Delays delay Bechler testimony

Deepa Bharath

SANTA ANA -- A packed gallery and members of the media Tuesday

anxiously awaited the much-talked-about testimony of accused murderer

Eric Bechler.

But all they got was some serious number-crunching as forensic

accountant Scott Weitzman explained the assets, the cash flow and

transactions of Bechler and his wife, Pegye, in great detail.

Bechler is accused of murdering his 38-year-old wife to get his hands

on her $2.5-million life insurance policy. Bechler has pleaded not guilty

and maintains his wife was swept underwater by a giant wave during their

boating trip off Newport Beach on July 6, 1997.

Possibly the prosecution’s last witness, Weitzman summarized his

review of more than 22,000 pages of financial records in one day of

testimony.

The much-anticipated Bechler testimony would have happened today had

Thursday’s hearing been held. It was canceled because of attorneys’

conflicting schedules.

Defense Attorney John Barnett has indicated that Bechler will be one

of his first witnesses. On Tuesday, he said it “seemed possible” that

Bechler might testify today after the cross-examination of Weitzman, when

the defense will begin presenting its witnesses.

The prosecution tried to establish that Bechler had consistently

borrowed from his wife, never paid her back and even depleted their three

children’s bank accounts about a year after Pegye’s death.

Weitzman also demonstrated that between January and June 1997, Pegye

had written checks amounting to $66,140, money that, records show,

Bechler deposited into his account.

Weitzman added that Pegye, in turn, had borrowed only $20 during that

six-month period.