Haidl story to hit network TV tonight

Marisa O’Neil

It has all the makings of a soap opera, but the story of three

19-year-olds accused of gang-raping an unconscious girl is going to

the small screen tonight.

CBS newsmagazine “48 Hours” will tonight air “Eye of the

Beholder,” an hour-long look at the hung-jury trial of Greg Haidl,

son of former Orange County Assistant Sheriff Don Haidl, and friends

Kyle Nachreiner and Keith Spann.

The trial of three boys accused of gang-raping and sexually

assaulting an unconscious 16-year-old girl in Don Haidl’s Corona del

Mar home has made many headlines in the local press, but now the rest

of the country will know the story.

The alleged crimes and the ensuing trial had all the elements of

an interesting story, “48 Hours” correspondent Bill Lagattuta said.

“It involved kids and raised questions of parental involvement: Do

you know what your kids are up to?” he said. “It’s a compelling story

and not a cut-and-dry kind of story. There are two very different

sides to the story. That’s the kind of story we like to do.”

But while much of the local media focused on Don Haidl -- a

wealthy businessman and, until his retirement in September, an

assistant sheriff -- that was only a small part of the story to

Lagattuta and his producers.

More at issue, Lagattuta said, was that the videotaped incident

occurred in Don Haidl’s Corona del Mar home.

“The story didn’t happen because Don Haidl was the assistant

sheriff but because he didn’t know what was going on in his own

house.”

Producers approached both sides about doing the story after it

broke in 2002. Everyone had initial reservations.

“Originally, I didn’t want to do it,” said Joseph Cavallo, one of

Greg Haidl’s attorneys. “Several months later we decided to

cooperate, once I felt comfortable that they would give a fair

analysis.”

The Orange County district attorney’s office did not participate

initially because they were worried about prejudicing the jury pool

during the trial, Deputy Dist. Atty. Susan Schroeder said. After the

judge declared a mistrial in the first case, Dist. Atty. Tony

Rackauckas wanted to publicly support the girl, known as Jane Doe.

“It’s not just about this Jane Doe, but all Jane Does,” Schroeder

said. “And are we going to have a justice system that favors people

with a lot more resources?”

Lagattuta and producers had access to all the players in the case,

as well as their families. Doe, however, put restrictions on the

interview. She would not show her face or talk about the night in

question, Lagattuta said.

The Haidls, he said, seemed eager to tell their side of the story.

An interview with Greg Haidl revealed him as thoughtful and

matter-of-fact about his position, Lagattuta said.

“Whether you believe him or side with him is irrelevant,”

Lagattuta said. “He’s very clear in what he did, unwavering, in some

ways sympathetic. You’ll see him in a light you haven’t seen before.”

Chief Assistant Dist. Atty. Chuck Middleton, for one, will be

glued to his television tonight.

“I want to see if the defendants say anything that would be

detrimental to their position,” he said.

* MARISA O’NEIL covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (714) 966-4618 or by e-mail at marisa.oneil@latimes.com.