UPDATE (5:23 pm): After the jury returned from lunch, the trial resumed with Officer Brian Hansen still on the stand.
Officer Hansen was shown a series of photos by prosecutor Eric Smith, with Hansen identifying each one as an area around the Wests' residence. Hansen then described his search of the home, including the detail that he had taken photos of unused diapers in "one of the kids' rooms," though he could not recall which room or who the room belonged to.
Following that, Smith asked Hansen if there were any "dirty diapers in the trash can." Hansen replied that there were no used diapers in the house, something he claims he noticed because he had kids himself. Hanson also claimed that there were two toothbrushes supposedly belonging to Orrin and Orson West, however, the toothbrushes were covered in dust and stuck to the counter with an unknown substance, according to him.
Hansen then described media presence at the West residence. The media interview in question was played for the court. In it, multiple reporters and citizens watch as Jacqueline and Trezell described the moments leading up to reporting the children missing and what the boys were like. The couple then began answering questions, with multiple California City citizens criticizing them. Yelling and cursing could be heard as the interview ended and the Wests went inside their home.
During the interview, a reporter also mentioned that the biological mother of Orrin and Orson suspected "foul play" and did not believe the Wests' story.
After that video was played for the court, Hansen gave details on the California City Police Department's work with the FBI on the case of the missing boys. According to Hansen, the FBI got involved with the case on Dec 22, 2020. The Kern County Sheriff's Office and the Bakersfield Police Department were also involved.
An interview between Trezell West, Officer Hansen, and an FBI agent at the California City Police Department was then played for the court. The video was hours long.
The video began with Trezell answering personal questions about education, work history, home ownership, religious views, and family life, as well as his reasons for adopting. Trezell also talked about his relationship with his family, mainly his two biological children. When talking about Orrin and Orson, Trezell mainly talked about how the boys came to be a part of the West family and how Orrin would cry a lot, especially when alone. He also explained that the boys were separated from the other four children due to having "issues" and not getting along.
After talking about his family, Trezell began speaking about his dogs and how the gate in the backyard needed to be closed to prevent the dogs' escape. He claimed that his dog Mia would leave the yard but his dog Violet would not, contradicting a recorded statement from an earlier interview saying that Violet would leave the yard but the other dog would not.
Trezell then began recounting the events leading up to reporting the two boys missing. He gave the agent and the officer more details, such as how he parks in the yard, how he does not let his children play in the dirt, and how the boys were wearing "warm clothes" when they went missing.
Trezell then began speaking about his other four children, saying he would like to move on for their sake. He explained that his main goal was to protect all six children and that he was concerned about his "main four" being put into the foster care system.
After Trezell expressed that fear, Trezell was asked if his children would lie to the police, to which he responded that they did not lie a lot but that he would not know if they would. Trezell was then accused of lying by the FBI agent as he revealed that Officer Hansen had interviewed all four children and Wanda West individually earlier that day.
According to Hansen, each family member that was interviewed consistently said that they had not seen Orrin or Orson for weeks and possibly even months.
While pushing for Trezell to tell them where the missing boys were, Trezell became upset with the FBI agent and Hansen before threatening to walk out of the interview. The agent left, but Hansen stayed behind to continue talking with Trezell.
The video was paused with approximately 10 minutes left and the jury was released for the day.
UPDATE (11:57 AM): Following a 15-minute recess, the court returned with Officer Brian Hansen still on the stand.
According to Hansen, he had interviewed all four of the Wests' other children, as well as Wanda West, at a house on Potomac Avenue in Bakersfield. Each child was woken up and interviewed individually.
Following the interview, Hansen went to the Wests' house in California City, where he asked for details about the Wests' personal lives. Body camera footage shows that Hansen asked about financial issues, potential domestic disputes, toys and chores for the children, and the Christmas presents that Jacqueline was wrapping before the boys were reported missing.
During this time, Jacqueline reveals that the last time her mother had visited was before the Wests had moved into their California City home. She also says that her family was going through a harder time financially because of the COVID-19 pandemic and her husband selling less art.
Hansen had asked the Wests if the California City Police Department could search their cell phones, taking them for at least a few days. The Wests decline the request, stating that they need their phones to communicate.
The court was released for lunch shortly after the video ended.
UPDATE (10:44 AM): The trial of Jacqueline and Trezell West resumed today, with Officer Brian Hansen taking the stand.
Hansen is a patrol officer for the California City Police Department. During the time of the investigation of the Wests, Hansen was a field training officer for the department as well. He and his trainee, believed to be Officer Joshua Flores, were the first officers to make contact with the couple after Orrin and Orson West were reported missing.
According to Hansen's testimony, he had searched the house for "suspicious things" such as blood or torn clothing while searching for the boys. Hansen also searched the backyard for any signs of footprints, which he received on-the-job training for. Hansen claims that he only saw one footprint in the yard, only a few feet away from the cement slab.
Hansen also found a pair of "slides" near the back door. He claims that when he asked about the sandals, Jacqueline West said that they were hers. Orrin and Orson West were reported to be wearing Nike sneakers, according to Hansen's testimony.
Police body camera footage of an interaction between Trezell West, Hansen, and Officer Anthony Cabriales on the night the boys were reported missing was then played for the court as evidence. Hansen could not determine if the footage was from his or Cabriales' camera when asked by prosecutor Eric Smith.
Hansen confronted Trezell in the video, saying "those kids didn't just walk away" while pointing out that there was no evidence of any children playing in the backyard and no footprints. West takes offense and argues with Hansen, claiming that he had searched for the boys and that it is the police's job to find them.
Hansen, who had reviewed security footage from "a Ring-like doorbell," claims in the video that he not only saw no signs of the children in the video footage, but he also did not see Trezell properly searching for the boys.
"You're being defensive because you're being caught up in the lie," Officer Hansen accused Trezell. "You don't even care about the welfare, you're caught up in the lie."
The argument later takes a turn regarding race but is quickly diffused. The video ends with Trezell and the officers cooperating with each other.
Another video was played for the court, this time of an interview of Trezell West taken at the California City Police Department station. During the interview, Hansen informs Trezell that search dogs were unable to find any trace of the boys outside of the residence and that they may had been taken by a car. Trezell asks if that means his boys were kidnapped, to which Hansen explains that the possibility of the boys being kidnapped is why the police asked questions about the biological family. Trezell replies that the biological parents know where the Wests live.
Later in the interview, Hansen says that security footage from nearby houses shows no cars on the street near the house around the time the boys supposedly went missing. There were also no people, aside from one man walking his dog around 4 p.m. that day.
After the video was played, the court was released for a 15 minute break.
Opening statements in the trial of Trezell and Jaqueline West on Tuesday shed new details into the investigation for the couple's missing adopted sons, Orrin and Orson.
So many unanswered questions coming into this trial. One of the biggest is what led investigators to believe that Orrin and Orson were killed before being reported missing, especially given that their bodies have never been found.
Inconsistencies - that seems to be the argument for both the prosecution and defense in this trial but in who’s story? If you ask the prosecution, they’d tell you that Trezell and Jaqueline West concocted a tale about the two boys walking out of the yard but every step of the investigation showed that wasn’t the case. In fact, prosecutor Eric Smith outlined a timeline where Jaqueline and Trezell West’s other children claimed they hadn’t seen Orrin since Bakersfield or Orson since just after moving to California City. And Smith sharing messages from Jaqueline claiming to keep investigators from speaking to their other children.
But this is where the defense claims the investigation takes a wrong turn. Defense attorney Timothy Hennessy told the jury that from the get-go California City police did not believe the Wests, ignoring other possible leads. Hennessy claimed a potential sighting in Texas was never investigated.
23ABC also learned that Trezell and Jaqueline's other four children are set to testify as part of this trial.
The trial is set to resume this morning at 9 a.m.
