Second Day: Laura Hall Trial Part 2

Prosecution's case-in-chief witness #23, Nora Sullivan, resumes her direct testimony (interrupted yesterday by an objection awaiting a ruling) after the lunch break. She tells of how Hall initiated contact w/her through Facebook in winter or spring of 2006 & they became friends. Nora consented to let Hall come w/her to the county jail for her 20-minute visit w/CP, although Hall had to stay out in the waiting room. Apparently CP had mentioned that his cell had a window to the outside & so maybe he could see Hall or vice versa from a distance.

According to Sullivan, in late spring 2006, after a jail visit, Hall mentioned that she had been frustrated w/CP earlier on the day they eventually left for Mexico because he was just sitting drinking a beer watching television when he should have been using the stuff from the hardware store in the bathroom. Hall said she had to "try to motivate him to do the task" in the bathroom & that he was procrastinating.

Sawyer's first sentence on cross exam of Sullivan was, "You've lied to the jury from the start about your relationship with Colton Pitonyak!" She said something along the lines of "I don't think I heard you right." He repeated it & she said, "no." Sawyer's voice is pretty loud & more accusatory than it's been so far in this trial. Sawyer continues this tone w/her as he goes through her previous accounts of CP's intoxicated, gun-toting 3 a.m. visit to her apartment of 8/17/05, and asks her, "you don't pick up the phone & call the police after he (CP) says he's just had a gunfight?? Sullivan replies, "no."

Sawyer continues along this line, asking if she approached the police officer at the scene w/the yellow crime scene tape all around to tell him anything? She simply replies, "no." Her answers are brief, her voice unwavering.

Sullivan admits she didn't talk about Hall w/the prosecution until January 2007. She claims she didn't talk about Hall w/ CP's defense attorney before CP's trial or during her testimony then because she wasn't asked about Hall. Sawyer ends the cross saying, "YOU, like Laura Hall and Jennifer Cave, fell for Colton Pitonyak!" Then he says something about how Sullivan "festered all this time," angry CP had been convicted & so she then called the DA about these Hall statements just last week. Sullivan repeats, "no" and is excused. Her bright blue eyes focus straight ahead as she leaves the courtroom.