Thread by @AirDhatu

The People vs. #DanaRivers, 11-9-22 (week 2 day 3): This day started slow, but got exciting later, so please read through the whole thread 🧐. Day starts with defense doing cross-x of ballistics expert Lau. Mostly just technical questions, nothing significant imho. 1/

Next witness is Timothy Latibeaudiere from the Oakland Police Department. His testimony was very brief --- he just mentioned how he discovered a bloody orange lighter near the bloody fence at the victims' house. There were also footprints nearby. 2/

It's clarified that in fact there were *two* orange lighters discovered at the scene, the one near the fence that the witness T.L. discovered, and one found inside. During defense cross-x, T.L. also answers that he did see an RV parked nearby. That's all for this witness. 3/

Next witness is Inspector Jason Riechers, who is an expert in call detail records, cell towers, and phone extraction. He did analyses on Reed and Rivers' cellphones. He first discusses the call detail records, which are records from the phone providers about when/where data 4/

transactions were taking place involving particular phone numbers. He talks about the various data transactions on Rivers' phone in between Sept and Nov 11 2016 (the date of the murder) --- some of these involved a cell tower near the victims' home, 5/

consistent with the idea that Rivers was near the victims' home during these times. Critically, there is data transmission involving Rivers' phone near the victims' home on the evening of Nov 10th (the murder was around midnight of the 11th). 6/

Riechers goes on to talk about the data he extracted from two phones, one belonging to Reed and the other to Rivers. These data consist of message exchanges, photos, and emails. (It was hard to follow all the slides and readouts, so my details aren't that precise). 7/

Reed's phone had some exchanges with Rivers that IMO were both intimate yet tense (Reichers calls them "amicable"). To summarize: Reed appreciates Rivers' friendship and his dropping his "vulnerability," but both sides fear betrayal. 8/

The witness goes on to talk about the phone extraction from Rivers' phone. Rivers' phone contains texts (personal, but also group chats), images, emails, and web searches that seem relevant to the case. Starting with the texts --- 9/

In group chat, Rivers tells Sandra, president of the Deviants biker group, at 11:15 am on November 10th: "air then gone. Red tag is 2001 but red which is 2016. Casual glance should be ok. I am going stealth to avoid attention, search my bike would not be good [emojis]". 10/

Rivers texts Vanessa (his wife, I believe) on Nov 10th: "...remember P knows where to find me." [Note: it's clarified later in the day that "P" stands for "President," i.e., Sandra]. There are also Nov 10th texts between Reed and Rivers. 11/

From what I can tell, the texts between Reed & Rivers on Nov 10th seem to involve Rivers traveling to meet up Reed. E.g.: There is a reference to "Bay Fair," which I think is a reference to the BART station. Reed at one point says "I'm glad you're here." 12/

Attention turns to images found on Rivers' phone. One has a girl and a burning house and says, "Biker chicks don't mess with team." Another says "My love is like a candle. If you forget me, I'll burn your fucking house down" on image of candle or cup (?). 13/

Then witness goes through various emails and web searches on Rivers' phone that include orders of/inquiries into various accessories for a colt 1911, much like the one Rivers had that was found at the crime scene. One was for a laser grip that was also on the crime scene gun. 14/

There are also orders for Hells Angels patch, colt 45 ammo, recoil spring, thread protector (one of those also found on crime scene, I believe), colt 1911 slide kit, etc. Some of Rivers' web searches were deleted but were still recovered via the extraction process. 15/

There are other emails Reed wrote, including: "In our bike world, I'm very much a 'tip of sword' combat [illegible] protector and enforcer. a 1% in every sense of what that label means." And other snippets involving Sandra and the Deviants. 16/

Defense in cross-x draws attention to a text exchange between Reed and Rivers around 4 pm on Nov 10th. Reed says: "Threatened by rent-a-cop...may retalliate." Rivers: "I'll be there ASAP" and later "I'll be ready to stay around if police show up again." 17/

Defense is trying to portray Reed & Rivers' relationship as cordial the day leading up to the murder. Also, defense emphasizes how Rivers appears to be in Sacramento the morning of the 10th, and it's not clear when he gets to Oakland. 18/

That ends the witnesses for the prosecution! The Defense calls their first witness, Sandra, the president of the Deviants, the motorcycle club Rivers was a member of. Sandra lead the club when she took it over from a previous group in 2009. The club dissolved around 2020. 19/

Sandra says the club was small, all-female, no more than 5 ppl at a time. Most members were moms. The average age was 50+. Members start as "get alongs," then become prospective members, then full-blown members. At each stage you get a patch. You are required to have a vest, 20/

but nothing else. Sandra emphasizes the group was peaceful and law-abiding. When Reed returned her patch, it wasn't a big deal at all. Sandra says that if you are a member for 5 years or more, you can get a "1%" tattoo (she has one). 21/

This "1%" refers to the small amount of women's motorcycle clubs with a California "rocker" (a rocker is a symbol/patch with a location). She distinguishes her "1 %" tattoo with Rivers' "1%er" tattoo. She also says Rivers was only a member of the Deviants for 22/

a year or so, and hence did NOT get this tattoo with the club's permission. Sandra also says there is no "enforcer" title within the org. Sandra says she never issued any orders directing Rivers or the group to Reed's address on the day of the murder. 23/

Prosecution in cross-x tries to paint Rivers as being super obsessed with the Deviants, while Sandra is more restrained (e.g., Rivers was "loyal," but not necessarily "extremely loyal."). Sandra also says she doesn't recall ever being contacted by defense, unless you count 24/

the lawyer who issued the subpoena a week before, and that same lawyer who questioned her shortly after the murder (tho in that case it was mostly Sandra's wife who was questioned). Sandra also denies that Rivers ever looked over her children. She says Rivers was "family" 25/

only in the sense that all Deviants members were "family," but that she wasn't close to Rivers personally. Overall, Sandra is trying to distance herself from Rivers and portray her club as harmless and irrelevant to this case. The prosecution has put a lot of stock in 26/

this motorcycle club as helping establish Rivers' motive, but Sandra's testimony seems to be calling this motive into question. How will the prosecution respond going forward? Anyway, that's a wrap for today. Sandra continues her testimony tomorrow. 27/