More Delays in City's Two High Profile Cases

Two of Laguna Niguel's high profile trials have once again been postponed.

The trial for Adam Harrison Hall, who is charged with murder in connection with a traffic crash that killed resident Mara Steves in 2011, was scheduled to begin today, but was continued to Jan. 11, the district attorney's office reported.

Deputy District Attorney Troy Pino said: "On the day set for trial (last Friday), the defense gave the prosecution voluminous discovery (collision reconstruction data and analysis) from his retained expert. We had to select a new mutually agreeable trial date. January 11 was the first mutually agreeable date."

This is not the first time the case has been delayed since Hall was arrested on May 24, 2011.

He pleaded not guilty on March 6 and had a pretrial on March 23. After months of postponements and a judge who recused himself, a jury trial for Hall was set on Friday for Nov. 5. 

Hall, 27, of Placentia, was arrested in connection with the death of community activist Mara  Feb. 13 while trying to rescue a dog that had been running in traffic.

Orange County Sheriff's Department deputies arrested Hall in a phone booth at a Walgreens in Yorba Linda. He has been in jail ever since.

The Good Samaritan's death made national news and earned a nod from which presented her husband, John, daughter Hannah and son Jonathan with a posthumous certificate in her name called The Compassionate Action Award.

Hall, who had two prior convictions for driving under the influence, has been charged with murder in the drug-induced crash, the Orange County District Attorney's office said. (After his second conviction, authorities warned Hall he could face a murder rap if he killed someone while driving under the influence.)

He was also charged with one felony count of driving under the influence causing bodily injury. If convicted, Hall faces a maximum 21 years to life in state prison.

On the day of the accident, according to authorities, Hall had a virtual pharmacy of drugs coursing through his veins. Driving north on Moulton Parkway in a Ford sport utility vehicle, he allegedly sailed through a red light at Nueva Vista Drive and rammed a Toyota SUV passing legally through the intersection.

Since her death, numerous fundraisers,  and memorials have been erected in her honor including a tree planted planted by local firefighters in front of the neighborhood entrance at Nueva Vista and Moulton Parkway where the accident happened. 

Mara Steves is survived by her 

For more on Mara Steves click here.

Hockey Mom

The trial for was also postponed on Monday and rescheduled for Nov. 26, according to District Attorney Jennifer Wlaker.

"Defense counsel submitted a motion to continue the case because he was engaged in another trial and unavailable to try this case right now," she said.

Jurors deadlocked on charges related to a 13-year-old boy, so the hearing will consider how to proceed with another possible trial on those charges at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana. 

In August, Davis also known as 'hockey mom' was found guilty of four felony counts of unlawful sexual intercourse and two misdemeanor counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Davis was acquitted of one misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and the jury hung on four counts alleging she performed lewd acts with a then-13-year-old boy.

Walker alleged Davis provided alcohol to members of her son's hockey team and sexually assaulted at least two of them between 2005 and 2010. Authorities eventually were notified after the 16-year-old's mother revealed to Davis' ex-husband that her son admitted to having sexual liaisons with Davis.

Davis, who was taken into custody after the verdicts, could face up to five years in prison. However, she could also be placed on probation and might be able to serve her time in a county jail while avoiding a lifetime registration as a sex offender, Defense Attorney David Cohn said. If Davis is convicted on the remaining counts she would have to serve at least 85 percent of the time in prison and would face lifetime registration as a sex offender, Cohn said.

For more on Kathia Davis see these stories.