LAKEPORT — Legal issues contributed to the toddler-killing trial being adjourned earlier than anticipated Friday, a day that also saw the two defendants get stuck in an elevator after lunch.
Paul William Braden, 22, and Orlando Joseph Lopez Jr., 24, have pleaded not guilty to 15 felonies (including one murder count and five counts of attempted murder) in connection with a June 18 shooting in Clearlake.
Authorities allege the two Clearlake Oaks residents fired shotguns at a group of people gathered outside late that night, killing Skyler Rapp, 4, and injuring five others.
Lopez and Braden are standing trial in the same courtroom but have different attorneys and separate juries.
In all, jurors heard about one hour of testimony Friday morning before being released early for lunch and ultimately getting sent home for the week soon after the meal break.
“We”ve run into some challenges this afternoon,” Judge Doris L. Shockley said just after 2 p.m. at the Lake County Courthouse.
The judge didn”t describe what legal issues had developed but did tell jurors another difficulty occurred when the defendants, who were not in the courtroom for the brief post-lunch session, became trapped in an elevator.
The juries were ordered to return Wednesday at 9 a.m.
Delays have become a theme throughout the proceedings.
Testimony began on Feb. 29 after nearly a month of jury selection.
Jurors heard evidence on only six days during March, with postponements occurring because of illnesses by an attorney and a juror. The month also featured scheduled days off because of a court furlough, a holiday and a judicial seminar.
Lake County trials are typically in session Wednesdays through Fridays.
The juries have heard testimony on five days thus far during April. A juror”s illness led to a three-day cancellation last week.
Additionally, late starts in the morning, after lunch and following breaks have decreased the amount of time the juries have spent in the courtroom listening to evidence.
The parties originally estimated the jurors would begin their deliberations by early May, but Shockley told the juries this week that a realistic end date is now May 23.
Curtis Eeds, the witness who was on the stand when the stoppage happened Friday morning, is not expected to testify when the trial resumes on Wednesday.
Eeds said he was a neighbor of Rapp”s family. The shots were reportedly fired from Eeds” side of the fence that separated the two properties.
Eeds testified that he was not at home when the shooting occurred but could hear gunshots from where he was, about four houses away from his own.
Eeds, who is currently in custody and testified wearing jail-issued clothing, also talked about his prior criminal history as well as the immunity agreement he received from the prosecution.
Lopez”s lawyer, Stephen Carter, is expected to continue his cross-examination of Eeds on Thursday.
