‘Friends’ of accuser reviewed transcripts

Deepa Bharath

The defense in a high-profile gang-rape case on Thursday brought in

more young girls as witnesses who characterized the alleged victim as

“a liar.”

Prosecutors say the girl, identified only as Jane Doe, was

unconscious when Greg Haidl, son of Orange County Assistant Sheriff

Don Haidl, Kyle Nachreiner and Keith Spann raped and sexually

assaulted her with various objects at the Haidls’ Corona del Mar

home.

On Wednesday two of the girl’s former “best friends” contradicted

her lengthy testimony. They said the girl, then 16, had sex with all

three defendants a day before the alleged incident took place. The

girl said she did have sex with two of the defendants on July 4,

2002, but that she had no idea what happened the night of July 5

after she arrived at Haidl’s home.

She said she felt woozy and eventually passed out after Nachreiner

handed her a bluish-green drink in a Styrofoam cup that smelled like

Pine Sol. The defense has maintained that the mixed drink was not one

laced with a date-rape drug as the prosecution alleged, but that it

was merely a brand of gin called Bombay.

Vanessa Obmann, who said she was one of the girl’s best friends at

the time of the alleged rape, said she has known Jane Doe to be a

dishonest girl who lied to her parents all the time. Prosecutor Dan

Hess asked Obmann why she continued their friendship if she knew Jane

Doe was a liar.

“She only lied to her parents any time she had to go out,” Obmann

said. “She didn’t lie to me.”

She said the girl told her during a phone conversation a few weeks

after the incident that she didn’t believe the boys raped her.

“I asked her if she felt in her heart that she had been raped by

the boys,” Obmann said. “And she told me, ‘Honestly Vanessa, I can’t

say they’ve raped me because I’ve had sex with all three of them

anyways.’”

Hess indulged in a more vigorous and aggressive cross-examination

of Obmann, asking her if she had discussed her testimony with

friends. Obmann admitted she and Melissa Matsumoto, who testified on

Wednesday, had looked at transcripts of Jane Doe’s testimony Monday

night at Obmann’s home. The girls said they also discussed the

transcript with Obmann’s mother. Obmann said she also talked about

the case with her closest friends, all of whom have testified or will

testify in this trial.

Haidl’s attorney, Joseph Cavallo, said outside the courtroom that

he did not know that the girls had gone over the transcripts.

“But I don’t believe it’s unethical and I don’t think it damages

our case in any way,” he said. “The girls have been truthful and

consistent with their testimony.”

Both Obmann and Matsumoto said outside the courtroom that taking

the stand was not easy for either of them.

“But it’s the right thing to do,” Obmann said, as Matsumoto nodded

in agreement. “We’re just following our hearts and taking the path

which we believe is the right path to take.”

* DEEPA BHARATH covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at deepa.bharath@latimes.com.