New evidence stalls case against Olympian, again
LAX COURTHOUSE — A single glove has been recovered from the scene where two Santa Monica kid-nappings occurred last fall, raising new questions in the case against Olympic medalist Danny Harris.
Prosecutors allege Harris, 39, a 1984 Olympic silver medalist in the 400-meter hurdle, twice kidnapped a 75-year-old Sunset Park woman, stole from her at screwdriver point, and threatened to kill her and burn down her house.
Harris was arrested on Nov. 10, after trained bloodhounds following the scent of the kidnapper’s hat and shirt ended up at his doorstep.
However, lawyers said subsequent DNA tests linked the shirt and hat not to Harris but to Alonzo Taylor, 40, a three-strike criminal with a history of committing similar crimes. Taylor was taken into custody on Nov. 17 for allegedly stealing a car in East Los Angeles, police records show.
Defense attorneys called for a live police line-up, so eyewitnesses could have a look at Taylor. Both men are black, and Taylor stands at 6 feet 4 inches and weighs 218 pounds. Harris is 6 State’s schools flunking in comparison to rest of U.S. feet and 1 inches tall, and weighs 200 pounds, according to booking records.
That line-up is expected to occur this week depending on what, if any, DNA is recovered from the new glove. The three eyewitnesses expected to participate in the line-up are the victim, a neighbor of the victim who chased the kidnapper off with a handgun and a nearby resident who saw the kidnapper strip off and leave behind a shirt as he fled the scene. In the original line-up, the victim identified two other men along with Harris as possibly being the kidnapper.
Prosecutors have refused to drop the case against Harris, saying even though the DNA evidence points to Taylor, he may have been working as an accomplice. The kidnapper apparently told the victim he had friends who would burn down her house if she didn’t comply with his demands. Despite those threats, she saw only one person.
Matt Huey, Harris’ public defender, has repeatedly delayed court proceedings so evidence could be studied.
The kidnapper’s hat was found on the driveway outside the victim’s home and the kidnapper’s shirt was left down the street. If the glove, which the victim found inside her house, returns with Taylor’s DNA, Huey said he doesn’t see how the prosecution can proceed against Harris.
Prosecutors have declined to comment on the case. As a matter of routine, investigators from the Santa Monica Police Department won’t discuss a case after it’s been handed over to prosecutors.
“Once a case is filed with the District Attorney’s Office, we don’t comment,” SMPD Lt. Frank Fabrega said.
A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for Friday, though that date may be delayed if the line-up hasn’t been completed. A preliminary hearing allows both sides to lay out their cases so a judge can determine if enough evidence exists to try the matter before a jury. In delaying the preliminary hearing, Huey has said he doesn’t want prosecutors to build up a case against Harris before all the evidence is available. Once that’s done, they may be less likely to back down from their case, no matter what new evidence surfaces, he added.
In the meantime, Harris is being held in lieu of $1.44 million bail. Harris was banned from the Olympics in 1996 after testing positive for drug use and has struggled for years with a cocaine addiction. At the time of the kidnappings he was living at the Clare Foundation off of Pico Boulevard, a nonprofit organization for recovering addicts.
Two of Harris’ sisters who attended an earlier court hearing said Harris recently had cleaned up his act. He was working as a personal trainer at Better Body Maker on Santa Monica Boulevard, and had been to visit one of the sisters just weeks before his arrest, taking out her children and buying them gifts. Harris stayed away when he was using drugs, the sisters said.
While the new evidence is being tested and authorities prepare for a live line-up, Harris continues to wait in jail.
“He’s anxious,” Huey said. “Anxious to resolve the case.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 5, 2005. Read the original PDF.