Chapter 46 Section 19

However, at this moment, Lana Turner has no time and no intention to enjoy such success and glory. She closes the door every day and goes all out to rehearse her "most important thing in life" under the guidance of Jerry Gesler. Important role (Role of lifetime)".At the forensic medical hearing two days later, Lana will appear as a key witness for the defense.Jerry Gesler warned her solemnly: "Success or failure depends on one move, Cherol's fate depends on it, and your destiny depends on it." With all the attention, the media hype is heating up again.The American broadcasting company ABC announced that it will jointly organize interviews with the rival CBS CBS to share the cost of the extremely expensive "live TV broadcast" in the 1950s.

The live broadcast of the hearing did not start in court. On April 11th, Friday, before 6:00 a.m., the joint cameras of ABC and CBS were aimed at 730 North Bedford Road. Millions of people watched Lana Turner go out dressed on TV screens. How to meet the lawyers, how to board the car, and how to drive straight to the court... It was also before 6 o'clock in the morning, and there was already a long queue in front of the criminal court building in downtown Los Angeles, most of whom were fans of Lana Turner.The hearing will be held in the largest courtroom on the 8th floor of the building, with 120 of the 160 seats allocated to the press.

According to the law of California at that time, the jury members participating in the forensic medical hearing were appointed by the forensic doctor himself. Their tasks were to examine the cause of death of the victim, identify the perpetrator who should be responsible for his death, and draw conclusions about the nature of the crime to a certain extent. .Different from the grand jury hearing, the verdict of the forensic jury only has the effect of "evidence" and "information", which is only for the reference of the police and prosecutors, and is not legally mandatory.

Mickey Cohen had a very dramatic start to the hearing.As the first witness to appear in court, the medical assistant wanted him to identify the deceased. "I refuse to identify the deceased, because with my background, even if I just claim the body, I may be accused of participating in this murder." Mickey was dressed in casual clothes, chewing gum leisurely, and his words were a little fuzzy. Clearly unprepared, the forensic assistant repeated the question and Mickey repeated the answer. Mickey Cohen sat on the witness stand for less than two minutes. Next is the autopsy report read by Dr. McDonald, Dr. Weber, and the medical examiner: "...the deceased was cut in the abdomen...the 8-inch blade pierced the kidney, pierced the aorta, stirred, turned, and then pierced the spine..."The report At the end, it is said that during the autopsy, the forensic doctors also found that the deceased had already suffered from an incurable liver disease. Even without this "tragedy", his survival period would not exceed ten years.

Later, Lana Turner appeared in court. Wearing a silver-gray Italian designer dress, Lana consciously took off her white top hat to show respect for the court, and took off the white glove on her left hand to hold it so that her hands would not be cramped and uncomfortable.Lana tried to keep a low profile, her voice was just enough to be heard in the last row, trying to be peaceful, but she also cried bitterly twice.Lana's every move, every frown and every smile is very rigid, like a female student in a church school.When referring to the deceased, she referred to him as "Mr. Stepanato" instead of the usual "Johnny", and when referring to the two people, she said "we" instead of the usual "Johnny and I".Everyone in the court held their breath, except for the "click" of the camera shutter and the "rustle" of the pen on the paper.

Lana is talking about that Good Friday, her argument with "Mr. Stepanato" before the murder.Even though they had read it all in the newspapers, the hearts of the audience were still in their throats. "He kept waving his fists in front of my eyes, constantly threatening me..." Lana's voice trembled, like a frightened child who might cry at any time. "His jackets and shirts were hanging in the closet. I don't remember why they were there, or he brought them over to change. Anyway, they hung there. Mr. Stepanato from I walk away and go to the closet and pick up the..." Pause, take a deep breath, "take the jacket and shirt, with the hanger. He walks over to me again, and he's trying to drape the clothes over his shoulders, with the hanger, so it's so tall Holding it up," she gestured, "it looked like she was going to hit me with a clothes hanger. I yelled: 'Don't touch me, I don't want to see you again, get out of here!' I said as I walked towards the door. He was right behind me. I opened the door and my daughter burst in...