The case with multiple murder defendants ran longer than Judge Olmedo seemed to think it would.
It's now 3:30 pm and we still haven't started up again.
Judge Olmedo assures Jane Doe 3 that there should be no such interruptions tomorrow.
Jury coming in.
Continuing with the direct examination of Jane Doe 3
Mueller: Since we have our projector working, I'm going to ask you to look at a few photographs. Who is in this photo?
JD3: That is Jennifer Esposito, and that looks like her husband or boyfriend.
Is that the person who was with her in that incident?
I believe so. I only met him once.
Do you recognize this second photo?
This was our bedroom.
At the Hollymont house?
Yes, sir.
And is this photo consistent with how it was when you were there?
For the most part, yes.
As far as the bed, is it the same?
It was a dark wood. It looks like it.
There's a couple of doors on each side of the door, one left and one right of the bed. What were those?
The door to the left was my closet and the door to the right was his closet.
Do those closets connect?
No. He put a wall in when we moved in.
Do you recognize this photo?
Yes, sir. That is Scientology's Celebrity Centre.
Is there where you went to report when Masterson raped you?
Yes, sir.
Do you recognize this photograph?
Is that Miranda?
Do you recognize it?
I've never seen the photograph before, but that looks like Miranda Scoggins.
Do you recognize this person?
Yes, sir. That is Chris Scoggins, right? Sorry, I haven't seen these people since the early 2000s. But that's Chris Scoggins.
And who's that?
The chaplain at Celebrity Centre.
Do you recognize this?
Yes, sir. that is the front door of the house on Hollymont.
And these stairs in the back?
They take you to a landing that you can go to a back patio. Or you can go up the stairs to two bedrooms.
Do you recognize this photograph?
Yes, sir. Down the step is the living room. And next to the fireplace was the office.
This is the living room inside the Hollymont house, is that correct?
Yes, sir.
And lastly, do you recognize this photograph?
It's different, but that was the shower in the primary bathroom in our bedroom at the Hollymont house.
So this was the master bathroom shower?
Yes, sir, but it was different. It wasn't marble, we had tile. And the glass was different.
After you reported to Miranda Scoggins, how did the defendant react to that?
He wasn't bothered at all.
Was there any impact on the relationship?
He wasn't, not from him, but from me. He didn't mind that I reported him. And he knew I was doing my ethics program and going there every day.
At this point, did you have a thought about going to law enforcement?
I wouldn't, couldn't do that.
Why?
It's a high crime in Scientology. I just wanted him to get help.
Did you think by reporting him it would get him help?
Yes, sir.
What kind of help did you want for him.
Just that he would stop doing these things.
After reporting him and doing these courses, was there a thought this relationship was going to end?
Yes, sir. I was nearing the end of my program, and I was standing in that living room, and I was asking him, are you going to go to ethics, are you going to handle this? And for me, his answer was, he told me he didn't have to because he was flourishing and prospering in life. And when he said he wasn't going to, I knew I had to leave.
When you say he was flourishing and prospering, was that a Scientology principle?
Yes, sir. He was doing really well in life. He was on a TV show, he was making money, ethics did not apply to him.
Was that something that he believed, or was that your own understanding? (Obj, sustained, rephrase) This idea of flourishing and prospering, is that was something that was taught in Scientology?
Yeah, it was talked about, and it was written but I wouldn't know where to point you to see it.
And what did you understand it meant?
I knew what it meant for him. Basically doing really well in life and ethics didn't apply to him like it would for me.
Are you aware if he ever went through an ethics program
He did not.
When did the relationship end.
February March. I think officially in March of 2002. That's when we met with the chaplain for the second time.
This chaplain, Chris Scoggins?
Yes, sir.
When did you meet with him?
Well, the first time, I met with him to tell him what he had done to me.
Was this after you talked to Miranda Scoggins?
I talked to her first.
What was the purpose of meeting Christopher Scoggins, the chaplain?
To discuss my issues, what he did, what it was like. I told him, I gave him the details of the things.
Did you give him the details of the December and the other incidents as well?
Yes, sir.
Did that include the November incident?
Yes, sir.
What was his reaction to that?
Well, he made me read something, and then he told me what his "hat" was as his 2D or his girlfriend. And he basically said that, if I stopped saying no, he wouldn't be doing those things. And my hat or my job was his girlfriend was to give him sex whenever he wanted.
How did you feel about him telling you that?
It wasn't anything I hadn't heard before. But I was done. Like, I was ready to leave.
You meant it officially ended, what do you mean officially.
When I told him that I was ending the relationship and we had to go meet with Christopher Scoggins again, and work out the terms of our breakup.
The terms of your breakup, was that written?
I got there and Mr. Masterson and Mr. Scoggins were sitting outside the president's office, in the courtyard, and they were writing up things. Just ending it and I remember part of it was that I would never sue him. Part of it was the car that I had, I drove his old Bronco, and I was to give it back to him in six months, I think. And he was going to pay rent for me for I believe three months.
Did you sign this agreement?
I had to, yes.
(She describes Scoggins putting copies of the agreement in both of their folders.)
Judge Olmedo calls for the end of the day.
Once again she gives the jurors the admonition about not talking about the case.
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Great reporting, thank you.
It’s nice that more of the scientology indoctrination is being allowed in the testimony this time around. An abused spouse would understand completely the fear of leaving a known situation, no matter how bad. Add to that the people who are supposed to have your best interests at hand telling you you to act a certain and a young girl with no life experience would be sucked into this so easily. I do hope the jurors are paying attention. I’m curious to see what comes up on cross.