S.D. Murder Trial Kicks Off TV Show

A San Diego murder trial videotaped by a CBS News crew is the subject of a new documentary series that debuts tonight.

The program, “Verdict,” will show the March trial of Raymond Stone, who was found guilty in the March, 1989 slaying of Anita Dalfoss, 50, of El Cajon.

“Verdict” will be shown at 8 p.m. on KFMB-TV (Channel 8).

The show’s advertisements say “the drama is real” and emphasize that no actors or scripts are used in the series.

The half-hour program is a spinoff of another show, “48 Hours.” If “Verdict” does well in the ratings this summer, further courtroom trials may be videotaped and developed into a regular series in the fall.

San Diego Superior Court Judge Herbert Exarhos granted the program’s request to videotape much of the trial.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Kristin Anton, who prosecuted Stone, said she will be watching the program tonight. CBS News did not give her an advance look at the show.

Stone’s attorney, Sharyn Leonard, told jurors in opening and closing statements that Stone was “a thief, a liar, and a gigolo” but was not a killer.

The skeletal remains of Dalfoss were found in July, 1989, in a remote area, and it was believed that Stone took her there on a ruse to watch the sunset. Leonard told jurors that Stone never used violence to cheat women he romanced out of their jewelry or money.