At the Courthouse: Shawna Forde declining to testify
Closing arguments to be heard Thursday:
Shawna Forde told Judge John Leonardo this morning that after discussing it with her attorneys, she has decided not to testify.
That being the case, memory expert Geoffrey Loftus will be the last witness to testify on behalf of the defense. He’s expected to tell jurors why they should doubt Gina Gonzalez’s tentative identification of Forde as the short, fat white woman who came into her house on May 30, 2009.
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Just a reminder, if the jury convicts Forde, they will be asked if the death penalty should be considered.
If they say yes, the prosecution will argue, in part, that Forde deserves the death penalty because of Brisenia’s age, the fact the crime was committed for pecuniary gain and in a cold, calculated manner.
The defense will argue Forde’s life ought to be spared because she had a horrendous childhood, has psychological issues, was manipulated by Jason Bush and Albert Gaxiola and couldn’t have forseen the outcome.
Click on the “Shawna Forde” tag for background information.