adjustercom.com News

May 15th 2013: Juliana Redding’s friend, Kelly Duncan, was the second witness to testify. She is a young and beautiful, blonde, tall, excessively slender model-type—like several of the young ladies seated in the courtroom. Her personality came off way too perky and ebullient for the melancholy occasion. I would imagine she didn’t realize she was doing this. It would have been better if she had acted lugubrious.

When asked by the DA if she could identify the person pictured up on the screen, she spoke out ebulliently, “Yes, the AMAZING Juliana Redding.” Her effervescence didn’t fit with the somber tone in the court room.

She and Juliana met in college in 2006.   Ms. Duncan was asked by the DA if she knew how long the relationship between Juliana Redding and Munir Uwaydah lasted.   Duncan replied, “One month. Three months.”

Kelly Duncan testified that she herself met Munir Uwaydah in Marina Del Rey. Then she met a Lety LaMuse the “Center Director”, and Paul Turley who ran the office. She met with Paul Turley privately to try and pitch him her weight loss program.   She remembered that Juliana was approached to work as Munir Uwaydah’s secretary.

The night of Juliana’s murder, Kelly Duncan and Juliana went to dinner together at Tengu restaurant in West Los Angeles.   She took the last picture of Juliana alive. “I had a throw-away camera.”

Up on the court room screen, the DA showed the picture of Juliana turning her head around from where she sat at a counter, to look into the lens of the camera.   Kelly Duncan said, “We were out of there by 7:30.” She explained that she had plans to meet her boyfriend afterwards and Juliana also wanted to get going.

Deputy District Attorney Stacey Okun-Wiese then pointed out the defendant, Kelly Soo Park, in the court room and asked Kelly Duncan if she had ever seen her before. Ms. Duncan replied, “I’ve never seen her,” pointing to the defendant. “I have a good memory. I’d never heard her name.”

Brian Van Holt, the actor, took the stand as a witness after Greg Redding and Juliana’s friend Kelly Duncan. He wore a pair of dark slacks and a white open collared shirt. He had on dark framed glasses.

He testified that he had known Juliana Redding for about two years leading up to her death. They had hung around with the same people who frequented Primitivo Wine Bistro, the Tapas Bar at Venice Beach where Juliana worked.

March 14th 2008, the night before her murder, Brian, a friend named Cher, another friend named Mark, all met at Primitivo and then went to another bar called “The Other Room”. They stayed at The Other Room for an hour or two and then they went to Brian’s house.

“Was it just hanging out?” the DA asked, and Brian answered, “Yes”.

Mark left at some point, then Juliana left to give Cher a ride home. Then she came back to spend more time with Brian. Juliana and Brian had mutually agreed that she would come back to spend more time together after dropping off Cher.

Brian answered the prosecutor’s questions by explaining that he and Juliana had a conversation, essentially just continued to talk, then they kissed and embraced. Brian spoke well and was very dignified. He was unruffled when both the DA and defense attorney George Buehler bluntly asked him in their different ways if he and Juliana had had sexual intercourse. He simply said no with no embarrassment.

Two days later he found out that the very night after he had been with her, she was murdered. He went to Primitivo and saw it on the News there in the office of Primitivo after a friend named Mary first told him what happened. He called the police and left a message; then got an attorney who was referred by his agent. He stated he later regretted that decision of getting a lawyer. He explained that he just didn’t know at the time what to do or how to handle the situation.

A friend of Juliana’s named Jessica testified after Brian Van Holt. She grew up with Juliana in Tucson, Arizona. She described herself as Juliana’s “best friend for 20 years.”

She flew with Juliana and another friend named Ashley on Munir Uwaydah’s private jet to Las Vegas for Juliana’s 21st birthday on October 25th 2007. Prosecutor Stacey Okun-Weise put a picture up on the screen of Ashley, Juliana, and Jessica inside the jet with Munir Uwaydah talking on his cell phone in a seat further back on the right side of the picture.

Jessica described Juliana as very upset on the way to the airport. They went to the Wynn hotel, had dinner at the hotel, and Juliana was angry so she was ignoring Munir. She was also upset about her dogs, as apparently one of her dogs was taken to San Diego against her wishes.

Jessica and Juliana went into the bathroom and talked. Juliana cried. They went to the Real hotel. Munir kept calling Juliana on her cell phone.

They took a commercial flight home. Jessica had never heard of Kelly Soo Park.

***

Natasha Hopey, a dark haired beauty who also looked like a model, had been friends with Juliana Redding for two years. She cried a lot during her testimony. The DA didn’t have any problem with it; she just waited for her until she could speak again. She did not ask Natasha if she needed to take a break.

Natasha described Juliana’s relationship with Munir Uwaydah as “professional, platonic”. She testified that Munir Uwaydah went with Juliana to find the apartment in Santa Monica on Centinella. At the time she found the apartment she was living “at that house in Beverly Hills.” Uwaydah had a house in Beverly Hills and Juliana Redding lived in it for a while.

Natasha picked her up at the airport after Las Vegas. They quickly stopped at Natasha’s apartment, then they went to the house in Beverly Hills. They went to pick up the dogs. They only picked up one of the dogs—the little dog.

The DA asked who was there at the house. “Rosita,” Natasha replied, “The housekeeper.”

Natasha testified that Juliana went back to work at Primitivo after she worked for a short while for Munir. She knew about a Louis Vuitton key chain Munir bought for Juliana. Natasha and Juliana both admired that key chain—they thought it was special. They loved it. Also, according to Natasha, Juliana got a Louis Vuitton purse from Munir as well as a pair of diamond earrings.

Juliana’s Highlander vehicle was at the Beverly Hills home when they got there.