Closing arguments made in Haney manslaughter trial “Was Hong Phuc Le in the roadway?” That is a big question that jurors will have to figure out as they decide the fate of Dee Ann Haney. In the afternoon of the 9th day of a manslaughter trial, both the state and defense gave their closing arguements. Haney faces two manslaughter charges after a July 3, 2017 crash on a connector road to the northbound lanes of George and Cynthia Mitchell Galveston Causeway. Van Duoc Le, 58, and his son Hong Phuc Le, 33, were both hit and killed. Prosecutor Shawn Connally was the first to make his closing arguments to the jury. He told them that they should “test the evidence.” He showed the jury the video of Haney just after the crash. Based on her emotions, he said “she just killed two people, does she even care?” In the video, she admitted to police that there was more than one person, using the word “they.” Haney in her grand jury testimony and on the stand on Wednesday (2/14/2024), said there was only one man. “The story keeps unraveling because it is not true,” Connally said. “Is Tommy Nguyen lying to you or is Dee Ann Haney?” “She made the choice to take Ambien that night and get behind the wheel, and they [the Le’s] paid for her decision” Haney’s Defense Attorney Kevin Rekoff followed up. “There’s no blood on the black truck. How did that happen?” Rekoff said this statement because he believed that Hong Le was on the fog line and in the lane of traffic versus up near the truck. “Haney’s statement never changed,” he said. Rekoff said that Nguyen couldn’t have seen Haney’s headlights because he said he parked his truck behind a bush in a blind spot. “The biggest question is, was Hong in the roadway?” Rekoff argued that Duoc’s injury to arm was not preexisting and the Tacoma Tire rolled forward and over it. One of Rekoff’s more quoted lines during closing arguments was that the state continues to “put square pegs in round holes.” He said that based on the states theory, she would have taken 4x the amount of her normal dosage. “That doesn’t make any sense.” Texas A&M Galveston Officer Chapa testified that Haney sounded fine on the phone. “If you’re going to accuse someone [Haney] of lying, you should have some proof,” Rekoff said about the state. “When you look at the evidence there is only one conclusion…Hong Le was in the road” He talked about how some pills look alike, and brought up the pharmacists who testified about that. “Haney would never go out, take the Ambien and risk the life of other, including herself” Prosecutor Kacey Launius closed out, as her and Connally split their time. She opened by sarcastically saying, “so everybody is lying,” as she rebutted Rekoff’s closing argument. “I don’t want you to ignore anything Nguyen said.” He spoke to a lot of officers and english is not his first language. She said that Rekoff twisted Nguyen’s words while on the stand. Launius then said that Haney was “dishonest on the stand.” She said that Haney changed her answers from what she originally said to officers the night of the crash. Haney said she pulled onto the grass after the crash, but her car was on the road near the fog line in photos. “The only person that has been able to place Hong Le on the fog line and in the road was Dee Ann Haney.” Launius said that the photos show this was a side swipe. “Haney drove in the shoulder” She argued that it doesn’t make sense that her doctor kept prescribing her 10 MG of Ambien and had her cut them in half, and especially after changing doctors. “The way she kept her pills in pockets and baggies was reckless.” “The case comes down to one fact…was Hong Le in the road?” Launius stated that the only way Haney is not guilty is if Hong Le was in the roadway. “She is guilty of manslaughter, please find her guilty.” The jury went back to deliberate just before 2:30 PM. Since the jury could not reach a verdict, Thursday afternoon, they will return at 8:30 AM on Friday. ••••• Haney returns to stand in her own defense in manslaughter trial In what was the 9th day of a manslaughter trial, involving former Texas City Commissioner Dee Ann Haney, Haney returned to the stand in her own defense. Haney faces two manslaughter charges after a July 3, 2017 crash on a connector road to the northbound lanes of George and Cynthia Mitchell Galveston Causeway. Van Duoc Le, 58, and his son Hong Phuc Le, 33, were both hit and killed. Haney returned to the stand on Thursday (2/15/2024), where she left off Wednesday (2/14/2024) evening with her Defense Attorney Kevin Rekoff questioning her. Rekoff asked Haney if she complied with the officers and state troopers questions, to which she said she did. She also believed the sobriety tests they had her do were voluntary. In court, she told the jury that despite not doing well on the sobriety tests, she did the best to her ability based on her age and how long she had been awake for, which was 20 hours. When it came to the blood draw at UTMB Galveston, she consented because she “didn’t have anything to hide.” The dosage of Zolpidem she was prescribed was brought into discussion. Haney said she was prescribed 10 MG in 2010 and a year later, in 2011, her doctor told her to cut them in half because of the side effects she felt. Despite getting ready to go to bed before being called to Texas A&M Galveston, Haney said that she didn’t take any medication before leaving the house. The crash and the events around it were discussed for a bit between her and Rekoff. Haney said “it plays in my head all the time.” When asked what she sees, she said “a man in the road.” Haney was then passed to the state for cross-examination. She was first asked about her discussions with law enforcement. Haney said she was put in the back of a Galveston PD cruiser for 20-30 minutes, but it “felt like days.” She was then transferred to Trooper Colin Kolupski’s vehicle. Kolpuski asked Haney what medication she took that day, to which she said “a Claritin that morning.” Later in court, she said she took a Claritin at Texas A&M Galveston, which was just before the crash. She had one in a baggie in her pocket. Haney was asked about her other medication and the bottles they were in. All were orange, but different sized medicine bottles, which she keeps together in her bathroom cabinet. Prosecutors broke down her Zolpidem supply records from the pharmacy, which showed the doctor who prescribed the Zolpidem in 2010, changed from a specialist to her primary in February of 2017. The state brought up that at the time of the blood draw, Zolpidem, Metaxalone and Pseudoephedrine were in her system, to which Haney agreed that was true. Both the state and the defense rested their cases and took an early lunch at 10:45 AM. Closing arguments will take place when they return.

Posted by i45NOW Joey at 2024-02-15 17:40:07 UTC