by R. G. Belsky
“Everybody loves me,” I said.
We were discussing the Laurie Bateman story—and what might come next—following the dueling press conferences between the District Attorney’s office and Donna Grieco.
A judge had just granted Grieco her request for a new bail hearing.
“Do you think Bateman is going to get out on bail because of all this?” someone at the news meeting asked.
“The word I hear in legal circles is yes,” Maggie said. “And a lot of people think the charges against Laurie Bateman could even be dropped altogether.”
The hearing was scheduled for the following day.
Even better, Grieco announced that she was going to call Laurie Bateman to the stand as a witness to testify on her own behalf.
“Bring your popcorn,” I said as we discussed our plans for covering it all in court. “This is gonna be a helluva show.”
CHAPTER 29
THE HEARING WAS a circus, right from the start. Crowds of people lined up outside the courthouse in downtown Manhattan hoping to get in to watch. Large groups of demonstrators—holding signs and chanting slogans demanding Laurie Bateman’s release from jail—clogged the streets and blocked traffic. And, of course, media everywhere scrambling for video and pictures. Including me and a news crew from Channel 10.
Laurie Bateman was the star attraction. They brought her into the building in a van from Rikers Island—escorted by a lot of other police. You couldn’t see into the van as it pulled in the courthouse. But the crowds knew she was in there and cheered loudly as the vehicle passed by them.
Laurie Bateman wasn’t the only one the crowd was interested in.
I was the center of attraction too.
I’d just been on television doing the Laurie Bateman interview from jail—and many of the people recognized me as the person they believed responsible for getting this new hearing called on the case.
“Freedom for Laurie!” they shouted at the passing van.
“You go, girl!”
“Women power! We women fight back now against sexual predators like Charles Hollister.”
And there was even one sign that said: “Let’s put Billy Carstairs in a jail cell—not Laurie.”
Inside the courtroom, things were just as crazy. The place was packed with spectators and press. I wasn’t sure the judge would be able to get everyone under control in order to start the hearing, but he finally did after a long period of banging his gavel and admonishing everyone to quiet down.
The prosecutor who’d replaced Carstairs on the case was a tall, striking-looking African American woman named Karen Sanders. As a woman, she clearly presented a better image for the DA’s office in a case like this rather than a man with a checkered sexual past himself like Carstairs. But Sanders was already in damage-control mode because of everything that had happened.
She did her best to run through the case against Laurie Bateman that had once seemed so airtight and strong. The maid seeing Bateman trying to flee from the apartment with her husband’s dead body inside. The fact that her gun was used in the murder. That she had no alibi. And also that she had strong motives for killing him. Finding out from the private investigator that her husband was secretly carrying on an affair with his mistress, Melissa Hunt. And also that Charles Hollister had made it clear that he planned to change his will—and leave her only a small portion of his estate, the minimum required by the prenuptial agreement they had signed.
Based on all that, Sanders told the judge, Laurie Bateman should continue to be held without bail on a charge of first-degree murder.
Boos and catcalls filled the courtroom as she finished her presentation and sat down at the prosecutor’s table. The judge had to warn everyone all over again that he would close the courtroom if these kinds of outbursts continued.
Donna Grieco then presented the case for Laurie Bateman. Grieco was definitely in killer mode now, going for the jugular. She expertly destroyed point by point much of the prosecutor’s argument. Pointing out that Carmen Ortega the maid was no longer alive to testify in person—and there would be no opportunity for the defense to cross-examine her about what she saw or didn’t see that day. Also, the fact that there were no fingerprints—Laurie Bateman’s or anyone else’s—found on the murder gun.
“Laurie Bateman was simply a woman who panicked when she found her husband dead on the floor,” Grieco said. “Just like you or I might have panicked in that kind of stressful situation. She was not attempting to run away. She was only instinctively trying to get help from someone or somewhere as quickly as she could. Just like Carmen Ortega eventually did when she called the police. That is all that happened. Mrs. Ortega was simply mistaken in her original testimony.”
Grieco then went through the long list of other potential suspects who might have wanted Charles Hollister dead. Business rivals, jealous men of women he’d seen—and possibly even a member of his own family, angry because of being left so little in his will. She specifically zeroed in on Charles Jr, detailing all his past violent acts and his anger over losing control of his father’s company to Bateman in the current will.
She also brought forth a long line of character witnesses, who took the stand to testify that Laurie Bateman was a fine, upstanding, and law-abiding person who they couldn’t believe would ever murder anyone. I didn’t recognize all of them, but one was a surprise to me—Bert Stovall, the Hollister CEO and Charles Hollister’s lifelong friend. Asked about Laurie Bateman, he responded: “Laurie Bateman is innocent of this. I am absolutely sure of that. She does not belong in jail.” Others talked about the suffering—both physical and emotional—she had suffered at the hands of Charles Hollister.
Yep, it was a simple, yet effective strategy: My client didn’t kill her husband. But, even if you think she did, she would have had a good reason—self-defense against a man who had been abusing her.
But the real highlight—definitely the most dramatic moment—came when Laurie Bateman herself was called to the stand to testify.
She looked different than the day I’d met with her on Rikers Island. For one thing, she wasn’t wearing a prison jumpsuit. She was dressed in a stylish blue pants suit and high-heeled shoes. She’d been allowed to wear her own clothes for the court hearing. Her hair was combed now, and she had on makeup. Not enough to look glamourous like a celebrity, but, still, it made her look more like the Laurie Bateman we knew. I had no doubt that Grieco had spent a lot of time and preparation here to make sure she presented the right appearance for this date in court.
Under quiet questioning by Grieco, she told the same story she had earlier about the morning of the murder. How she had not stayed at their Fifth Avenue townhouse after the fight with her husband the previous night at the charity event. How she’d woken up in her Greenwich Village apartment the next morning, then went back to the townhouse because she was scheduled to meet me there. And how she still was not sure what had happened to her husband. She insisted over and over again that she had not killed him. She could never do that, she said. Even after the horrible things Charles had done to her.
Grieco asked her to talk more about the abuse she’d suffered during her marriage.
Bateman’s entire demeanor changed then. She’d been calm and in control until that point. But now she became very emotional. Her voice broke several times as she tried to talk—and tears formed in her eyes.
She told the same story she’d told me during our TV interview at Rikers—but this time with even more details.
“I was a victim of domestic abuse that went on for much of my marriage,” she said. “I was embarrassed to tell anyone at the time, ashamed that I allowed myself to be put in such a position. For a long time, I blamed myself for what was happening. That I needed to be a better wife to Charles. I’ve since learned that this is a common theme for women who are in an abusive situation. And so I put up with it for a long time. Desperately trying to keep up the happy image Charles wanted for us in public as the perfect couple.
But eventually, I was forced to confront the truth. My husband was abusing me, he was cheating on me, and everything about our marriage was a lie. I was living a nightmare with no way out.”
She said the abuse against her was not violent at first, but more emotional. He tried to control what she wore, what she said, who she saw, and what she did in her life. Just like she was one of his employees. Charles Hollister, the tyrannical businessman, was just as demanding behind closed doors with her, she said.
“I’m not sure exactly when it turned physical,” she said. “But I remember one day he slapped me. Slapped me hard enough to make a mark on my cheek. I thought it was just a onetime occurrence. But when he did it again the next time, we had an argument. Soon he started punching me, knocking me down, kicking me. Once he picked me up bodily and smashed me into a wall, knocking me unconscious.
“Charles was in extremely good shape for his age; he worked out every day—lifting weights and other kinds of gym exercises. He was fanatic about being in fit form. I was an easy target for him. I couldn’t fight back because he was so much stronger than me. I simply had to bear it until his anger subsided.
“Afterward, he would always apologize, tell me he loved me, and promise it would never happen again. But it did, over and over. My clothes covered up most of the bruises, but I had to wear long-sleeved tops and make sure I never had any bare shoulders showing either that might let people see the damage he’d done. He was careful about my face, and I was able to use makeup to conceal any bruises there.
“I was living a lie. My marriage was a public relations charade at this point. I thought I loved Charles once, but by the end I hated him. Yes, I hated my husband and I hated everything he’d done to me. But I didn’t kill him. I had plenty of reason to want him dead. But so did a lot of other people.”
She looked pleadingly at the judge now.
“I’m innocent! I’m not a murderer! You have to believe me!”
She broke down in tears now.
“Please, don’t send me back to that horrible jail again. Please, I beg of you …”
It was an incredibly dramatic moment that would be played repeatedly on TV news and in newspapers and on social media in the hours and days afterward.
Finally, Grieco led Laurie Bateman from the stand back to her seat.
Grieco put her arm around her and comforted her as best she could.
She was still sobbing uncontrollably.
There were tears in the eyes of a lot of people in that courtroom at that moment.
Including mine, although I made sure no one could see them.
Objective reporter, my ass!
CHAPTER 30
THINGS BEGAN TO happen very quickly after that.
At the end of the hearing, the judge issued his ruling on Donna Grieco’s appeal to obtain bail for Laurie Bateman. He said that Bateman did not appear to be a flight risk and—based on this and her standing in the community and absence of any previous criminal record—she did not belong in jail while the prosecution prepared a lengthy case for trial against her. He set bail at $1 million, $250,000 of which had to be put up front with a bond.
This was a dramatic departure from the original judge’s “no-bail” ruling, and court observers pointed out afterward that there had been no significant change in the actual evidence against Bateman since then.
But her emotional testimony about the domestic abuse that she suffered and all the rest clearly had a big impact on the judge—the same way it did with me and other spectators in the courtroom that day.
And the judge—who some people noted had his own political aspirations for the future—couldn’t help but be aware of the overwhelming public support for Laurie Bateman that had grown exponentially both inside the courtroom and outside during recent days ever since that first interview with me.
But there was more. During his bail ruling, the judge said he would also take under consideration Grieco’s motion to have the murder charge against Bateman dropped entirely because the District Attorney’s office had not provided a substantial argument for her prosecution. He said he would rule on that later after going over all the evidence and testimony from the hearing in his chambers.
As for Laurie Bateman’s bail, no one figured she’d have trouble raising the bond money, and they were right. Bert Stovall promised he would be able to provide the $250,000 bond within a matter of hours—so that Laurie Bateman could be released from Rikers Island as soon as possible.
But it turned out Stovall didn’t have to post the bond at all to get her free.
Later that same day, the judge—after retiring to his chamber to consider the evidence for just a few more hours—shocked everyone when he quickly announced his second ruling.
He said he had decided to grant Grieco’s appeal to dismiss the murder charge against Bateman “based on the latest evidence and testimony disclosed during the court hearing in which the district attorney’s office failed to provide a compelling case for prosecuting Laurie Bateman on the crime of murder.”
Had it been the evidence that had convinced the judge? Or was it Laurie Bateman’s emotional testimony? Or the groundswell of public opinion that now supported her? Or, as was most likely, was it simply a combination of all of these things? Whatever, Donna Grieco had managed to work her magic in the courtroom one more time—turning a seemingly unwinnable case into a stunning legal victory for Laurie Bateman.
The DA’s office tried to put the best face on it. “We presented a formidable case to uphold the murder charge against Laurie Bateman,” Karen Sanders said at a press conference after the ruling. “Yes, there were still unanswered questions, but we believe the evidence was more than enough to take her to trial for murder. Instead, the judge in this case—bowing to emotionalism and public hysteria instead of carefully examining our evidence—prevented justice from being carried out in the brutal murder of Charles Hollister. We will continue to investigate this case, and we will continue to investigate Laurie Bateman—until justice is done and we are able to obtain a conviction.” But she gave no specific details on how they planned to do that—and it seemed unlikely they would be able to go after Laurie Bateman again.
A short time later, Bateman gave her own press conference as she emerged from Rikers Island following her prison ordeal.
“I had a tough time in there, but I survived,” she said. “I’m a strong woman. I want to thank all the other strong women who helped me win my freedom. And, no matter what he did to me, I still want to see justice done in the death of my husband. I will work with the District Attorney’s office and the police in any way I can to assist them in finding out who really did murder Charles. I want them and all of you to know that. Now I just want to go home.”
We broadcast it all, the courtroom appearance and her press conference—like the rest of the media did. But we—and to put modesty aside, it was really me—were the only ones who could say we exclusively played a key role in getting Laurie Bateman out of jail.
“And so,” I said on our newscast, “Laurie Bateman is a free woman again. We will continue to report on this breaking story all evening. This is Clare Carlson, Channel 10 News.”
Laurie Bateman threw herself a party—a “victory party,” I guess you would call it.
She invited friends, political figures who had supported her in her fight to get free, and also a number of the women’s group leaders that had supported her so voraciously. The media was not invited. Well, that’s not totally true. One member of the media was invited—and attended—the party. That would be me.
“This is a gathering of my friends, the people who were there for me when I needed them the most,” she explained. “And you’re one of them, Clare. I couldn’t have done this—I would still be in jail—if not for you. I’m so grateful.”
I wanted to tell her that I was just doing my job. That a journalist wasn’t supposed to take sides on a story. But the truth was I liked her. I was glad she was free again. And I was glad I’d been the o
ne who helped make that happen.
The party itself was in the same apartment where Charles Hollister had died. Which seemed a bit weird to me at first. But it was where she lived—the home she went back to—so I guess this was the obvious place for her to do it. Still, even as I stood in the living room holding a drink and talking with her other guests, I couldn’t help wondering if I was standing on the same spot where her husband had been found dead.
I wasn’t allowed to bring a video crew in with me. But I was able to take pictures and video with my phone—and report on it for the 11:00 p.m. newscast that night. It was another big exclusive for me, the latest on this story, which was great for me and my career.
I was also a bit melancholy about it all though.
The story was winding down for me now.
At least the Laurie Bateman part.
Oh sure, sooner or later someone would be arrested for the Charles Hollister murder, and that would be a big story. But I figured this would be the last time I’d spend much time with Laurie Bateman. My brief inclusion in her celebrity world would be over once this party had ended.
“That’s not true,” she said when I mentioned this to her that night. “I want to continue to be friends with you, Clare. You and me, we have a real bond. We’re going to stay in touch. I promise you, girlfriend.”
Girlfriend. I was Laurie Bateman’s girlfriend. At least for the moment.
I nodded and said that was fine.
But I didn’t believe it.
I knew what happened for me when a story was over. The story, and all the people in it, would disappear—and I would go on to the next story and the next cast of characters. I always felt like this at the end of a story and it made me a bit sad. But that was how it was. People—and the stories I covered about them—moved in and out of my life very quickly. Nobody stayed around after the curtain went down.
