Pretrial—Jury Selection: November 14, 2013
During the first two days that John and I were at the courthouse, attending the jury selection and the pretrial motions, these were some of my observations:
Patricia’s appearance: She has lost a lot of weight, so much so that it appears that she has no excess body fat at all. She was neat and well groomed, with no makeup. Her hair is long, past her shoulders. She still wore her wedding ring. During the jury selection, she wore a blue sweater and black pants. At the end of the jury selection, when they were discussing her presence for the following day, it was discussed as to whether she should return to court in civilian or prison clothes. The judge decided to let her come in civilian clothes because there would be a chance that the orange prison jump suit could prejudice a juror member, if one happened to be in the building that day.
Patricia was alert and attentive during the two pretrial days and would sometimes engage with her attorney. John’s observation was that she was rather calmly engaged in a project, not freaking out, as you might expect from an innocent person, wrongly accused of a serious crime. Of course one mustn’t read too much into appearances, but this is what we saw.
Both attorneys appear to be very competent and experienced lawyers, comfortable in the circumstances and fully engaged in the trial. Mr. Allison appears to be righteous and determined to see that justice is done. He told us that during a trial like this, the prosecuting attorney gets to know the victim very well and becomes very close to him. This makes him even more motivated to see that justice is done. Mr. Allison, overweight and a little messy, comes across as a regular guy, in touch with the people of the jury. I see him as fitting in with the local people. He is focussed and very high energy. At one point in the trial, he described himself as indefatigable, a word for him that I would agree with. He turned 66 in November, during the trial.
After the pretrial sessions, Mr. Allison met with John and I in his office and discussed the proceedings that day. He told us that he was pretty happy with the jury, but that there were two jurors, that he was a little concerned about. He remarked that he knew one of the juror's family and that he had put some of them in jail. He said that they were not bad people and they hadn't done anything serious, it's just that they didn't think and got themselves into trouble. He told us that the prosecution needed 12 good jurors, while the defense needed just one bad one. Generally, though, he was satisfied with what he had.
He also told us that the key issue in this trial was going to be the testimony of Amber Lubbers. Since she received leniency in return for her testimony—and especially since a lenient, 15-month sentence was further reduced to just 8 months—the jurors may automatically conclude that Amber’s testimony must be tainted because of the deal she got. Mr. Allison was somewhat concerned about this central issue of the trial.
Mr. Duncan is tall, thin, well groomed, and austere. He appears to be more of an intellectual and, although he does live in the area (actually, in Medford), one would guess from appearances, that he is an outsider. He also seems to be energetic and one expects that he will try anything and everything for his client. He will be a tough opponent for Mr. Allison. He was 68 at the time of the trial.
John and I speculated that he may be in a tough situation with Patricia as his client and with things pretty well stacked against her. It reminded John of watching some very good musicians struggling to play a piece of very bad music. Or perhaps he is in a situation like a professional athlete doing his or her best against a superior opponent. In addition, who knows what things Patricia has been saying to him and what demands she is making.
We left the courtroom for lunch on Thursday and happened to walk with him up the stairs. He is a gracious man and said that he was sorry for our loss. Later that day, he spoke with us in the hallway after jury selection was completed. He took John and I aside and said that his client had asked him to ask me if it would be ok for her to call me. To his credit, he seemed to be very uncomfortable making that request. I started to reply and he quickly said that I didn’t have to respond, cutting me off as though he didn’t want to hear my response. I told him that my response is that this is neither the time nor the place for a response to that question. We then walked up the stairs together and he asked us where we lived. He told us that he had been in the military for 20 years and had been stationed in the East Bay, doing maritime law. He seemed to want us to like him on a personal level, in spite of the job he is being paid to do. John and I both wonder if, once the trial is over, it would be possible to sit down with him and discuss the trial from his perspective. I bet that would be a very interesting discussion.
We bumped into Detective Jeff Moser at the courthouse on Thursday. He told us that he was surprised—and glad—that the trial was starting so quickly. He told us that it can take as long as two years for a case like ours come to trial. I am so glad that we didn’t have to wait that long.
Judge Dixon told the two attorneys that she has a commitment Monday afternoons for the first two weeks of the trial, November 18 and December 2, 2013, and that she would need to end court by about 12:45 each of those days.
There is great irony in the fact that the trial will begin on November 18, almost exactly a year after Chris’ murder and only one day after what would have been his 35th birthday. According to the testimony of Amber Lubbers, Chris was killed on November 16, 2012. He was born on November 17, 1978.
Monday, November 18, 2013
One really interesting, and weird, aspect to this trial is that it is taking place in the basement of the courthouse. Outside the courtroom there is a single, not very wide hallway that is lined with chairs. There is a women’s restroom across from the entrance to the court and a men’s at the end of the hall, away from the courtroom. At the opposite end of the hallway is a floor to ceiling curtain, behind which is the judge’s and jury’s entrance to the courtroom. We are all packed in together in that hallway: family, reporters, witnesses, and attorneys. The jurors pass through on the way to the jury assembly room at one end of the hallway and pass through the other way on the way to the bathrooms or when it is time to go home. The witnesses are often conferring with one of the investigators in the hallway. Even the judge has to pass through on the way to and from the courtroom. Perhaps worst of all, should Patricia need to use the restroom, a deputy sheriff takes her to the same women’s restroom all the other women are using. Of course we simply cannot talk to any of these people and they cannot talk to us. What a strange experience to be all together like that!
Georgia (I don’t remember her last name), who is Patricia’s grandmother, and her boyfriend, Al, were waiting along with us in the hallway this morning before the trial. In the course of a conversation that I had with them, I learned that they are 74 and 79, respectively. At one point, Al took me aside and began to give me his take on the trial. He said that it was a shame how the police could get a witness to lie for them and how much they were looking forward to seeing Patricia go free so she could go back to her children and resume her life. He said this with such smiling positivity, that I was just plain disgusted. I told him that I didn’t want to go into the trial with him out there in the hallway and walked away. He and Georgia were not at the preliminary hearing and haven’t heard Amber’s testimony. I will be looking forward to seeing their reaction when they do.
At the afternoon break, Al spoke to me again, this time about Patricia’s children. He told me how well they are doing under the care of Tammy, Patricia’s mother, and Rob, Tammy’s husband. He told me that they were excelling in gymnastics and in school (preschool, in Cora’s case). He said how terrible it is that Sarah has applied to the court in Jackson County to get custody of Cora. He began to go into all the reasons that Tammy should get custody and Sarah shouldn’t. I stopped him right there and told him that I didn’t want to go into this with him and, again, walked away. I definitely do not want to be in the middle of Sarah's (I think) ill-advised attempt to get custody of Cora.
Our family are all staying at the Best Western Miner's Inn, not too far from the courthouse. When our contact in Victim Witness Services at Siskiyou County Courts heard about that, she called them and asked them to give us a better rate, which she did. That was very kind of her and it is typical of how we are being treated while are here.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
In the morning today, Deputy Biddle testified that Patricia had told him that Chris was prone to go off alone from time to time and that was confirmed by his father. Actually, I believe that Deputy Biddle must have gotten that from his mother, and misspoke. When I talked with Deputy Biddle on the telephone a year ago, I am quite certain that I said nothing of the kind.
After the afternoon break, my mother came back into the courtroom very angry and said, “That bitch.” Later she told us that as she was leaving the bathroom she passed Georgia who asked her how she was doing. The tone of voice she used was light and happy with absolutely no regard to the fact that for nearly two full days my mother had been listening to testimony about how her grandson had been killed. What an insensitive thing to say to another human being!
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Sarah was not in court this morning. I found a voicemail on my phone where she said that she was at the Jackson County Court looking into what is going on with Cora. I passed that information on to my family and, when asked by him, to Mr. Allison.
Around lunchtime, I found a second message from Sarah asking me to keep her whereabouts confidential. Actually, I don’t owe Sarah any loyalty and see no reason why I should respect her wishes. In any case, it was too late. Later on in the afternoon, Detective Moser asked me where Sarah was and I told him that she was up at the Jackson County Court checking on the situation with Cora. I asked him if he knew that Sarah had applied for custody of Cora and he said he thought he had heard something about it.
At dinner tonight, my mom said that she had decided that the best thing she could do was to be nice to Georgia so she had gone up to her that afternoon and said hi to her. She figured that best thing to do would be to be positive and friendly, even overly friendly.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
We had lunch at Grandma’s today. When we paid, the man at the cash register came to our table and told us how sorry he was for our loss. I was the last of the family to leave the restaurant and I could hear our waitress telling someone else that we are the family of the victim in the big murder trial.
We had a little extra time for lunch and on the way back to the courthouse, my mom asked us to drop her off at a store in downtown, only a couple of blocks from the courthouse, where she wanted to buy a couple of Christmas gifts. Later on that afternoon, Georgia saw the bag my mom was carrying and asked her what she had bought. My mom said that she had bought a butterfly Christmas ornament. Georgia’s response was a happy butterflies are free! This is after we had been listening to testimony all afternoon about Chris’ autopsy report and his 25 bullet wounds. Georgia must be the most insensitive individual on the planet, maybe on any planet.
Friday, November 22, 2013
As I was checking out this morning before going to the courthouse, the woman at the desk told me that she was sorry for our loss. The name MacCallum has become well known in this small town. The woman went on to say that they could see what is going on in the trial. She said that Yreka is a conservative town and that she was pretty sure that we would get the justice we deserve.
We had lunch at Grandma’s again today. When we paid, the same man came to our table and spent some more time with us. He assured us that Yreka is the kind of place where justice is sure to be served and he wished us well.
As we were leaving the restaurant, the Sheriff of Siskiyou County, Jon Lopey, followed us out into the parking lot. He assured us that they are working very hard on the case. He gave us his card and told us that if we needed anything, to be sure to give him a call. He said that he would be glad to help in any way he could.
It is very nice to be in such a caring community.
Monday, December 2, 2013
We saw John Singley, Patricia's father, in court for the first time today. I spoke to him in the hallway and he said that he works as a salesman and that he hadn't been able to come to the trial before because his boss wouldn't give him time off. He said he had walked off the job that morning and probably would be fired for it. I have no idea who his boss is, but whoever he is, he must be one inhumane, hard-hearted individual. Mr. Singley was there for the remainder of the trial.
Although Georgia's boyfriend Al was still in court every day, Georgia had to return home. She had told us that she was an office manager and simply could not take time off from the 1st to the 15th each month. We were quite glad to know that she would not be around for the next two weeks.
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
As we were leaving the courtroom, John Singley happened to be right next to me. He asked me if, when all this was over, things could return to normal, the way they used to be. Sensitive (ok, oversensitive) that I was talking to a man whose daughter was likely to be going to prison for a long time, I told him I supposed it was possible, if Patricia was found innocent. He expressed relief.
That exchange caught me by surprise and after I had a chance to think about it for awhile, I realized two things: 1) That question most likely came from Patricia, who has visitation rights for two hours every Saturday afternoon and is most likely in close contact with her family. 2) Return to normal could mean being able to have the same relationship with me and my family, but it also could mean sending her money every month, as I was doing for Chris (I was sending him $500 per month). The more I thought about it, the less I liked both John's question and my response to it. As it happened, both the question and the answer were meaningless because Patricia was found to be guilty and things will never return to normal.
That exchange caught me by surprise and after I had a chance to think about it for awhile, I realized two things: 1) That question most likely came from Patricia, who has visitation rights for two hours every Saturday afternoon and is most likely in close contact with her family. 2) Return to normal could mean being able to have the same relationship with me and my family, but it also could mean sending her money every month, as I was doing for Chris (I was sending him $500 per month). The more I thought about it, the less I liked both John's question and my response to it. As it happened, both the question and the answer were meaningless because Patricia was found to be guilty and things will never return to normal.
Monday, December 9, 2013
After Angela Setsodi testified today, she sat in the audience and watched the trial. Erin, Patricia's sister, was sitting across the aisle from her. At the time of the trial, I believe Erin was 18 years old. Ms. Setsodi told me later that Erin glared at her, apparently angry at her for what she had said on the witness stand, which really wasn't much. Ms. Setsodi told me that she asked Erin if she had a problem and Erin invited her outside to settle their differences. Ms. Setsodi said she told Erin something like, I see you are just as stupid as your sister and ignored her for the rest of the time she was in the courtroom.
Supervising Investigator Marc Perrin from the District Attorney's Office testified that he made up a false profile so that he could examine Patricia's activity on various social websites during the time period from when Patricia and Chris reconciled until Patricia's computer was confiscated. There is nothing on these types of websites to verify who or what kind of person you are interacting with. To me and my family, this was a cautionary tale. After all, we know that both a murderer and an investigator had active profiles at one time or another on the websites Patricia had been visiting.
About six months after the trial was over, I was able to get copies of the screen shots that Investigator Perrin made, which also included text conversations between Patricia and men that she had met online. I have decided to not include that material in my blog for a couple of reasons. First, Patricia's online activity shows that she was dissatisfied with her marriage, but has nothing to do with Chris' killing. More importantly, Patricia's online sex life is rather tawdry and I don't think it is the kind of thing I want to include in my blog. Robert Scott's e-book about Chris' murder, Fatal Family Affair, relates Patricia's online conversations and I refer the interested reader there.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Throughout the trial so far, Detective Moser has sat at the People's table in the courtroom, right next to Mr. Allison. He is helping Mr. Allison with the evidence and helping him keep track of the issues as they arise. During one of our breaks, Detective Moser shared with us how nervous he was about testifying--Mr. Allison had told him that he would be the final witness for the People. Perhaps sensing his nervousness or maybe knowing Detective Moser from previous cases (it is, after all, all small courthouse), several times during the trial when the court was in recess, Mr. Duncan leaned over to Detective Moser and told him, You better be ready, I am coming for you. When Mr. Allison finally had his chance to cross examine Detective Moser Wednesday morning, December 11, 2013, his cross examination wasn't all that tough. At the end of it, as we broke for lunch, Mr. Allison told Detective Moser, that was my Christmas present to you.
Thursday, December 12, 2013
After the morning recess was over, we were not immediately allowed back into the courtroom while Judge Dixon interviewed two jurors and the husband of one of those two. During the trial, the husband of one of the jurors brought his wife to jury duty each day and then stayed in the audience to watch the trial. He made himself known to the court before the trial began, so the judge and both attorneys knew that he would be in the audience. Moreover, both he and his wife were admonished by Judge Dixon to not discuss the trial at any time while it was going on.
Apparently word had gotten to Judge Dixon that a second juror had said that this husband and wife had been discussing the trial together at home. Judge Dixon met with all three of them to determine if there was jury misconduct. We know nothing about what transpired except that Judge Dixon said that the court was satisfied that there was no misconduct on the part of the jury. Thank heavens! Had there been misconduct, I expect the judge would have had to dismiss this jury and begin the trial again. I don't know if any of us would have had the stamina to start all over again.
Friday, December 13, 2013Supervising Investigator Marc Perrin from the District Attorney's Office testified that he made up a false profile so that he could examine Patricia's activity on various social websites during the time period from when Patricia and Chris reconciled until Patricia's computer was confiscated. There is nothing on these types of websites to verify who or what kind of person you are interacting with. To me and my family, this was a cautionary tale. After all, we know that both a murderer and an investigator had active profiles at one time or another on the websites Patricia had been visiting.
About six months after the trial was over, I was able to get copies of the screen shots that Investigator Perrin made, which also included text conversations between Patricia and men that she had met online. I have decided to not include that material in my blog for a couple of reasons. First, Patricia's online activity shows that she was dissatisfied with her marriage, but has nothing to do with Chris' killing. More importantly, Patricia's online sex life is rather tawdry and I don't think it is the kind of thing I want to include in my blog. Robert Scott's e-book about Chris' murder, Fatal Family Affair, relates Patricia's online conversations and I refer the interested reader there.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Throughout the trial so far, Detective Moser has sat at the People's table in the courtroom, right next to Mr. Allison. He is helping Mr. Allison with the evidence and helping him keep track of the issues as they arise. During one of our breaks, Detective Moser shared with us how nervous he was about testifying--Mr. Allison had told him that he would be the final witness for the People. Perhaps sensing his nervousness or maybe knowing Detective Moser from previous cases (it is, after all, all small courthouse), several times during the trial when the court was in recess, Mr. Duncan leaned over to Detective Moser and told him, You better be ready, I am coming for you. When Mr. Allison finally had his chance to cross examine Detective Moser Wednesday morning, December 11, 2013, his cross examination wasn't all that tough. At the end of it, as we broke for lunch, Mr. Allison told Detective Moser, that was my Christmas present to you.
Thursday, December 12, 2013
After the morning recess was over, we were not immediately allowed back into the courtroom while Judge Dixon interviewed two jurors and the husband of one of those two. During the trial, the husband of one of the jurors brought his wife to jury duty each day and then stayed in the audience to watch the trial. He made himself known to the court before the trial began, so the judge and both attorneys knew that he would be in the audience. Moreover, both he and his wife were admonished by Judge Dixon to not discuss the trial at any time while it was going on.
Apparently word had gotten to Judge Dixon that a second juror had said that this husband and wife had been discussing the trial together at home. Judge Dixon met with all three of them to determine if there was jury misconduct. We know nothing about what transpired except that Judge Dixon said that the court was satisfied that there was no misconduct on the part of the jury. Thank heavens! Had there been misconduct, I expect the judge would have had to dismiss this jury and begin the trial again. I don't know if any of us would have had the stamina to start all over again.
My brother went to the motel office this morning to extend his stay, because it was obvious that the trial was not going to end that day. There were two young women standing behind the front desk clerk. When my brother finished talking to the clerk, one of the women in back told my brother that her cousin had been in the Siskiyou County Jail and had seen Patricia. She said that Patricia did not interact with the other people in the county jail because she believed she would be going home soon.
Mr. Duncan, during his closing arguments, seemed to be not fully engaged. In the day 15 post, I have noted 11 mistakes that he made. He also rambled quite a bit and his closing argument seemed disorganized. I thought he should have periodically summed things up and said more directly what he was trying to say. He also used the word 'evocative', which I am sure was lost on most of the jurors. Even I had to go home and look it up. Don't get me wrong, he did not do a terrible job and he certainly was not neglectful. He addressed all the issues, but just seemed to be a little unfocussed. It was a very long trial and fatigue may have been a factor. Even the indefatigable Mr. Allison looked exhausted by the end of the trial.
At the celebration at the end of the trial, one of the detectives said that Mr. Duncan had told him that he hadn't been paid since February. Maybe that had something to do with it. There were several times in his closing arguments when he alluded to evidence that he did not have, for example Amber Lubbers' cell phone records. Well, he certainly could have asked Ms. Lubbers for her cell phone and had it analyzed, but that would have cost money. If Patricia or her family wasn't paying him, that could affect what he was able to do.
Monday, December 16, 2013
After the guilty verdict came in, we invited all the investigators who had worked so hard on the case to join us for dinner at the Siskiyou Roadhouse. When we got back to the motel, I called the roadhouse to make reservations and they told me that they already had a large party that evening and wouldn't have room for us. I told them my name and the purpose of the dinner and the young woman I was talking to immediately knew who I was. She put me on hold to go talk to her manager. A couple of minutes later she came back and told me that they would find a way to accommodate our group. It was almost like being a celebrity!
Miscellaneous thoughts and experiences
Members of my family and Chris' mother, Sarah, had some rather minor information (especially when compared to other witnesses) about Chris. At the beginning of the trial, I told Investigator Marc Perrin what I knew. By the time we neared the end of the trial, it became apparent that none of us were going to be called as witnesses. The few facts that we knew were mostly covered by other witnesses, but I was still interested as to why Mr. Allison didn't call any of us. He said that he didn't like to call family members as witnesses because they have been through enough already. He asked me how I would like to go up against Mr. Duncan. On the one hand, I appreciated his sensitivity. On the other hand, part of me would have liked to have a chance to spar with Mr. Duncan.
I don't remember when it began, but at some point during the trial, I think during the second week as the testimony against Patricia continued to grow, I all of sudden noticed that I didn't see much of Al in the hallway anymore. He was still attending the trial, but at lunch and during the breaks, he wasn't around. One day I had to go up to the second floor for some reason during a break, and I found him taking his break up there. I assume that as Patricia looked more and more guilty, he no longer wanted to engage with us. As a matter of fact, we didn't interact the rest of the trial.
The probation report that was prepared for Patricia's sentencing included a section summarizing the crime she committed. The report said that the summary was taken from the transcript of the interview of Amber Lubbers by Detective Moser, which took place right after Ms. Lubbers was arrested. During that interview Ms. Lubbers told Detective Moser that she and Patricia stopped at one point on the way home to see if there was any blood on the trunk, from when they had tried to lift the tent containing Chris' body. Once they saw there was no blood, they continued to drive home. This is not a particularly important fact, but since it did not come out in the trial, I thought I would add it here.
Members of my family and Chris' mother, Sarah, had some rather minor information (especially when compared to other witnesses) about Chris. At the beginning of the trial, I told Investigator Marc Perrin what I knew. By the time we neared the end of the trial, it became apparent that none of us were going to be called as witnesses. The few facts that we knew were mostly covered by other witnesses, but I was still interested as to why Mr. Allison didn't call any of us. He said that he didn't like to call family members as witnesses because they have been through enough already. He asked me how I would like to go up against Mr. Duncan. On the one hand, I appreciated his sensitivity. On the other hand, part of me would have liked to have a chance to spar with Mr. Duncan.
I don't remember when it began, but at some point during the trial, I think during the second week as the testimony against Patricia continued to grow, I all of sudden noticed that I didn't see much of Al in the hallway anymore. He was still attending the trial, but at lunch and during the breaks, he wasn't around. One day I had to go up to the second floor for some reason during a break, and I found him taking his break up there. I assume that as Patricia looked more and more guilty, he no longer wanted to engage with us. As a matter of fact, we didn't interact the rest of the trial.
The probation report that was prepared for Patricia's sentencing included a section summarizing the crime she committed. The report said that the summary was taken from the transcript of the interview of Amber Lubbers by Detective Moser, which took place right after Ms. Lubbers was arrested. During that interview Ms. Lubbers told Detective Moser that she and Patricia stopped at one point on the way home to see if there was any blood on the trunk, from when they had tried to lift the tent containing Chris' body. Once they saw there was no blood, they continued to drive home. This is not a particularly important fact, but since it did not come out in the trial, I thought I would add it here.
I have never thought much about the death penalty, but then again, I have never been involved in anything that would have brought me close to it. I suppose if anything, I leaned toward being against it. The death penalty doesn't appear to be much of a deterrent, for one thing, and it seems contradictory for a state to declare murder to be illegal, yet to practice it themselves. Finally, whatever the offense, whoever the offender, they are still a human being capable of remorse, absolution, and atonement, things they cannot do if they are dead. On the other hand, I also understand the inherent justice of killing someone who has killed and the closure that it may afford the family and friends of the victim. I also understand how expensive it will be to house someone like Patricia and provide for all of her care for 50 years or for the rest of her life and how much would be saved by a simple execution.
Right from the beginning, at the time of the preliminary hearing, Mr. Allison told me and my family that the death penalty was not an option in Patricia's case. He said that he had met with his boss and they had gone over the State of California guidelines for the death penalty. They found that Patricia's crime did not meet those requirements. I can't quite bring myself to go so far as to say that I would like to see Patricia get the death penalty, but she showed absolutely no mercy when she killed Chris. I can understand, now how fitting it would be for the State of California to show no mercy to her, in return.
On Sunday, November 25, 2012, my wife arranged a ceremony for Chris at a Buddhist temple in Little Saigon, Orange County. Buddhists believe that such a ceremony is important for someone who has died to help their soul break free from this world and to move on. They feel that it is especially important for someone who has been murdered, in case that soul clings to their recent life because of anger or a desire for revenge. During the main service, Chris' name was mentioned, along with about a dozen other's who had recently passed away. It was interesting to hear, "Michael Christopher MacCallum" suddenly in the middle of a whole bunch of Vietnamese.
Chris had his own little table with his picture, the date of his death, incense, fruit, and flowers. After the main ceremony all the family members of those who had died gathered around those individual tables, bowed down, and made offerings. Afterward, the temple hosted a vegetarian lunch for Chris' family and friends. About 50 people came to honor him.
These ceremonies continued each week for seven weeks, the length of time Buddhists believe that is crucial for helping a soul to move onwards. My wife and I attended each of those ceremonies. After the seven weeks, Chris' picture was removed from the table and placed on a wall in the temple, where it still is to this day.
About a month after his death, on December 11, 2012, I found a small, yellow butterfly clinging to my dresser in the bedroom. The top of the butterfly's head was black, just as though it had black hair, and yellow was one of Chris' colors. It is very unusual to see butterflies in December and especially surprising to find one inside the house. My wife told me that in her culture butterflies are believed to be the soul of the deceased and are often seen during funerals. So perhaps Georgia was right after all, butterflies (and souls) are free.
Restaurants in Yreka
Should you ever find yourself in the far north (of California), here are some of the restaurants that we ate at and what we thought of them.
The best:
If you have the time and are traveling south, consider taking CA 3 through the mountains to get home. About half of the way from Yreka to Weaverville, CA 3 goes over the Scott Mountain summit at 5,205 feet, so the road may be impassable in the winter. It is a beautiful drive with very little traffic, although stretches of the road are narrow and winding. From Weaverville, you can take 299 to Redding (about 45 miles) or continue south to CA 36, which will take you to Red Bluff (about 100 miles). Allow plenty of extra time.
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Today, I looked up Patricia on the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation website and found that she has been transferred to the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla. And so, the final act of this drama has been played out--at least for me. I get no joy knowing she is in state prison, in fact, I feel empty. Too much energy and attention has been spent over the last two years on this sad situation. Now the healing must begin. As I said in one of my television interviews, one thing I won't do is carry around a lot of anger, resentment, remorse, or sadness. That would simply make me another one of Patricia's victims. Time to move on and put this behind me.
Thanks to all of you who have read my blog and supported me and my family through all of this. I could feel your support and encouragement throughout and know that it will be of continued great help in moving on with my life.
End of personal thoughts
Last update: 1/29/15 - Return to the Patricia MacCallum trial home page
Right from the beginning, at the time of the preliminary hearing, Mr. Allison told me and my family that the death penalty was not an option in Patricia's case. He said that he had met with his boss and they had gone over the State of California guidelines for the death penalty. They found that Patricia's crime did not meet those requirements. I can't quite bring myself to go so far as to say that I would like to see Patricia get the death penalty, but she showed absolutely no mercy when she killed Chris. I can understand, now how fitting it would be for the State of California to show no mercy to her, in return.
On Sunday, November 25, 2012, my wife arranged a ceremony for Chris at a Buddhist temple in Little Saigon, Orange County. Buddhists believe that such a ceremony is important for someone who has died to help their soul break free from this world and to move on. They feel that it is especially important for someone who has been murdered, in case that soul clings to their recent life because of anger or a desire for revenge. During the main service, Chris' name was mentioned, along with about a dozen other's who had recently passed away. It was interesting to hear, "Michael Christopher MacCallum" suddenly in the middle of a whole bunch of Vietnamese.Chris had his own little table with his picture, the date of his death, incense, fruit, and flowers. After the main ceremony all the family members of those who had died gathered around those individual tables, bowed down, and made offerings. Afterward, the temple hosted a vegetarian lunch for Chris' family and friends. About 50 people came to honor him.These ceremonies continued each week for seven weeks, the length of time Buddhists believe that is crucial for helping a soul to move onwards. My wife and I attended each of those ceremonies. After the seven weeks, Chris' picture was removed from the table and placed on a wall in the temple, where it still is to this day.
About a month after his death, on December 11, 2012, I found a small, yellow butterfly clinging to my dresser in the bedroom. The top of the butterfly's head was black, just as though it had black hair, and yellow was one of Chris' colors. It is very unusual to see butterflies in December and especially surprising to find one inside the house. My wife told me that in her culture butterflies are believed to be the soul of the deceased and are often seen during funerals. So perhaps Georgia was right after all, butterflies (and souls) are free.Restaurants in Yreka
Should you ever find yourself in the far north (of California), here are some of the restaurants that we ate at and what we thought of them.
The best:
- Brickhouse Pizza - family owned and operated - maybe the best pizza in the universe
- Caldera Brewery and Restaurant - Ashland, OR, 36 miles from Yreka - outstanding selection of beers, excellent food
- Etna Brewery Pub - Etna, CA, 30 miles southwest of Yreka along Highway 3 - good food and brews, very friendly atmosphere and a unique, family-style pub
- Goldrush Burgers - get the Miner Burger, they serve it with tater tots!
- Nature's Kitchen - Combination health food store and whole, natural food restaurant. Serves breakfast and lunch only. Maybe the best coffee in Yreka.
- Rico's Taco - excellent Mexican food, owned and operated by the cook, who is excited to have his own restaurant and to be able to cook for you
- Siskiyou Roadhouse - great food, good bar, friendly staff
- Standing Stone Brewing Company - Ashland, OR, 38 miles from Yreka - outstanding food (they have their own farm), very good brews
- Wine gallery on Broadway - interesting food, excellent selection of wines - open only a few days per week
- Black Bear Diner - good old diner food
- Casa Ramos - good Mexican food
- Grandma's - good solid American food - all the waitresses are grandmothers - amazing decor (everything is for sale except for Grandma)
- Lalo's - family owned and operated - good Mexican food
- Ming's Chinese Restaurant - typical Chinese food
- Puerto Vallarta - good Mexican food - the best margaritas
- The Purple Plum - good old Southern-style and American food
- String's Italian Cafe - good Italian food
- Natalee Thai Cuisine
If you have the time and are traveling south, consider taking CA 3 through the mountains to get home. About half of the way from Yreka to Weaverville, CA 3 goes over the Scott Mountain summit at 5,205 feet, so the road may be impassable in the winter. It is a beautiful drive with very little traffic, although stretches of the road are narrow and winding. From Weaverville, you can take 299 to Redding (about 45 miles) or continue south to CA 36, which will take you to Red Bluff (about 100 miles). Allow plenty of extra time.
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Today, I looked up Patricia on the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation website and found that she has been transferred to the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla. And so, the final act of this drama has been played out--at least for me. I get no joy knowing she is in state prison, in fact, I feel empty. Too much energy and attention has been spent over the last two years on this sad situation. Now the healing must begin. As I said in one of my television interviews, one thing I won't do is carry around a lot of anger, resentment, remorse, or sadness. That would simply make me another one of Patricia's victims. Time to move on and put this behind me.
Thanks to all of you who have read my blog and supported me and my family through all of this. I could feel your support and encouragement throughout and know that it will be of continued great help in moving on with my life.
End of personal thoughts
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