connection to the workers’ comp fraud, or the money has to be returned to her.
Judge Kathleen Kennedy: Drugs. Child pornography. That is contraband and on its face can be seized. Money. No.
D.A. Eric Harmon: But it can be any other piece of evidence. There is real estate fraud. Pharmaceutical fraud. Work comp fraud.
Defense Attorney Stephen Bernard: That’s a catch-all argument. This is a murder case. This is not a fraud case.
On the next and third motion, Stephen Bernard demanded that his client’s video camcorder be returned to her.
Defense Attorney Stephen Bernard: Her video camcorder was seized. Take the memory chip and give my client her camera back.
D.A. Eric Harmon: My position is no. I want the camera. It’s a piece of evidence that might be connected to the crime.
Defense Attorney Stephen Bernard: The People have no right to keep the property. The physical property.
Judge Kathleen Kennedy: They’re saying we don’t want to give up the camera because we don’t want to. So, you work it out Mr. Harmon. Anything you two agree on in returning stuff is fine with me.
The next scheduled court appearance is for Tuesday, November 15th at 9 am.
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