Journal of the Polly Klaas kidnapping-murder trialKlaasKids Foundation

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Day Three
Nowhere To Hide

The sun is coming up and the vampire has nowhere to hide. He reluctantly stood, without comment, and moved to the middle of the courtroom. Slowly, he unbuttoned his shirt sleeves and rolled them above his elbows. He crossed his left hand over his right wrist and turned slightly, toward the witness and away from his lawyers. The witness stared at the beefy forearms and confirmed that he had seen them before.

Click here for a courtroom sketch of "Killer Bares His Soul". For permission to reproduce these images, or for information on court services, call Vicki Behringer (916) 972-8225.

The witness, Daryl Stone, went to Wickersham Park, diagonally across the street from Polly’s house, one week prior to the abduction. He passed within twenty feet of the killer who was sitting on a park bench, one hundred and fifty yards from Polly’s house, with a heavy set, ruddy complexioned woman. He was wearing dirty jeans and a sweatshirt with cut sleeves. They were drinking liquor from a bottle in a paper bag, talking loudly. Stone was disgusted by their demeanor and attitude. He did not want to be in the park with the crude couple, so he went home, one block away. He would not see Davis again until the early evening of the abduction, slowly driving around Polly’s neighborhood.

The judge ordered the killer to face the jury. He glanced briefly at his lawyers and complied, eyes downcast. They stared at the crude, monotone blue prison tattoos that entirely covered his thick arms. The killer was exposed. He wore his soul on his sleeve, and there was nowhere to hide.

Barry Collins, the defense lawyer, attacked Mr. Stone’s credibility. He challenged his memory, his sequence of events. Collins accused the witness of writing a book, which he denied. The lawyer asked redundant questions in an attempt to confuse the witness. It didn’t work. The lawyer suggested that Mr. Stone had contributed money to Polly’s search effort and distributed flyers. Mr. Stone admitted that it was true. Collins said that the witness picked the killer out of a lineup only after seeing his picture on television. "That’s not true," replied Mr. Stone. The lawyer was unrelenting and aggressive in his assault. Mr. Stone held his ground. He was credible. He was telling the truth.

Collins attempted similar tactics on all five witnesses that appeared today. How could they remember events that happened so long ago? Why weren’t they more clear with their timelines? Most of the witnesses were children, trying to dredge up memories from seemingly inconsequential events that happened over two and a half years ago. Two things stood out. The killer did not appear to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol. He walked with determination and confidence. They all picked him out of a lineup on December 1, 1993.

Time makes memories fade, but not tattoos. The sun is coming up, and the vampire has nowhere to hide.


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