San Francisco police criminalist and firearms expert Gerald Andrew Smith testified in the Kate Steinle murder trial on Tuesday about the alleged murder weapon's potential for accidental discharge. Smith described the pistol, a Sig Sauer P239, as having an "internal, passive safety," according to KQED's report of the trial. This means that the pistol is prevented from firing unless someone directly pulls the trigger. Such mechanisms are designed to prevent misfires from, say, dropping the pistol. Smith said, "If this gun was dropped, the only way for it to discharge is if something pulled the trigger during the dropping of the gun."

The defense's argument rests solely on the belief that the accused, Jose Ines Garcia Zarate, did not intend to pull the trigger, and that it went off as he was unwrapping it from a bundle of clothing after finding it underneath a chair on Pier 14. Matt Gonzalez, Garcia Zarate's attorney, described what could possibly have happened to trigger that, saying, "If this gun were wrapped in something, most likely Mr. Garcia Zarate’s hands and fingers would have been probing the object as he handled it. That’s when he could have hit the side of a trigger and depressed it back."

Smith's testimony included testing the pistol to find out how much force it would take to pull the trigger back and fire. The P239 has two "modes," single-action and double-action, each of which requires different amounts of force in order to get the gun to fire. Single-action mode means that the gun's hammer is cocked, or already pulled back and ready to fire, whereas double-action mode means the trigger does the pulling and releasing in one squeeze. CBS' report says that Smith found the single-action mode required the application of 4.8 to 5.5 pounds of force, and the double-action mode required 9 to 9.8 pounds of force. Neither of these were out of the norm for the pistol, which Smith also said was in good condition prior to being thrown into the Bay.

According to ABC 7, Gonzalez told reporters: "I have handled this very firearm, this trigger pull is extremely light, that's why I am so confident that I would like the jury to be able to handle it. And anybody who believes that the gun cannot fire accidentally, I have no doubt that would settle it." Gonzalez has already asked Judge Samuel Feng to allow the jurors to dry fire the gun to see what that kind of force feels like in their hands, says the Examiner. "We want the judge to allow the jury to dry fire it in single-action mode. I am very confident that if you handle this firearm in single-action mode and depress the trigger, it’s very light." Judge Feng has yet to decide on whether he wants to allow that or not.

This all follows Monday's testimony from John Evans, another firearms expert and retired police investigator, who said that according to his vector analysis, he could trace a path from where Garcia Zarate was standing to the ricochet mark found on Pier 14 to where Steinle fell after being shot. Gonzalez argued that this analysis used insufficient data, as only one of the points was a "fixed point," and determining a proper bullet trajectory requires at least two fixed points. Still, Evans said that he believes Garcia Zarate pointed the gun at Steinle and fired.

All previous coverage of the Kate Steinle shooting on SFist.

Key evidence in the Kate Steinle murder trial was presented on Monday, as a firearms specialist and retired police investigator testified about the alleged ricocheting bullet that killed Steinle in 2015.

Per the Examiner's report on the day's proceedings, John Evans, the testifying specialist, said that the bullet traveled from the gun to Steinle's back after it impacted on the ground not far from where the accused, Jose Inez Garcia Zarate, was sitting. The defense, Matt Gonzalez, had been maintaining that Steinle's death was the result of a "freakish ricochet," and that the gun fired "accidentally" after Garcia Zarate picked it up and unwrapped it. This is where the heart of the case seems to lie, as the prosecution's argument says that Garcia Zarate aimed the gun at Steinle (or a crowd of people near her) and fired. In his testimony, Evans said, "A human being held the firearm, pointed it in the direction of Ms. Steinle and pulled the trigger, firing the weapon and killing the victim. That is the only way that this could have occurred that is reasonable."

Evans also brought up a common tendency amongst shooters where they pull the trigger too hard. He said, as the Ex reports, "When individuals are pressed for time, also when they are not particularly well-trained, they have the tendency to jerk the trigger, which causes the gun to point lower, causing exactly this kind of shot, known as a ‘skip shot.'"

Gonzalez questioned Evans' findings, saying that in order to determine the path of a bullet, one needs to know about at least two fixed points. Evans had apparently conducted a "vector analysis" to determine the possibility of a ricocheting "skip shot." That particular form of analysis uses only one fixed point, which, in this case, was the point at which the ricocheting bullet bounced off the pier and allegedly towards Steinle. KQED described Evans' process, saying that he pointed a laser from one of the swivel seats where Garcia Zarate was sitting, tracing a direct path from that seat to the ricochet point. Then, from there, he traced another direct line to the area where Steinle was standing. Both Garcia Zarate's seat and Steinle's positions were approximate, allegedly leaving the ricochet point as the only "fixed point."

The AP reports that Evans said guns "do not fire by themselves," and that discharges — accidental, negligent, or otherwise — require someone pulling the trigger. Per the AP, "Evans said he believed Garcia Zarate pointed the gun at Steinle and pulled the trigger." The Examiner has the exact quote from Evans, who said, "I’m not saying it’s impossible, I’m saying in the vast majority of cases, the way to make a weapon fire is to hold it and pull the trigger." Gonzalez pointed out that the SFPD had 29 accidental discharges between 2005 and 2011. When pressed about Garcia Zarate's alleged intent, Evans said later, "I cannot say that it was an accident or not."

The trial continues to occupy much of the country's attention, as it was — and still is — being politicized as an example of the dangers of becoming a sanctuary city, despite the protests of Jim Steinle, Kate Steinle's father. Garcia Zarate was wanted by federal immigration agents, who asked that the SFPD hold him for an extended time while they began deportation proceedings. Garcia Zarate had been deported five times before this incident, and that would have been his sixth. Steinle's murder was a big talking point during Trump's presidential campaign, as Garcia Zarate's status as a Mexican national and undocumented immigrant ignited anti-immigration fervor.

Previously: 'I Thought It Would Be Pretty Safe,' Says Federal Ranger Whose Gun Was Stolen And Used In Steinle Killing

A major murder trial is ongoing in Alameda County in the case of Darnell Williams Jr., 25, who stands accused of the fatal shooting of eight-year-old Alaysha Carradine in East Oakland in 2013 — an indiscriminate and horrific act of violence that shocked the Bay Area, despite the unfortunate frequency of homicide news out of Oakland. Alaysha Carradine was murdered because she answered a doorbell during a sleepover with a friend at the friend's grandmother's house, and two other children as well as the grandmother were also wounded in the blaze of gunfire. Williams is on trial both for Carradine's death and for the murder of 22-year-old Anthony "Tone" Medearis Jr. two months later, killings that prosecutors characterize as "a rampage of violence" by a convicted felon with ties to a Berkeley gang who wasn't even allowed to possess a firearm.

Williams was arrested just three weeks after Medearis's murder, as NBC Bay Area reported, as police believed he and his associates were planning multiple murders in a revenge spree.

As Berkeleyside reports, the latest witness to take the stand in the trial, which began in late March, was Williams's ex-girlfriend Britney Rogers. As she previously did in a preliminary hearing in 2014, Rogers testified that she was with Williams the night of Carradine's murder, that he came home to her apartment with two guns and wearing a bullet-proof vest, and that he confessed to the shooting, though he did not necessarily know whom he had shot.

According to Rogers, after smoking a blunt on the drive over, Williams approached the house, rang the bell, and began shooting indiscriminately through the metal screen as soon as it opened, hitting Carradine, two other children, and the grandmother down the hall. After shooting a total of 13 bullets, he then got back in the car and returned to Rogers's home.

First responders have described the horrific scene, and one police officer's story of arriving to save Alaysha Carradine was relayed during opening statements in the trial. As the Mercury-News reported, the jury has already seen video of Oakland police officer Jason Mitchell describing finding a still breathing Alaysha in a pool of blood, and paramedic Julie Silva described Alaysha's last words in the ambulance.

During the ambulance ride, Silva described trying to reassure her as she slipped in and out of consciousness.

"Then she let out a scream that will haunt me to the day I die," Silva said.

Alaysha told Silva, "I'm dead."

"And I said ,'No baby girl, you're not dead; you're hurt,' " Silva said, and then kissed her on the forehead.

"'Well that means I'm dying. I'm dying,' " Silva said, recounting Alaysha's last words.

According to Rogers, she and Williams stayed up all night after he had confessed to the shooting, until they saw the first news reports on television around 5:30 a.m. When they saw that an eight-year-old girl had been killed, Rogers says that Williams's response was "Fuck that bitch."

She said she was "uneasy," and that the two began to fight about what had happened in the shooting. She says Williams then immediately turned on her, and threatened to kill her and her entire family if she snitched.

Defense attorneys have tried to discredit both Rogers and another female witness in the case by calling them both "prostitutes," and by poking holes in Rogers's account. Rogers said she remained constantly fearful about retribution, but that she "just want[ed] to give this family justice." Previously, she sent her own children away to stay with an older friend, because she feared for their lives as well.

She also insists that while Williams tried more than once to get her to have to sex for money, in order to give it to him, she had never exchanged money for sex.

The defense also insists that no murder weapon or other evidence exists to tie Williams to the crimes, and thus Rogers's testimony is key in any possible conviction.

Testimony continues in the shooting of Medearis in September 2013, and the trial is expected to last until June. Because of the special circumstances of multiple murders and "lying in wait" in the case of Carradine's killing, Williams could potentially face the death penalty, which will be decided in the sentencing phase of the trial.

Previously: Oakland: 8-Year-Old Girl Shot, Killed During Sleepover

As the Johannes Mehserle trial starts today, the prosecution has a surprise that might not bode well for the former BART cop accused of murdering Oscar Grant. See, according to BCN (via CBS 5), "Prosecutors said Wednesday they have a cell phone picture taken by Oscar Grant of then-BART police Officer Johannes Mehserle pointing his Taser at Grant, just minutes before Grant was shot on New Year's Day 2009."

This photo could fly in the face of the defense's argument that Mehserle accidentally thought he was using his Taser, not his pistol, when he shot a mischievous Grant on New Year's Day.

The trail, which was moved to Los Angeles, is expected to last anywhere from two to four weeks. According to the Chron, Mehserle is just one of a few officers to be charged with murder while on-duty.

Prop8TrialTracker.com has comprehensive updates of what's going on in the courtroom today as the first federal gay marriage trial takes flight. (A camera to eventually broadcast delayed YouTube footage of the trial, if you recall, was barred from the courtroom early this morning.)

Some questions Judge Walker asked today: "If Pro.8 violates constitutional, why did the AG allow Prop. 8 on ballot?" (The answer: no duty or responsibility for AG Brown to review the constitutionality or not of an initiative.) and "Where is the evidence that denial of marriage economically injustices San Francisco?" (Hate crimes are caused by anti-gay stuff like this, which costs the state and city.)

Be sure to visit Prop8TrialTracker for more updates.

A good Twitter alternative would be to follow @fedcourtjunkie.

Important news about the Mehserle murder case unfolded today. As most of you know by now, the case has been moved to Los Angeles, as ordered by a judge. What's more, the man who ordered Anna Nicole Smith's ex-boyfriend and two doctors to stand trial on charges of drugging the icon to death, Judge Robert Perry, will be assigned to the infamous BART cop killer case.

This, of course, leads to all sorts of questions: What happened to Howard K. Stern? Will he rot in jail for the rest of his life for allegedly killing Anna and her son? And what ever happened to Anna's white-trash toothless cousin? Also, is Trim-Spa partially responsible for her death? And why can't E! find a slutty starlet who matches Anna Nicole's Smith's tragically beautiful whorishness? The Kardashians (NSFW), slew of Playboy playmates next door, and those dames known as the Lamas daughters are impossible to watch! (Chelsea Lately and The Soup are the only things worth watching on the entertainment network these days.)

Anyway. Mehserle's case was moved down south due to the "high degree of political turmoil" in Alameda. Mehserle is accused of shooting and killing Oscar Grant on New Year's Day at the Frutivale BART station.

At a court hearing this afternoon in Oakland, Judge Morris Jacobson of Alameda County Superior Court decided to move the trial of Johannes Mehserle to Los Angeles in an effort to get a fair trail. Jacobson promised in September that the trial would move out of the area.

However, according to the Chron, "Los Angeles court officials said they would not be ready for the case to begin for at least six months, and more likely one year."

After Oscar Grant, 22, was shot to death by BART cop Mehserle on New Year's Day on the Fruitvale platform, Alameda County played host to numerous angry protests, condemnations by local leaders, BART meetings on awry, and other assorted disruptions of the peace.

Until then, Mehserle remains free on bail.

We feel compelled to update you on Edward Wycoff, the Sacramento County truck driver who killed his sister and brother-in-law, Paul and Julie Rogers, in their El Cerrito home in 2006 because they had "screwed up" his family. The completely batshit insane, lawyer-hating, egomaniacal bigot, who was somehow allowed to represent himself at trial despite the fact that he obviously has a personality disorder of some kind and might be legally insane, was convicted last week of first-degree murder. He threatened, you see, to "blow up the Public Defender's Office" if they didn't get off his case. Jurors yesterday recommended the death penalty in the case, despite the fact that the victims' son spoke on behalf of the family to say that they did not condone the death penalty (the son actually fought for an insanity plea for his uncle).

According to The Oakland Tribune, Wycoff reads at a sixth grade level and kept books around the house like The Vigilante's Handbook and Techniques of a Silent Killer. He had killed at least 17 cats in his neighborhood in order to "protect other wildlife," and he said openly that he "could have been a serial killer" if it weren't his "good morals."

80% of black residents surveyed and 33% of white residents already believe Johannes Mehserle is guilty in the case of the New Year's shooting death of Oscar Grant, therefore his attorney Michael Rains is arguing for a change of venue. In papers filed last week, Rains said the trial should be moved out of the Oakland area on account of these racial divisions. Meanwhile, four of the six BART police officers involved in the incident that night have quietly returned to work, while Mehserle and one two other officers remain on paid leave.

And speaking of South Bay molesters, the Redwood City trial of psychiatrist William Ayres -- a prominent child psychiatrist who stands accused of molesting several of his male patients, not to be confused with Bill Ayres -- is winding down, and conviction seems pretty damn likely. While defense attorneys argued that no one can clearly remember things that happened to them when they were ten years old, prosecutors kept it simple. As ABC 7 reports, "[The prosecutor] began her closing arguments by asking the jurors why, if Ayres' physical exams were medically appropriate as he claims, he did not discuss them with the boys' parents, why he only examined boys and not girls, and why he didn't use gloves during the exams." Also, uh, why was a psychiatrist performing these "medically appropriate" genital exams at all? Yeah, that pretty much clinches it. For more details on Ayres hand-grabby therapeutic methods, see this Mercury News piece here.

Tyra Banks was and vulnerable when she testified in the NYC trial of a man accused of stalking her. A lawyer for Brady Green, 39, claims his client is just an "overzealous fan" and that he's just reaching out to her, the way Banks tells fans on her website. However, a staffer for the Tyra Banks Show didn't appreciate Green's way of reaching out: A producer claims that Green threatened to slit his throat because he refused to give him the address of the studios. Green, who has sent flowers and made numerous calls, managed to find the studios anyway and was arrested when he went into an unsanctioned area. Banks said, "I don't live that kind of sheltered, protected life. I like to walk around my neighborhood...[But now] I fear the safety of my staffers. I fear the safety of my family. I fear the safety of people in my vicinity." FWIW, the courtroom sketch of Banks is amazing—you can just tell she's smiling with her eyes.