by Setarah Jahid
In the afternoon of January 31, 2017, a jury trial for an assault case against the defendant Paul Keola convened. The jury consisted of seven females and four men. The proceeding began by calling up the first and sole witness of the afternoon, Keola’s former lover, “V.”
The prosecution, Deputy DA Carolyn Palumbo, began by showing a line of photos, and asking V to indicate who the person in the photograph was, and to circle the injuries inflicted on the person. V indicated that she was the person in every photo, and she circled a number of injuries, ranging from black eyes to a broken arm. The evidentiary phase began with the photo marked as People’s #23, which is a picture depicting V with a severe black eye.
Ms. Palumbo asked V if this was the first time she was testifying in court regarding her injuries shown in the photographs, and she said no. She said she was subpoenaed before about the severe black eye she sustained.
Ms. Palumbo stated, “The first time you testified, you said that you hit your head on a bar while taking out the trash at a gas station. Was this true?”
V answered, “No.”
Mrs. Palumbo continued, “Why did you lie the first time?”
V admitted, “Because I was in love with him.”
Shortly after, a picture of V with a bruised leg was shown to the court. V again confirmed that the picture was of her leg, and that Mr. Keola is the one who gave her the injury. According to V, the defendant’s attacks were always driven by jealousy.
In cross-examination, Deputy Public Defender Sally Fredericksen began by showing to the court a picture of Mr. Keola, with a serious black eye injury. She asked V if she had given the injury to Keola, and V said no.
Ms. Fredericksen then focused V’s attention to a night in September of 2016, at the Crest Motel in West Sacramento. V said that she did not remember exact details – because assaults would happen on a regular basis – but she did remember that she tried to escape her motel room through a window. However, Keola caught her trying to escape, grabbed her by the hair, and hit her with a pole. She at some point managed to escape and ran to the motel manager, who called the police, and took her to the hospital. At the hospital, Keola came to visit V and apologize, but she had him escorted out by security.
V is subject to recall, being the final witness of the day. This jury trial was set to resume the next morning, February 1, at 9 a.m., in Department 14.
