Jane Laut - Out on Bail - Back in Court, Briefly

OK take 3, I keep Poofing my reply.

The picture of Jane is her mug shot, taken 6 mos after Dave's murder.  Dave's picture is about 10 years old... Bamieh has put a new shot of Jane out there, I found it after I posted this one. I'll use it next time.

There is no documentation of abuse. Bamieh says he has 30 witnesses, of  peeps who know Bad Dave.  LE said they have none.

The reason LE took 6 months to arrest Jane, although they knew day 1 there was no prowler.  Jane Laut is Jane Laubacher Laut. The Laubachers are one of Ventura Co's oldest family's. The Kennedy's of Oxnard if you will. (read large, Catholic, $) A good family that has roots to the early 1900's,  farmers who started the city on hard work.  They are doctors, lawyers, business and land owners. Unlike the Kennedy's you seldom find a Laubacher and scandal in the same sentence.

The $3M bail was set when LE found out Jane had purchased a passport for Michael. It was dropped to $1M when Bamieh claimed she needed it for Michael to collect social security bene's. Which is a big ol stretch of the truth, he would need a birth certificate and a SS#,  I know this because I was able to collect for my daughter for two years.  Bamieh also claimed Jane's passport expired 20 years ago. This may have been enough to make the judge decide she wasn't planning on going anywhere. (But she did require the passport be relinquished as part of her bail.

So far everything is sealed so we don't know if this was a cash bond, but it only took 6 hours for someone to post for her - and she is free.  According to Bamieh there is no big ol life insurance policy (My husband is currently safe from me, as I have him insured to the hilt.) The house was bought 18+ years ago, unless they remortgaged repeatedly,  it should have brought a chunk of change,  Looking on line at the county tax assessors office, the homes in that neighborhood are $250.000.00 to  $350.000.00, (houses around the size of hers) are priced from $300.000 to $500.000.  It was 2 miles from the beach.  I know having someone murdered in the home does not improve it's value,  but she sold that house very low. Bamieh said the house brought her, 'nothing to speak of - I guess he and I don't speak the same language. 

Ron Bamieh began trying his case in public, immediately following Jane Laut's arrest. He claims there were two Dave Laut's, the Dave Laut known to the public: "He was a gentle giant, compassionate and student- focused," Hueneme HS principal Palazuelos said.

And there was the Dave Laut,  Jane and Michael lived with. Saying the Laut's marriage was replete with domestic violence, for most of their 29 years, that Mr. Laut was an  alcoholic who was prone to violent rages, that the subject of his rage was frequently Mrs. Laut.  He claims that Mr. Laut used racial slurs to refer to his son in front of Mrs. Laut and neighbors in their community, Michael, the Laut's 10 year old son was adopted from Asia when he was 9 mos old.

Bamieh said his investigators found 30 witnesses, friends and relatives of the couple who can corroborate David Laut's excessive drinking, his moodiness and his attempts to isolate his wife from her family, behavior he says that is typical of an abusive spouse.

From the time of her 911 call,  until the day of her arrest;  Jane Laut stuck with the story she initially told police; 'that the couple heard noises in the backyard and that her husband was slain when he went to investigate'.

 Ron Bamieh, acknowledged his client used “deadly force” but said it was in self defense and he said he had hoped LE was going to realize this rather than charging her with murder.

Bamieh claimed to keyt news, "Jane Laut was in Michael's room, for the soul purpose of avoiding her husband and his drunken tirades. At 10:30 she heard him walking around up stairs, when he came towards Michael's room, she tried heading him off and was directing  him towards their bedroom. She was not successful and he lead her down stairs, he threw her to the floor, hitting her and kicking her. That it was Mr. Laut who instigated an attacked by telling Mrs. Laut he was sick and tired of all the attentions she gave to their son. Mr. Laut threatened to kill their ten year old son and their dogs,  while making Mrs. Laut watch.  She said she knew she would be next."
When she was able to get away Jane went outside, Dave followed her, loudly cursing and screaming. He has made several remarks regarding Dave's state of inebriation, during this time. This is where it is hazy again depending on which of Mr Bamieh's stories you believe: 

The DA revealed; Dave Laut's blood alcohol level was .05, sober enough to drive and yet he stumbled around their yard, giving Jane an advantage to wrestle a gun away. 

1)  "Dave Laut tripped on the border of the backyard patio. His intoxication and loss of balance allowed his wife to knock him down and wrestle away the gun. A shot was fired during a struggle in which Jane Laut came away with the gun...."

2) "Dave tripped and Jane pushed him as hard as she possibly could. At that time the gun went off. " 

3) " When Dave Laut stumbled in their yard, Jane Laut seized the handgun he was carrying and shot him before he could wrestle the gun away from her."

4)  She was able to wrestle the gun away when the fight moved to their back patio and David Laut lost his balance, Bamieh said. One shot was fired during the struggle, and as David Laut was getting back up  Jane Laut "emptied the gun."

The DA said at the hearing;  Dave was shot execution style, 4 times in the head.

According to the defense time line 1 1/2 hours passed between Jane meeting Dave in the hall outside her son's room and the time of the 911 call. She has just spent 1.5 hours fighting for her life, fighting for her son's life.  OPD arrive and she says nothing??

We have a defendant who made numerous attempts to hide physical evidence and then lied to police over and over and over again about her own involvement. This is not a case of self-defense,"claims Bill Haney, the lead prosecutor in the case, "this is a case of murder."