Thread by @KGETnews

Court is back in session with another witness testifying via Zoom. This witness is the sister of Jacqueline West. She now lives in Oregon, where she went to escape an abuser, she said. #WestsTrial

When she moved to Oregon the Wests had only their first two children, she said. #WestsTrial

The sister said she became aware her mother was fostering children, and she also became aware Jacqueline and Trezell became foster parents. #WestsTrial

The sister said she only came back once to Bakersfield to visit after moving to Oregon. It was in 2017. #WestsTrial

The sister said she never met in person any of the children the Wests adopted. #WestsTrial

She and Jacqueline exchanged messages on Facebook. When it came to photos, Jacqueline mostly sent her photos of their dogs. #WestsTrial

The sister identified a photo of multi-colored wooden blocks as something she bought for the children. #WestsTrial

On Dec. 17, 2020, the sister called Jacqueline West for a video chat. She recalls seeing the eldest child and "a lot of little heads." She was singing happy birthday to someone but wasn't paying attention to everyone in the video call. #WestsTrial

The sister said she and her children were singing happy birthday to the Wests' eldest child. Smith ended his questioning. #WestsTrial

Fatima Rodriguez, an attorney for Jacqueline West, has begun cross-examination. #WestsTrial

Rodriguez is asking about a call the sister had with law enforcement which was recorded. A BPD officer asked her questions about Orrin and Orson, including the last time she saw them, Rodriguez said. The sister said she can't remember the conversation. #WestsTrial

Rodriguez asked if she remembered telling the officer she had a video chat on Dec. 17, 2020 and that she saw 6 kids. The sister said she remembers seeing small children. #WestsTrial

The sister said she became aware Jacqueline was moving in September 2020 because she told her through Facebook. #WestsTrial

Rodriguez ended her questioning. #WestsTrial

On redirect, the sister is saying she's having trouble remembering what she told the grand jury when she testified. #WestsTrial

To almost every question posed by Smith, the sister responds, "I don't remember." She said she can't remember specifically asking for photos of the Wests' children before they were reported missing. #WestsTrial

"Had you ever seen photos the adopted children?" Smith asked.
"I saw them afterwards," the sister said. #WestsTrial

The sister said she's been in chemotherapy treatments and "it's really not helping" with her memory. #WestsTrial

The sister has been excused. #WestsTrial

Detective Jesse Perez has been called to the stand. He's with the Bakersfield Police Department. #WestsTrial

Perez said he was assigned to look for video and witnesses in the West case, among other things. He focused on the date of the reported disappearance. #WestsTrial

Perez went to Lancaster, Calif. to three major retailing businesses to look for video evidence. The dates were specific to when the disappearance was reported. The businesses were Lowe's, Winco and Costco. #WestsTrial

He observed Trezell West making purchases from Lowe's and Winco and Jacqueline West making purchases from Costco. This was in October 2020. No one was with the Wests. #WestsTrial

Records showed Trezell West in the area of Yokuts Park and he tried to find video to place him there, Perez said. The time frame he looked for didn't have any video available. That was also in October 2020. #WestsTrial

Perez testified he also viewed video from Union and California at what was then a FoodMaxx. #WestsTrial

Perez reviewed Facebook and Instagram data for the profiles belonging to Jacqueline West. She primarily had contact with her sister, Perla Martinez, and her mother Maria Martinez. #WestsTrial

Smith is showing Perez some Facebook records which the detective identified. #WestsTrial

Judge Charles R. Brehmer has called a sidebar. #WestsTrial

The judge and attorneys are back and two exhibits have been admitted. They're Facebook records. #WestsTrial

Perez said the records were for Jacqueline West's account. #WestsTrial

A profile photo for Jacqueline West's account in 2019 shows her with four of the children. #WestsTrial

On Dec. 23, 2020, Jacqueline West sent a message: "Please tell them we love and miss them. The boys need to ask for a lawyer if they want to talk to them again i don't want them twisting whatever they are saying." #WestaTrial

The message was sent to Trezell West's mother and had to do with law enforcement questioning the Wests' four other children, Perez said. #WestsTrial

There were conversation in Spanish on Facebook between Jacqueline West and her mother, Perez said. #WestsTrial

Another photo sent on 2019 on Christmas Day shows Jacqueline West and four children -- Orrin and Orson aren't pictured. #WestsTrial

A photo on Feb. 4, 2020, shows the entire West family, including Orrin and Orson. That photo was sent to Perla Martinez, Perez said. #WestsTrial

On May 22, 2020, Jacqueline West told her sister about an incident with the youngest children in which Orrin ate Orson's food. #WestsTrial

Jacqueline West then sent a gif of a woman with her hands up and teeth clenched "as if she was angry or frustrated," Perez said. #WestsTrial

Jacqueline West in other messages that day says she believes Orrin and Orson had certain characteristics from their biological parents, Perez said. #WestsTrial

On June 8, 2020, Jacqueline West refers to the "little one's" birthday. "He is a little weird one," she wrote. She says he stands or sits all day. Perez said he found it odd that Jacqueline didn't use the child's name. #WestsTrial

On Sept. 12, 2020, Jacqueline West sent a photo showing four of the children, not Orrin or Orson, according to the records. #WestsTrial

Perez testified he reviewed digital devices for this case. #WestsTrial

In one device he found photos and videos of the children, some from Orrin and Orson in 2020. The date was July 25, 2020. #WestsTrial

The videos appeared to have been taken by the eldest son, showing the children playing with toys. They appeared to have been taken at the Lotus Lane apartment in Bakersfield, Perez said. #WestsTrial

Smith is moving videos into evidence and is going to play them for the jury. #WestsTrial

The first video shows Orrin West playing. It's about 6 minutes long. #WestsTrial

The video was taken on July 25, 2020. #WestsTrial

Perez has identified 3 still images taken. One shows Orrin from the video that was just seen showing Orrin with a toy tow truck. The next photos show Orson West in a diaper. They were all taken July 25, 2020. #WestsTrial

Smith played another video, this one from July 26, 2020, and Orrin and Orson can be seen in the van. #WestsTrial

One of his goals was to find the most recent photo or video of Orrin and Orson, Perez said. #WestsTrial

Perez testified he reviewed several digital devices, there were about 17 or 18. #WestsTrial

On usb drives there were photos of some of the other children but not Orrin or Orson, Perez said. #WestsTrial

Perez testified he was involved in a wiretap during the investigation. #WestsTrial

The wiretap occurred Feb. 24, 2021 to March 14, 2021. #WestsTrial

Perez is explaining how the wiretap works to intercept telephone calls and listen in. #WestsTrial

Smith ended his questioning. A 15-minute break has been called by Judge Brehmer. #WestsTrial

The trial is back in session with Jesse Perez back on the stand. He's being cross-examined by Timothy Hennessy, Trezell West's lead attorney. #WestsTrial

Referring to the Facebook records, Perez said the Facebook report is about 4,000 pages. Only a small portion was relevant to the investigation, he said. #WestsTrial

Hennessy asked some clarifying questions about when certain photos were taken then finished. #WestsTrial

On redirect examination, Perez said he was present when DNA swabs were taken of Charles Pettus, the biological father, and others. #WestsTrial

Smith ended his questioning and Perez has been excused. #WestsTrial

Bakersfield police Detective Carlos Arvizu has been called to the stand. #WestsTrial

He is a certified Spanish translator with the BPD, Spanish is his first language. #WestsTrial

In December 2020 he went to Maria Martinez's home. She's the mother of Jacqueline West. There was a search warrant for her phone. #WestsTrial

Trezell and Jacqueline West were also at the home, Arvizu said. He was there with several other detectives. #WestsTrial

Arvizu assisted in translating Facebook message between Jacqueline West and her mother. #WestsTrial

On Sept 18, 2020, Jacqueline West tells her mother they're now in California City, Arvizu said. On the same day, she tells her mother they're going to get a U-haul and will clean the apartment because it needs paint. #WestsTrial

Also on the same date, Jacqueline West sends a message to her mother saying they're waiting for Trezell's mother so they can go and do the rest of it. #WestsTrial

On Sept. 19, 2020, Jacqueline wrote "saying that he wants to go to the house but he's not going to sleep," Arvizu said. On the same day she gives the area of the Cal City home.

Later that day she wrote, "We've arrived," Arvizu said. #WestsTrial

On Sept. 20, 2020, Jacqueline West wrote, "We're leaving now," to her mother. Later than days she wrote, "We've arrive," Arvizu said. #WestsTrial

Arvizu testified he listened to wiretapped calls. One appeared that they were trying to get out of Bakersfield pretty quick, he said. #WestsTrial

Arvizu said he recognized the voices involved. He said he had spoken to both Maria Martinez and Jacqueline West. #WestsTrial

Smith is going to play a wiretapped call for the jury. #WestsTrial

The call is dated March 12, 2021. Transcripts will be provided to the jury. The call is in Spanish and the transcript has been translated to English. #WestsTrial

Smith ended his questioning. Audience members do not have a copy of the transcript. #WestsTrial

Torres Stallings asked about the call. Arvizu said West was at first speaking to a male in English then in Spanish to her mother. #WestsTrial

Regarding the Facebook messages, Arvizu said he uses a time zone calculator to determine the time when messages were sent. Torres Stallings, asking about the Pacific time, said she's only asking him to do basic math. #WestsTrial

She is asking questions to determine the time the Wests arrived in Cal City on the date in question. #WestsTrial

UTC time is about 7 hours ahead of California time. Torres Stallings ended her questioning. #WestsTrial

Arvizu has been excused. #WestsTrial

BPD Senior Officer Jaime Orozco has been called to the stand. #WestsTrial

One of his duties is to help with wiretap intercepts. He has participated in 4 wiretaps while at BPD and assists in Spanish-English translation. #WestsTrial

He listened to a wiretapped call between Jacqueline West and Maria Martinez. #WestsTrial

The call was pertinent because there was a joke about missing children and people laughed during the call. Either the mother or daughter talked about missing socks and one of them said, "Maybe they will pop up like the missing children," and they laughed, Orozco said. #WestsTrial

This call will now be played for the jury. The call is in Spanish. #WestsTrial

Smith ended his questioning and Torres Stallings has begun cross-examination. #WestsTrial

Orozco agreed there were 3 topics going on in the conversation. He said he translated the transcript she's holding. #WestsTrial

On page 6 line 3 it says transcribe NetTranscripts. Orozco said that's not him. Torres Stallings said she has not further questions. #WestsTrial

Smith on redirect asked Orozco if he assisted with the translation. He said yes, he's not the only person who reviewed it, but he reviewed it for accuracy and it appeared to be accurate. #WestsTrial

Orozco has been excused. #WestsTrial

BPD Detective Thomas Hernandez has been called to the stand. #WestsTrial

On Dec. 28, 2020, he went to the Jamison Center to listen to an interview. He was later assigned lead investigator. #WestsTrial

Hernandez has identified certification letters for T-Mobile records. #WestsTrial

He authored warrants for numbers for Maria Martinez, Ryan Dean, and a number they never identified the owner of. #WestsTrial

One number was for Jacqueline West, Hernandez said. #WestsTrial

Hernandez testified he reached out to a company regarding paternity tests for the children and he authored a warrant to obtain those DNA profiles. The profiles were booked into evidence and submitted to the Department of Justice. #WestsTrial

During any missing persons investigation the DOJ asks for DNA samples to compare to any remains that may be found, Hernandez said. He also gave the profiles to the Kern crime lab. #WestsTrial

The DNA results were obtained from a North Carolina company called Labcorp. #WestsTrial

Court is in recess for the day. The trial resumes 9 a.m. tomorrow. #WestsTrial