Ginger Brown Defense Buoyed as Jurors Ask Court to Reread Some Testimony

A Vista Superior Court jury finished its second day of deliberations in the Ginger Brown deprogramming trial after asking the court reporter Monday to reread several pieces of testimony by defense witnesses.

Defense attorneys said they were unsure whether the jurors’ questions bode well for their case, but one of them, Herb Weston, noted, “They’re looking at our defense, and that’s good.”

The nature of the jurors’ questions suggested that the panel may be wondering how compelled Earle and Dorothy Brown might have felt in taking their daughter from the group known as Great Among the Nations for her own safety.

Superior Court Judge David B. Moon Jr. had prohibited the defense from arguing that the Browns, another of their daughters, Holly, and two other co-defendants kidnaped Ginger Brown for her own sake. He ruled they had been unable to prove in pretrial hearings that their daughter was in any jeopardy.

“We couldn’t talk that kind of defense, but maybe they’re hearing it anyway,” defense attorney Joe Judge said after hearing the jurors’ questions.

Some of the testimony that was read back to the jury was by Daniel Weinstein, a former member of Great Among the Nations, who said he went to speak to Ginger Brown during a five-day deprogramming effort in May, 1988, “to warn her about the apparent and imminent danger she was in.”

Another area of testimony read to the jury was that of Earle Brown, who said he made his decision to “rescue” his daughter after receiving a transcript of a telephone conversation by Benjamin Altschul, the leader of Great Among the Nations, when he called members while in Israel.

Although the actual telephone transcripts were not admitted into evidence, the conversation had to do with alleged plans by Altschul to relocate the 17-member organization from San Diego to Israel. The transcript of the telephone conversation was made by a former member of Great Among the Nations who later left the group and turned his information over to David Elichaa, a father of another former group member who has helped lead opposition to Altschul’s organization.

Altschul and Ginger Brown say Great Among the Nations is a fundamental Christian Bible study and evangelism ministry, but critics say it is a cult whose members have been influenced by Altschul to finance his comfortable life style.

The three Browns, deprogrammer Cliff Daniels, 34, of Los Angeles and Hank Erler, 23, of Escondido, are charged with kidnaping, false imprisonment and battery for the five-day deprogramming effort.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Gary Rempel said he was frustrated by the jurors’ questions Monday. “Those areas are totally inappropriate and getting away from the issues of the case and getting into areas of sympathy,” he said. “There was no danger to Ginger Brown at any time, except when she was nabbed in daylight by the defendants themselves.”

The jury gave no indication Monday as to the progress in its deliberations, even when subtly baited by Moon.

“I sent in some brownies earlier,” the judge said, smiling to the jury. “Did they have any decision-making ingredients?” After a pause, he added quickly, “You don’t have to answer that.”

“Maybe some more brownies,” said Paula Demong, the presiding juror.

Blurted out another: “Or some rum cake.”