10News.com

Sustain San Diego
Sustain San Diego
10 News Leadership Award
San Diego News
E-Mail News Alerts
Get breaking news and daily headlines.
Browse all e-mail newsletters

Judge Releases 'American Beauty' Trial Witness List

Cameras To Be Banned From Courtroom

POSTED: 4:39 p.m. PDT October 8, 2002
UPDATED: 5:10 p.m. PDT October 8, 2002

The judge in the Kristin Rossum case released to the media Tuesday a copy of the jury questionnaire and a list of possible witnesses who may testify in the upcoming trial.

Discussion
Rossum, 25, is a former county toxicologist accused of fatally poisoning her husband when he supposedly threatened to report her for drug use and an affair with her married supervisor.

Last Friday, about 150 prospective jurors filled out the 26-page questionnaires, complete with 105 questions about their lives and attitudes.

Attorneys in the case initially told Superior Court Judge John Thompson that they opposed the release of the blank questionnaire and the witness list, but the judge released them as the San Diego Union-Tribune requested.

More than 130 names appear on the witness list.

Potential jurors will be brought back to Thompson's courtroom in groups of 25 beginning Wednesday, for questioning by the judge and attorneys.

That process, expected to last at least through Thursday, will continue until 12 jurors and alternates are seated.

Two members of the media will be allowed to stand in the back of the courtroom in mid-afternoon to see which potential jurors are excused by the attorneys, Thompson said.

The judge said he had received three "unconfirmed" reports of reporters attempting to talk to potential panelists about the case.

Thompson said the activity could undermine his efforts to get a fair trial for Rossum, and that any reporter caught trying to interview jurors will be thrown in jail. A gag order prevents participants from commenting on the case.

Thompson, who routinely excludes cameras from his courtroom, also has banned still and video cameras from the third floor of the courthouse.

The judge said there would be no preferential treatment for the media, and encouraged journalists wishing to cover the trial to stand in line outside his courtroom with the public.

Opening statements in the trial are scheduled for next Tuesday.

Rossum is charged with murder and a special circumstance allegation of murder by poison in the Nov. 6, 2000, death of Gregory de Villers.

Prosecutors theorize Rossum killed her 26-year-old spouse because he threatened to report her for methamphetamine use and an affair with her supervisor, Michael Robertson.

Rossum allegedly stole a powerful painkiller -- fentanyl -- from the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office with the help of Robertson and administered the drug to her husband, prosecutors allege.

Court papers prosecutors filed describe Robertson -- who moved back to his native Australia after de Villers' death -- as "an unindicted co-conspirator."

Both Rossum and Robertson were fired from their jobs -- Rossum for methamphetamine use and Robertson for failing to tell his supervisors about his affair with the defendant.

Authorities first thought de Villers committed suicide, but Rossum -- his wife of 17 months -- was arrested in June 2001 and charged with murder.

Prosecutors said Rossum staged an "American Beauty" suicide scene to make it look like her husband took his own life.

Paramedics testified at a preliminary hearing last year that rose petals were found around the victim's body. De Villers also was clutching his wedding photo, witnesses testified.

The weekend he died, Rossum told de Villers she was leaving him, according to court testimony.

Rossum's father, Ralph, said his son-in-law had been "spiraling down" for some time, spent weekends in bed and was depressed.

De Villers, who helped his wife kick her meth habit years earlier, detested drugs, prosecutors said.

In addition to fentanyl, the painkiller Oxycodone and the sedative Clonazepam were found in de Villers' system. No syringes or fentanyl patches were near his body.

Last January, Rossum was released on $1.25 million bail and returned to work as a part-time chemist for a former employer.

The CBS news magazine "48 Hours" showed the defendant drinking champagne after her release from jail.

Rossum faces life in prison without parole if convicted.


Links We Like
Sponsored Content
There is no absolute number of drinks per day that defines alcoholism. Learn the behavior and body reactions that constitute alcoholism. More

Nothing makes moving more tiresome than sifting through clutter. Here are some tips for getting rid of your stuff and eliminating the hassle. More

Find out what a sputtering economy and an increasingly difficult to crack job market means to you. More

Don’t let yourself get caught in the wake of the recent troubles on Wall Street. Consider these five moves to help you save your money. More

Don’t be left out. Make the switch to Digital TV.
Sponsored Links