If there was ever a time I'd expect to see a judge use a gavel, this was it
Out. Of. Control.
That's the only way to describe Judge James Dabney's courtroom Friday morning as Matthew Fletcher, a Long Beach criminal defense attorney well-known for his bullying tactics and clashes with judges, cross-examined an informant who was attempting to implicate his client in a Hawthorne gang-related shooting.
Things got especially heated when Dabney decided to read to the jury the plea deal prosecutors made with the informant, Anthony Cabrera, in exchange for his testimony against two others for the July 5, 2004, shooting. Fletcher continued to interrupt Dabney with objections, arguing that the deal shouldn't be read in the middle of his cross-examination. The attorneys and Dabney continued a heated argument before the jury, speaking over each other and yelling. Several times, the exasperated court reporter shouted: "One at a time!"
When Dabney offered a follow-up, clarifying question to one of Fletcher's, Fletcher told Dabney: "Can I please ask my own question?" During these repeated exchanges, the judge would throw up his hands in aggravation and the prosecutor could be seen looking up to the ceiling and sighing.
I've covered several of Fletcher's trials over the years. He represented one of two men who are accused of killing their friend near a drainage ditch in Rolling Hills. (Their conviction was overturned on appeal, and Fletcher is still on the case). Part of Fletcher's modus operandi is to object. A lot. During that 2003 trial, I once counted 30 objections during a half-hour of questioning.
His tactics have previously landed him in jail, and he came close again in that trial as he continually ignored the judge's evidentiary rulings. Now-retired Torrance Superior Court Judge James Ideman, during one argument, warned Fletcher: "If you don't straighten up and fly right . . . you may not be going home this evening - you may be going on the same bus with your client." But for an apology, he would have had to stand trial for contempt.
Fletcher's other stint in the pokey was earlier that year when a judge ordered him to the downtown Los Angeles Men's Central Jail after finding him in contempt of court earlier for allegedly saying "stupid (expletive) judge" and engaging in other inappropriate behavior during the trial of a Wilmington gang member accused of killing a rival.
In a Daily Journal article about the incident, Fletcher, a lawyer since 1997, acknowledged he was previously sanctioned three other times by judges: In 1998 he was fined $250 for asking a question that was not allowed, and two other judges each fined him $1,000 for being late.
A full story about the Hawthorne gang shooting trial will appear later in the Daily Breeze and dailybreeze.com.
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About the Blogger
Larry Altman has covered crime in the South Bay since 1990. He's seen it all - the missing model who turned up dead in the desert, the wives found dead in trunks, the high-school coaches who get a little too close to their players. He drives his young colleagues nuts with his "I remember when" stories. He welcomes your tips and observations about the present, and you can mix in a little Lakers basketball talk if you like.
E-mail Larry at larry.altman@dailybreeze.com.
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About the Blogger
Denise Nix knew as young as grade school, when she spent every summer working on the camp newspaper, that she wanted to be a journalist. Denise has spent most of the last 12 years of her career in the courtroom. She joined the Daily Breeze in 2001, where she tracks and reports on hundreds of cases at every level of the justice system. And she's never, ever, seen a judge use a gavel.
E-mail Denise at denise.nix@dailybreeze.com.
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I was a potential juror in the Mejia drive-by shooting case. I never got called into the jusry box during voir dire, but Fletcher was extremely abrasive to potential jurors and earned the contempt of many of us. He deprecated jurors when they were questioned. He frequently interrupted Judge Dabney and the Prosecutor whenever they spoke. He pretty much behaved like a spoiled child. If courtroom conduct is adequate cause for it, he should be disbarred.
i was a juror in a recent murder case where fletcher was the defence lawyer. if i ever get in trouble i want him for my lawyer.