20 Wackiest Courtroom Moments of 2004 on Courttv.com


1	The same day a judge denied cameras in the courtroom during Robert Blake’s murder trial, the veteran actor gave media crews something to shoot. The “Baretta” star grabbed a street musician’s guitar outside the courthouse and spontaneously belted out a rendition of “Over the Rainbow.”

2	Convicted killer Sante Kimes may have been heartbroken that her once-loyal son testified against her, but it didn’t prevent her from trying to soften the blow. During Kenneth Kimes’ testimony, prosecutors introduced a note the son allegedly wrote that read, "Please understand I have to do it or they will kill you and me." But Kenneth laughed off the note as a forgery, and minutes later the judge caught Sante trying to slip the piece of evidence up her sleeve.

3	Was there a non-wacky courthouse moment for Courtney Love this year? Still, if we have to pick just one, it’s the impromptu media interview from the women’s room at the New York courthouse where she was arraigned on assault charges. The troubled rocker delivered a wide-reaching rant about ex-boyfriend Jim Barber, actor Russell Crowe, and her late husband Kurt Cobain's Nirvana bandmates, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic. "You do not sleep with married men," Love advised onlookers.

4	A Georgia prosecutor used full poetic license during his closing argument in the murder trial of Julia Lynn Turner, who was accused of poisoning her husband with antifreeze. Prosecutor Patrick Head recited a poem entitled “The Poisoner,” which was projected onto a screen above Turner’s mug shot. As the word “GUILTY” flashed across Turner’s face, the prosecutor read, "I'm a different kind of killer as you can see. I'm a poisoner, can you catch me?”

5	As if the retrial of two ex-lovers for the murder of Vegas casino tycoon Ted Binion needed more drama, during his closing argument, defense attorney Tony Serra shouted, hissed, roleplayed, sang and at one point compared casinos to palaces and Binion to a "demigod,” exclaiming, “Hail Caesar! We will find an assailant. The head must be brought forth and placed on a stick by dusk!" His client, Rick Tabish, was acquitted.

6	After his arraignment on child-molestation charges, pop icon Michael Jackson entertained his crowd of supporters – and irritated court officials – when he jumped on top of his black SUV limo, blew kisses and, of course, danced.

7	Philandering electrician Daniel Pelosi, while on trial for murdering millionaire Ted Ammon, turned to his family in the courtroom and loudly announced that he was going to testify, astonishing everyone including his lawyers, prosecutors and even the judge, who said, “Are you kidding me?”

8	While jurors in Scott Peterson’s murder trial deliberated, a boat similar to the one prosecutors say he used to dump his wife’s body suddenly appeared in a lot near the courthouse. Both the lot and the boat, which contained a dummy that had been used in defense testing, belonged to defense attorney Mark Geragos. The stunt prompted an outcry from Laci Peterson’s family and friends. Overnight, observers brought flowers and candles, turning the boat into an impromptu memorial site for the slain mother and her unborn son.

9	Brian David Mitchell, who is accused of kidnapping Elizabeth Smart, broke into a Christmas hymn in the middle of a court hearing in Salt Lake City. After listening to the tune for 40 seconds, the judge tossed Mitchell from the courtroom and ordered a new round of competency evaluations.

10	Oklahoma judge Donald Thompson was accused of using a male enhancement pump beneath his robe while sitting at the bench during numerous legal proceedings, including a murder trial. After the 57-year-old judge was caught in the act by a clerk and trial witnesses, the state’s attorney general sought his dismissal from the bench.

11	Robert Durst appeared stunned at being acquitted of murdering his elderly neighbor, especially after admitting to chopping up the body. But he had to have been nearly as shocked when he heard the bond his trial judge set for the remaining – and relatively minor – bail-jumping charge against him: $3 billion – the highest in Texas history. A higher court later lowered the amount.

12	Celebrity pals made notable appearances at Martha Stewart’s stock-fraud trial in February, but perhaps none as memorably, or endearingly, as Bill Cosby. The comedian and Jell-O spokesman came supplied with boxes of quick-mix dessert for the defense team.

13	Attorney David Fink went on the attack, literally, during a deposition in a contract-dispute case in May at a New York courthouse. In response to being called a “mad-dog lawyer,” Fink began barking like a dog at one witness. He was fined $8,500 for misconduct and harassment of opponents.

14	Actress Lara Flynn Boyle, who portrayed a hard-nosed prosecutor on "The Practice," turns out to be something of a Court TV fan. During deliberations in Scott Peterson’s murder trial, she sent an e-mail to the network weighing in on the case. She signed it "Frey Peterson," a reference to Peterson’s mistress, Amber Frey.

15	Convicted sniper John Allen Muhammad complained to a judge in September that his jailers refused to let him wear underwear. "How does it make the courtroom safe with me coming in, no T-shirt, no underwear, no socks?" he said.

16	When a South Carolina couple sought to keep a Pennsylvania squirrel named Nutkin as a pet, Senior Judge Joseph Hudock not only allowed it, but took the time to recount Nutkin's early years in his 11-page opinion: "Then one day tragedy struck: Nutkin fell from her tree nest! Dark clouds began to gather."

17	In ruling that Pennsylvania’s drunk-driving laws can’t be enforced on people on horseback, the state Supreme Court had only one dissenting judge, Michael Eakin, who phrased his dissent in a poem inspired by the “Mister Ed” theme song: “A horse is a horse, of course, of course, but the Vehicle Code does not divorce its application from, perforce, a steed as my colleagues said. ‘It's not vague,' I'll say until I'm hoarse, and whether a car, a truck or horse this law applies with equal force, and I'd reverse instead."

18	In October, Texas judge Faith Johnson welcomed a former fugitive back to her courtroom with balloons, streamers and a cake before sentencing him to life in prison. "We're so excited to see you,” Johnson told the man, who had been convicted in absentia of aggravated assault after he disappeared a year ago. “We're throwing a party for you."

19	After pleading guilty to aggravated assault on St. Patrick’s Day, Ray Mason called out to the judge at a Texas courthouse: “Hey, judge, look at this.” Mason then dropped his pants and mooned the judge, who promptly tacked on another six months to Mason’s eight-year sentence.

20	Walt Disney World worker Michael Chartrand was accused of groping a 13-year-old girl while wearing a Tigger costume. To illustrate how difficult it would be to tell where one’s hands – or paws – were while wearing the outfit, Chartrand’s defense lawyer brought Tigger’s head to court and tried it on. Jurors acquitted Chartrand of molestation charges.