From the cutting room floor: Cameron Brown murder retrial closing arguments - Part V

The jury stopped deliberating today about 11 a.m. and won't return until Tuesday, FYI.

Now, we begin on defense attorney Pat Harris' closing argument. I have to admit this probably won't be quite as long as the prosecution's partly because I didn't know I was going to be doing this on Tuesday, partly because I already knew what issues or areas the story was going to touch on and partly because I was getting tired and my hand starts to hurt. Please don't read anything into it if Harris' points here are numerically less than Hum's. It means nothing.

Part IV

From Pat Harris:

• Harris began by asking the jury to "take a step back" and really think about the prosecution's theory that Brown picked up his daughter and threw her over a cliff. "Sometimes, issues get amplified in court. Perspective can be difficult." "You're being asked to believe that Mr. Brown, on Nov. 8, 2000, picked up his daughter, his 4-year-old daughter, and forcefully threw her over a cliff to her death for reasons and motives which are clearly undefined in this case."
• The very act of throwing someone off a cliff - "It's that incredible of an act and that is what you're being asked to believe."
• What kind of monster would do that? "In this case, the prosecution has spared no expense to tell you Cameron Brown is that kind of person."
• The trial was a like an episode of the old series "This is Your Life," in which old friends are brought out for Brown. "They had to go to various points of the globe" like Hawaii, Montana and Colorado, looking for any evidence that Cam Brown is the type of person who would go to the top of a cliff and throw his 4-year-old daughter off.
• For example, bringing up a fight over jealousy with a former girlfriend from when he was 22.
• There is no evidence that Brown acted violent toward anybody.
• One of the friends who testified by the prosecution listed four different occassions that Brown got angry over the years. The prosecution spent "thousands of dollars" to bring this information to the jury because they think it shows that Brown is capable of walking to a cliff and throwing his daughter off. An example of what made Brown upset one time was that his father was late for breakfast.
• Harris said he wanted to introduce his client to the jury, because he is a human being and not a monster. "His name is Cameron John Brown and he is a human being."
• Harris criticized the prosecution for only referring to Brown as "the defendant" and himself as "the defendant's lawyer."
• Showing a photo of Brown, shirtless with long hair standing among surfboards, Harris said sarcastically: "That, ladies and gentleman, is the monster."
• He then presented a series of photos showing Brown and Lauren at Lauren's birthday and blowing bubbles.
• Harris discussed Jon Hans letter, that said Brown was "extraordinarily thoughtful" and a man who "couldn't possibly do what he is accused of doing."
• Another friend testified Brown was caring, thoughtful and loyal.
• Another friend said Brown was the godfather to his child, and even though Brown lived in Ventura, he would drive to Riverside County to bring gifts and spend time with the child. "That's the kind of man Cam Brown is."
• Harris noted that the former girlfriend who had the abortion testified that Brown cried about it and the abortion was her decision.
• The other former girlfriend described Brown is very nice, thoughtful and fun.
• Brown's mother said Brown was an "exceptional" son and treated his grandparents very good.
• The best witness to attest to Brown's good nature was Key-Marer, who obviously saw something worthwhile in Brown to want to date him and to try to make the relationship work. She cared about him and had good thoughts about him. Even after visitations started with Lauren, she said in her journal that things were going well (at first).
• "Is this a horrible human being? I don't think so."
• The "very heart" of this case - which was only mentioned for about a minute of Hum's 2 1/2-hour closing - is Brown's relationship with his daughter, and how other people saw that relationship.
• What did he have, in terms of relationship with his daughter? The answer is - keep in mind this is a man the prosecution said his daughter wanted nothing to do with.
• One friend (the one who called to offer his condolences a week later) said Brown was "great" with his daughter, and brought her on his boat. They had a good relationship and seemed to really like each other. He said Brown really "took to" being a father. Reading from the transcript, Harris said Brown said being a father was "pretty cool" and he brought her around. After he learned Lauren was his, everything changed about Brown's attitude towards her, the friend said.
• When Key-Marer first got pregnant, Brown "absolutely did not think it was his child and wanted her to have an abortion. But when he learned from a paternity test that Lauren was his, a friend said he was "very excited."
• Harris said he's not going to dispute a lot of what Key-Marer said happened between her and Brown before the paternity test results were known. "But everything changed the day he got the paternity test back and found out it was his daughter."
• Another friend said he went trick-or-treating with Brown and Lauren. Brown arranged it so that Lauren would be with other kids so it would be more fun for her. This was approximately a week before her death. Patti was not there. (Key-Marer had testified about the same night where Lauren was excited and dressed up as a princess but when Brown picked her up for an overnight visit, Lauren's demeanor changed. Brown told Lauren to get in the front seat, and Lauren refused, knowing she was supposed to sit in back. Things were bad at this point between Key-Marer and Brown, and Key-Marer said she was trying not to cry as Lauren got in back. As they drove away, Patti yelled: "What else do you do when you're not smacking your kid around" and laughed).
• Brown "lived for that little girl, adored her."
• Lauren's school teachers said that when Brown picked her up (not clear if this refers to Nov. 8, 2000, or just in general), he calmed her down, "held her like a father and very calmly her, 'Daddy's here now.'"
• A friend testified how Brown would talk about he couldn't wait until the kids were older and they could do all the fun things they used to do. This showed Brown thought about the "future."
• The family law mediator said Brown wanted more time with Lauren and testified his relationship with Lauren was "strong and getting stronger."
• The prosecution's theory that Brown hated Key-Marer and was vindictive from the day she became pregnant - so angry that he was gonna throw their daughter off a cliff - has a "major problem" since once Brown found out Lauren was his daughter, he got along well with Key-Marer for three months. They went to the park together, he was invited to Key-Marer's home. "He had absolutely a very good relationship with her. How did that happen if he was so bitter and angry?"
• Brown was always asking in court for more time with Lauren.
• On the adoption issue, Brown didn't want to go through with it because he "wanted his daughter." That's "an amazing piece of evidence."
• His love for Lauren was shown by how he persevered in seeing Lauren even though he had to deal with Key-Marer, who he was angry with. He brought her gifts, including a doll from his mother's collection. There were nine framed pictures of Lauren displayed in Brown's home when detectives searched - including one on his nightstand. He had lots of opportunity for free travel though his job at American Airlines, but didn't travel as much and planned his vacations to coincide with Lauren's trips with her mother. He took the freeway from Orange County every week like clockwork, one-hour each way, to spend time with her.