Debbie Hawk's sister, Diane says she's glad that ... more than three years after her sister's disappearance and assumed murder ... the trial is close to being over.
Diane Triantis said, "I'm really relieved that it's going forward we've waited a long time and I just want to see this come to an end and justice be served."
Triantis and Debbie's close friends hope Debbie continues to be remembered for being a loving person.
"She was a really bright star in everybody's life," said Triantis.
Teresa Voyles said, "Always fun to be around, very thoughtful person I wish more people would have had an opportunity to know her."
Triantis, Voyles ... and former boyfriend and close friend, Mike Ray, were the last to testify Wednesday morning ... and some of the last people who saw Debbie before she disappeared.
Crouch said, "She has lots of friends but these were the friends in contact with her that weekend."
Debbie Hawk's ex-husband, Dave is accused of killing Debbie in June 2006. Her blood was found in her house and van ... which showed up two days later in Fresno. Her body has never been found.
Prosecutors say Hawk killed Debbie after she discovered he was stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from their children's trust funds. On Thursday, Dave Hawk's attorneys say they'll call their own financial experts to the stand.
Hawk's Attorney Mark Coleman said, "We're going to go forward tomorrow with some experts of our own who are going to put the trust allegations in the appropriate context."
The defense's witnesses come weeks earlier than expected. Originally prosecutors were estimating the trial to last up to six weeks. Now, it seems the trial will likely be over by the third week.
On Wednesday morning, two investigators from the department of justice testified they found no DNA evidence or fingerprints connecting Dave Hawk to the crime. Hawk's attorneys say their client is confident about the case so far.
Coleman said, "Dave is optimistic he knew all along that nothing would tie him to the crime to the scene the van or anything else."
If dismissal is denied ... the defense will start calling its witnesses at 9:00 a.m.
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Hawk Trial Notes
Day 1 - August 10, 2009
Several of Debbie Hawk's friends showed up to court today wearing purple. They said "Debbie was a very regal and graceful person" and the color purple reminds them of Debbie.
Before the trial began, Dave Hawk's attorneys said numerous times that they didn't believe Dave Hawk could get a fair trial in Kings County because of the high publicity of the case. Today, a small handful of Hanford residents came to sit in and listen to part of the testimony. One of them remarked that they expected more people from the community to come out and watch the trial. Several of Debbie and Dave's friends were in court to listen to the testimony but most of them weren't there because they are witnesses in the trial. They're allowed to sit in on the trial after they take the stand. Dave and Debbie's three children plus Debbie's friends are expected to take the stand in the coming weeks.
During opening statements, prosecutors said Debbie tried to take Dave to court for stealing money from their children's trust funds one other time before 2006. In 1998, after the couple separated, prosecutors said Debbie learned Dave took several thousand dollars out of the trust funds. Prosecutors said in January 2001, Dave Hawk signed an agreement ordering him to pay back the money he took from the accounts plus $45,000 in child support. Prosecutors then said Dave Hawk withdrew $60,000 from a second set of trust funds his parents set up for Debbie and Dave's three children to pay off the accounts and child support.
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Day 2 - August 11, 2009
Several more Kings County residents sat in on Dave Hawk's trial today. Some commented that they want to try and watch the entire 6-8 week trial. When asked why they were interested in following the trial, one woman said many people in Kings County feel sorry the children have lost their mom and dad.
Mary Royer and Dave Hawk have known each other for ten years. Royer used to operate a daycare in her home. She first met Dave when he and Debbie wanted their three children cared for by her. Mary Royer and Dave Hawk started dating in October of 2000 after Debbie and Dave separated. She moved in shortly after. They continued their relationship until November of 2005 when she moved out. They took a break and began dating again close to Christmas of 2005.
In an effort to prove Dave Hawk misused his children's trust funds, they questioned Royer about a $26,000 Lexus Dave bought her. She claimed the Lexus was bought with Dave's money and also with a loan they received to pay off another car she owned.
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Day 3 - August 12, 2009
Dave Hawk's ex-girlfriend, Mary Royer, testified again that she felt threatened by police investigators as she was interviewed about Debbie's murder. Prosecutors played an audio recording of Mary Royer's interview with police investigators in 2006. In the recording, you can hear Royer tell police that Dave said his child custody disputes weren't going to stop till Debbie was dead. She said "That was part of the rhetoric, part of his mantra." An investigator was then heard asking, "Did you think he was serious?" She replied, "No. Never in my life did I think he'd kill her."
In the afternoon, a number of witnesses took the stand, testifying briefly about the financial crimes Dave Hawk is charged with. A loan consultant said Dave Hawk falsely filled out a loan form to refinance his mortgage. In it, he listed his children as employees of a business he claimed he owned.
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Day 4 - August 13, 2009
Dave and Debbie Hawk's two daughters took the stand today. The two girls have kept up their grades remarkably during this family tragedy. 13-year old Savannah Hawk told attorneys on the stand that she was valedictorian at her junior high school. 17-year old Chelsa Hawk testified she also was valedictorian of her junior high school and is on schedule to be valedictorian of her high school class, as well.
The two young women stayed calm and focused during their testimony. Both would occasionally glance over at their father, Dave Hawk. The witness stand is awkwardly placed approximately five or six feet away from the defense is seated.
Earlier in the day, another neighbor, Tiffany Jones, testified she heard a scream the night Debbie went missing. Jones said she heard a scream at about 1:15am. Yesterday, Janet Hughes, another neighbor of Debbie's, testified she heard two screams at around 2:15am.
A computer forensic analyst also took the stand today. She testified about emails they discovered on Dave Hawk's personal computer that showed he had purchased a stun gun. She testified the stun gun was purchased in May of 2006, about a month before Debbie disappeared.
After the computer forensic analyst, Mark Dillon, who retired last year from the Hanford Police Department, testified about the pictures he took of the crime scene at Debbie Hawk's house. Prosecutors showed jurors 100 photos that Dillon took of the scene, including what appeared to be blood stains on Debbie's bedroom floor, blood splatters on the floor and laundry room, and blood stains on the floor of the laundry room. Since Debbie and Dave's children saw the crime scene, attorneys pointed out just a few pictures to Savannah and Chelsa to confirm the pictures matched what they saw when they walked into the house for the first time after their mother disappeared.
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Day 5 - August 14, 2009
Debbie and Dave Hawk's 19-year old son, Conrad, testified for more than a day. His testimony depicted quite a different picture than his two sisters' testimonies. Conrad spoke about several contentious arguments with his dad, including several moments where he told Conrad he was a terrible human being "just like his mother."
In court, Dave Hawk's attorneys tried to depict Conrad as an emotional teenager who loved his mother more than his father.
Dave Hawk's trial will likely wrap up a lot sooner than originally thought. Prosecutors believe they'll rest their case by Wednesday. The defense is expected to ask for a few days before they bring their witnesses.
Today the courtroom was close to full. A number of attorneys with the Kings County District Attorney's office plus even some of their family and friends are sitting in and watching the trial. They're joined by several Kings County residents and many relatives and friends of both Debbie and Dave.
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Day 6 - August 17, 2009
Prosecutors played a taped interview of Dave and Debbie Hawk's daughter, Chelsa, talking with Detective Daren Matteson. In it, Det. Matteson asked Chelsa if she knew of any other trust funds that were set up for her and her brother and sister. She said she was aware there was a "college fund" set up by Dave's parents. Prosecutors are trying to prove that the money that Dave took out of their trust funds was for college and not for their every day expenses.
A former Kings County District Attorney investigator also took the stand. Randy Ebner testified he and another investigator were performance surveillance on Dave Hawk during the early morning hours of the 14th. Hanford Police called Dave and asked him to come to the station for an interview. Ebner testified that he and another investigator were parked in an unmarked car down the street from Dave Hawk's house. Ebner testified he saw Dave Hawk pull out of his house driving his white Suburban truck and then stop an intersection across from where the investigators were parked. Ebner said Dave had his right turn signal on but paused at the intersection for "about 20 seconds." Ebner testified Dave Hawk then drove forward, towards the investigators, swerved over the wrong side of the road and pulled up next to the investigator's car. He then looked at the investigators. At this point, Ebner testified that the other investigator (who was in the driver's seat) turned on the headlights of the unmarked car they were in and Ebner says he stepped out of the vehicle and pointed his gun at Dave Hawk. Ebner testified Hawk then drove off and parked at the Hanford Police Station. Ebner says he and the other investigator were wearing bullet-proof vests and shirts that read "Kings County District Attorney's Office" on it.
Later in the afternoon, a woman who used to live on Lilly Street in Fresno testified that her dog was barking very loud and scratching at their front fence sometime between 2:00 and 5:00am the week Debbie was killed. She testified she saw Debbie's van parked outside her house the next day. The woman called the Fresno Police Department after she saw it parked in the same location the following day.
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Day 7 - August 18, 2009
Dave Hawk's close friend, Keith Marshall took the stand today. Investigators had Marshall wear a hidden microphone to try and get incriminating evidence against Hawk. Hawk's attorneys played audio recordings of the conversation in which Marshall asks Dave why he didn't tell him he bought a stun gun a month before Debbie disappeared. Dave told him he wasn't thinking.
In court, Marshall told prosecutors, "He didn't bring the stun gun up and as close as we were, I would have thought that he'd bring it up." Marshall then told Hawk's attorney about how he felt bad going behind Dave's back. He said, "I was in tears. It was the toughest thing I've had to do."
Dave Hawk also talked about how he was "scared to death" of getting arrested even though he told Keith Marshall that he was innocent.
Hawk's attorneys say Keith Marshall hasn't talked to Dave in at least two years and would probably still want to be his friend. They said Dave understands the kind of pressure Keith Marshall was in at the time.
Attorneys also questioned Marshall about whether he thought Dave suspected him of wearing a wire. He told attorneys that towards the end of the conversation he suspected him of wearing one but wasn't sure.
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Day 8 - August 19, 2009
Mike Ray, Debbie Hawk's boyfriend and close friend testified he saw Debbie the entire weekend before she disappeared. They saw each other for dinner on Friday night, went to a wedding together on Saturday and Sunday he testified they had a long lunch with his family. He described their relationship as "very close friends" who "shared just about everything" with each other. Ray says he talked to her every day. The last time he heard from her was on Monday. He says Debbie left him a voicemail about a concert she wanted to get tickets to at Hanford's Fox Theater. Mike Ray testified that after Debbie disappeared he was involved in numerous searches to look for her. He says he passed out flyers and encouraged local citizens to get involved.
Debbie Hawk's sister, Diane Triantis, testified about how Debbie was a very happy person. Triantis said the only times Debbie was unhappy was when she showed disappointment about not being in a long-term relationship. Triantis testified "Her marriage didn't work out. She was hoping at some point she'd have a good relationship with someone, something everybody wants and she hoped for." Triantis says she last saw Debbie on Friday night when she stayed overnight at her house. She last spoke to her on Sunday.
Dave Hawk's attorneys say they're expecting to call between 10-12 witnesses. They don't expect their side of the case to last more than two days. The jury could begin deliberating on the case as early as Monday.
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