MARTINEZ, Calif. — Susan Polk promised jurors in her opening statement that her case would unfold like an edge-of-your seat courtroom drama, and on Wednesday a surprise witness from Polk's past seemed to fulfill that promise, with an emotional appearance that left jurors and members of the gallery clutching their tissues.

"I didn't know when I should come, but I arranged for a taxi and my son to get off from work, and my cardiologist arranged for some extra medications in case I had a heart attack or stroke, so I came without notice and here I am," said a frail and breathless former neighbor and friend of Polk's, 77-year-old Elizabeth Bradley.

Bradley raised a wizened right hand as she took the oath.

Her head and body shook slightly with palsy as she testified from her wheelchair, at the foot of the clerk's desk, about a cruel beating she said Polk's husband exacted on one of his sons — and why she believed Susan Polk had been demonized in the press.

"I'm obliged to come to the aid of a very special person," Bradley told jurors in a whisper. Her adult son, Edwin Bradley, held a microphone to her mouth as she testified for about 30 minutes.

Susan Polk, 48, is representing herself against first-degree murder charges in the death of her 70-year-old psychologist husband Felix Polk.

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Polk says she suffered from 30 years of isolation and abuse at her husband's hands and that she stabbed him in self-defense in October 2002 at the end of a nasty divorce battle.

Prosecutors and two of Polk's three children say she planned on killing him for years and that she was the aggressor in the marriage.

Polk was in the middle of direct examination of her son Eli, 21, the only son to testify in her defense, when she heard a commotion at the entrance of the courtroom, turned, waved, and exclaimed, "Oh my God! Eli, do you remember who this is?"

Eli's testimony was interrupted to accommodate Bradley's surprise testimony.

"Today is a very special day, isn't it?" Polk asked her witness, who was covered in a gray shawl.

"April 26 is my 77^th birthday. And I have to apologize for my difficulty speaking, because I'm in the middle of some major oral surgery. If you can't understand me, let me know and I will try harder," Bradley said.

Bradley told jurors that many years ago, when she was a single mom with two boys, she lived on Elmwood Avenue in Berkeley, directly across from Susan and Felix Polk and their three boys.

"We were neighbors and friends. I baby-sat when Susan had to go shopping. I was like an aunt to the children. They were so adorable. I loved being around them and Susan," Bradley said.

Bradley did not say when she had last seen the defendant, but the Polks moved away from Berkeley about 16 years ago, and there was no indication that the two women maintained communication.

"She was an outstanding citizen of the neighborhood, and we loved her," Bradley said through tears. "I'm sorry. I can't help being so upset that such a beautiful person should have to go through this."

Susan also began to weep.

"You're being too kind, Elizabeth," she whispered.

Jurors have sat through weeks of testimony during the prosecution's case about the defendant's alleged delusional behavior and the brutal stabbing death that left her husband with 27 stab wounds, many of them defensive.

On Wednesday, they appeared riveted by Bradley. Many leaned in and several were clutching balled-up tissues. Gallery members were silent and some appeared stunned.

Polk's direct examination proceeded like a discussion between two old friends, as they talked of tea parties, doting on their boys, and their memories of Berkeley.

The prosecutor did not object.

"I saw no meanness in the children, except that Eli took a terrible amount of sibling abuse from his older brother, [Adam]. And his older brother was the apple of his father's eye," Bradley said.

Adam Polk, 23, and Gabriel Polk, 19, testified about their severely dysfunctional family, but they laid the blame squarely with their mother, who they said constantly instigated arguments and created conflict with everyone in her path.

Bradley said Felix Polk was the source of drama and abuse.

"One time I was in the house and this little boy was screaming something awful," Bradley recalled. She did not identify which child she was referring to. "I wanted to cry out, but I couldn't say anything."

Felix is a psychologist, Bradley said she thought to herself, and so he must know what he is doing.

"But the beating was cruel," she said.

"Elizabeth, did we discuss your testimony at all?" Polk asked.

"No," Bradley said.

Polk explained that she received a letter in jail, out of the blue, from Bradley, and she had hoped to arrange for her to be a witness, but the appearance was a surprise.

Assistant District Attorney Paul Sequeira noted that he had no discovery materials on the witness, other than the letter, which Polk provided to him shortly before Bradley took the stand.

Bradley said she had not followed the case until recently and her appearance was by happenstance.

"By coincidence, I saw a lady on TV who was talking about the case, and she was demonizing Susan in such a way, I was shocked ... I couldn't imagine. There was no comparison to the Susan I knew. She was describing a murderer whose kids turned against her," Bradley told jurors. "I said, 'What? This is terrible. I can't believe it.' And so I decided my voice had to be heard as somebody who was there on a day-to-day basis."

Bradley gasped for breath as she continued.

"I spent a lot of time around that family, and one thing I can tell you, in my lifetime, I never met a more diligent mother, wife, housewife, and assistant to her husband," she said.

"Thank you for your courage and integrity in coming today," Polk said.

"I couldn't live with myself if didn't. It breaks my heart," Bradley said, tears streaming down her face as she paused for air. "You deserve a better life."

"I have a brave son like you do, Elizabeth. I have a good life," Polk's voice cracked as she choked back tears. "No further questions."

The prosecutor thanked Bradley for coming to court and announced that he had no questions.

As Bradley motored herself out of the courtroom, she paused by the defense table.

"Bye-bye, honey. God bless you," she said as she wheeled away.

A female juror turned away briefly and appeared to wipe her face, but none of the panelists betrayed visible tears.

The direct testimony of Eli Polk continues Wednesday afternoon.