The Baby Kate Trial Begins

[XLFD]

In opening statements, the prosecution said Sean Phillips had Baby Kate's clothes in his pocket when he was arrested. But the defense said the baby's mother, Ariel Courtland lied.

That drew the lines for the prosecution and defense. Phillips didn't want the baby, the prosecution said, while the defense claimed Courtland is a liar whose story can not be believed.

Baby Kate lines drawn: Sean vs Ariel: woodtv.com

Phillips, 22, is facing 15 years in prison on charges he unlawfully imprisoned the girl who came to be known as Baby Kate. She has not been seen since the afternoon of June 29, 2011 in Ludington.

"Sean denied he was Kate's father" and wanted Courtland to give her up for adoption, Mason County Prosecutor Paul Spaniola said in his opening statements to the jury. He also told the jury "You may not like" Courtland, who's been visiting Phillips in jail.

Phillips, represented by attorney Annette Smedley, was wearing a red dress shirt and tie, seated directly in front of a number of family supporters.

When Smedley addressed the jury, she said, "You have to be able to see if you can keep Ariel's lies straight." In a previous case, Smedley was Courtland's defense attorney.

Courtland took the stand around 11:35 a.m. as the first witness in the case.

She testified she was "shocked" to learn she was pregnant with Kate, but very excited. Under questioning, she said she had gotten adoption papers and filled them out, but only to appease Phillips -- which Mason County Prosecutor Paul Spaniola pointed out during his opening statements earlier Tuesday morning.

Courtland also testified she lied under oath during the preliminary exam against Phillips in August.

Phillips' parents were subpoenaed and are expected to testify, so they are not in the courtroom.

A jury was seated Monday for the trial expected to last up to two weeks with Mason County Judge Richard Cooper presiding. Jurors will be allowed to ask questions of witnesses during the trial, after the judge screens the question.

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/nw_mich/sean-phillips-baby-kat...

 

WMOM also reports: 

"Courtland answered Prosecuting Attorney Paul Spaniola's questions for more than an hour before breaking for lunch, and her testimony included details of her activities on the day that her 4-month-old daughter disappeared as well as the state of her relationship with Phillips and his family. Courtland also recanted testimony she gave during the preliminary hearing last August. She had previously stated that she had not considered giving the baby up for adoption and that the couple's visit to a Department of Human Services office in Grand Rapids was only to use the restroom. Today she verified that she had in fact signed adoption papers and visited the DHS office twice."

 

I think it must be noted that one of the 'suspects', the one on trial, has not lied to the authorities up to this point.  Let's face it, Ariel appears to be a serial liar (as first noted in the Re: April Reynolds thread) and the investigation/prosecution has been flawed throughout for their own insistence that she was never considered to be anything more than a victim. 

Also there is a text message from Ariel to Sean about a year before Kate came up missing asking for money for an abortion for then-fetus Kate.  Sean apparently never gave her the money to do so.  Makes one wonder who would be more likely to get rid of the "nuisance" baby later, doesn't it?

 

Thanks to Leon Hendrix and the WOOD team for their coverage, which includes his up to date Tweets on Twitter, accessible here.  Don't forget to to review the other local coverage provided by the Mason County Press (whose initial story is on this link) and the news crew at WMOM, and add your comments on what's going on right here, at The Ludington Torch, where we won't find you guilty of a reasoned opinion of what's going on.

[Willy]

X

Thanks for posting this information. My computer is acting up and shuts itself down at a moments notice so I have been having a hard time responding on the forum. Need to get it fixed. Just lucky to get this posted.

[XLFD]

And thank you for letting me know that your recent hiatus was just a technical problem.  I would hate to think part of our insurgent cell had been neutralized by the opposition, LOL.

[april]

IMO if you look at the peper that was in seans pocket, it has bullet points, I think the first one is what ariel told him, the second bullet point is him telling the site they searched for adoptions and the third saying if it cant be found then he would help when he got out. I feel this was for Smedley and this is what she tried to have hidden from the trial but got denied, she also said it was a client/attorney privilege I think meaning it was meant for her.

[Marty Redman]

I would like to know whether he was scheduled to see his attorney that day (July 11).  If so I think april has got something.  It sure is a mysterious note loaded with pronouns.

But if the prosecution believes the note is written by Shawn and is not bogus info, doesn't this weaken there unlawful imprisonment charge?  Frankly, keeping someone in jail 10 months to await trial sounds more like unlawful imprisonment to me.  But I'm just a doofus that reads a bunch of civil libertarian sites.

[XLFD]

Good observations, Marty.

Today's LDN had an inadvertent mix of two stories right next to each other.  In the bottom half of the front page they had the story about Ariel bolting out of the courtroom, complete with a picture of her taking off.  She is wearing a strange blouse that is decorated by what looks to be two marijuana plants around her chest area.  Many have said they were, but I think they just resemble them a bit too much. 

Anyway they have the headline:  "First Reading of Ludington Medical Marijuana Ordinance" just below this picture.  Is the Ludington Daily News turning into "High Times", LOL?

[april]

Right, LOL sorry to say but I wouldnt want my child to come up missing in Ludington, between Spaniola and Cooper being bias for Miss Courtland. so glad I moved out of that city.