object to the statement being admitted without Bellâs testimony. But Liu overruled the objection and told Shanahan to go ahead. The state wasnât required to bring Bell into court until the trial.
Shanahan proceeded in a monotone, paraphrasing from the document in front of him. âThe informant told me that one morning in 1991, he and âLarryâ were in the yard at San Quentin prison, where they both were inmates. Larry remarked to the informant that his younger son was graduating from college, and that he hadnât spoken to the son since Larryâs arrest. Then Larry made the comment, âThe boy hates me. I killed his mother.â He went on, âIt was a terrible thing, but it had to be done. I just wish he hadnât been the one to find her. Iâll have to live with that for the rest of my days.ââ
The younger son referenced in the supposed confession, of course, was me. I heard the murmur of hushed voices, muted exclamation, and a buzzing in my ears. The courtroom seemed to swim. The gist of the confession, even if manufactured, struck me as the sort of remarks my father might make. It pierced me to the core.
Crowder moved on quickly, establishing that Bell was out of prison but entirely omitting any mention of Lawrenceâs role in getting Bell exonerated. They went on for about ten more minutes, Shanahan testifying that the details of Lawrenceâs confession matched those of the crime.
At last, Crowder yielded the podium to Nina. âDetective, please identify the informant and give his current address and telephone number,â Nina said.
Shanahan looked at Crowder. She promptly announced that the state would not disclose the informantâs identity out of concern for his safety.
âMs. Schuyler?â Judge Liu said.
âWeâre entitled to this informantâs identity. The prosecution canât withhold evidence.â
âIf the defendant wants to learn this informantâs identity, he can follow the procedures in the Evidence Code,â Crowder said. âBut thatâs for another day. Weâre here to establish probable cause.â
âI agree,â Judge Liu said. âMs. Schuyler, you can raise this issue again at the proper time, by motion. Your questioning today should be limited to matters that would conclusively establish your clientâs innocence.â
âBut we canât possibly prove that this informant is lying without knowing his identity,â Nina protested.
âI wonât allow a fishing expedition. If you develop something, Iâll give you leeway, but right now youâve got nothing other than conjecture, and thatâs not enough for me to disbelieve the informantâs statement.â
Nina drew an impatient breath and turned to the witness. âDetective Shanahan, do you share the DAâs opinion that disclosing the identity of this informant would pose a safety risk?â
âI do. Absolutely. He begged me not to let the defendant know that he was the one whoâd given this information. He told me that if Maxwell found out heâd come forward, his life would be in danger. He said that Maxwell had orchestrated several violent reprisals. In one of those attacks, an inmate had ended up stabbed to death.â
At the defense table Lawrence loudly muttered, âJesus.â Judge Liu shot him an angry glance. Nina didnât turn, but I saw her shoulders tighten. My own blood boiled at his loss of self-control. She must have been even more furious. On the stand, Shanahan now wore a look of self-satisfaction.
âDid you make any attempt to verify whether what he said was trueâwhether Mr. Maxwell had been responsible for such attacks?â
âMr. Maxwellâs name never came up in the original investigations of those attacks.â
âSo this part of the informantâs story didnât check out, correct?â
âThat was actually the point, that