Baby Kate Trial: Testimony of Larry Phillips (Sean's Father)

[XLFD]

On the morning of April 24, 2012, Sean Phillip's father Larry Phillips took the stand.  Larry had a respectable supervisory job over a long period of time, and owned a house he had built along with the taming of the 20 acres it rested on.  He testified as a prosecution witness, however his status, bearing, and much of his testimony likely benefitted the defense side of the aisle more.  It was easy to tell that the whole series of events affected him greatly, and that he believed in his son a lot more than the prosecution's main witness. 

Perhaps the most intriguing part of Mr. Phillips' testimony was the revelation about what happened at a memorial service at the Phillip's home as regards an alleged theft by Ariel Courtland of a wad of cash.  This is something the jury only heard the very basics of due to the judge's decision on how to interpret rule 608 (b) included herein. 

One can reasonably believe the judge erred, in that it does seem to impeach the character of the prosecution's main witness by showing an instance of theft and dishonesty.  Rule 607 after all, says the credibility of a witness can be impeached by any or all parties.  But here is his official testimony:

 

 

 

NEXT UP:  Sean's mother, Kim Phillips takes the stand.