Kraft’s Niece Breaks Down, Unable to Finish Plea for Her Uncle’s Life

A niece of Randy Steven Kraft had to leave the witness stand Tuesday after breaking into tears when she asked jurors to spare her uncle’s life.

Mindy Lane was helped from the courtroom by her mother, Doris Lane, Kraft’s sister. The young woman was so upset she reportedly refused to return to the courtroom, even though she had not yet been cross-examined by the prosecutor in the death penalty hearing.

It was a day of contrasts for jurors. They also heard Deputy Dist. Atty. Bryan F. Brown express incredulity to a minister on the witness stand that Kraft has never shown remorse for the 24 murder victims included in the case.

Kraft, now 44, a Long Beach computer consultant, was convicted at his Santa Ana trial in May of 16 murders of young men in Orange County. Though prosecutors have linked him to 45 murders in all, they have added only eight to the penalty phase of his trial in Superior Court in Santa Ana.

The Rev. Ignatio Castuera of the Hollywood United Methodist Church was the fourth minister during the penalty phase to ask jurors to spare Kraft’s life. He said he had come to like Kraft so much that it reinforced his own view that the death of anyone in the gas chamber “diminishes us all.”

Brown asked if the minister had talked to Kraft about the 24 victims. Only in passing, the minister said.

Brown moved closer to the witness stand and asked: “Help us out here, sir. Did Mr. Kraft show any remorse whatsoever for these kids?”

The minister answered that Kraft had not really had an opportunity to show remorse in their conversations because they talked about religion and philosophy, not about killings.

“So I would guess the answer would be he didn’t show any remorse,” Brown said, bringing a storm of protest from Kraft attorney C. Thomas McDonald.

Most of the witnesses Tuesday were sheriff’s deputies or deputy marshals who have been around Kraft since his arrival at the Orange County Jail six years ago. They all said he had not been a problem for them. One deputy marshal said he even went to Kraft when he was having a problem on a program in a computer class he was taking. Kraft solved the problem in five seconds, he said.

But the most dramatic moment of the day came when Lane told the court that she couldn’t continue as a witness.

Lane had testified at the Kraft trial previously, during the guilt phase. It was Lane who had gone with Kraft to pick up a birthday cake for his father for a large family gathering the same weekend prosecutors say he killed two young Buena Park men. Kraft’s attorneys tried to show jurors through Lane’s testimony that he was carrying on routine family activities that weekend and showed no signs that anything was unusual.

Lane’s task was different Tuesday. Kraft lawyer McDonald asked her to speak directly to jurors and tell them why Kraft should be given a sentence of life without parole instead of death, the jury’s only two choices.

Lane told them how good Kraft had always been to her.

“He could be very good for helping other people, and I think you should look into that very deeply and strongly, because . . .”

Lane then began to choke on tears as she tried to add, “I don’t think that should go to waste.”

When it was clear she would not be able to return, prosecutor Brown said he did not need to cross-examine her.

Today is scheduled to be the final day of defense testimony in the Kraft trial, which began with jury selection slightly over a year ago. McDonald told the court that he also might have to use Thursday morning for his last witness. Brown is expected to complete his rebuttal by Friday.