Susan Polk - Misplaced Pages

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Susan Polk (born Susan Mae Bolling in 1957) was a housewife and mother of three who was convicted of murdering her husband, Dr. Frank "Felix" Polk. Dr. Polk was a prominent Berkeley psychologist. He was found with numerous stab wounds in the pool house at the couple's upscale Orinda, California home on Oct. 13, 2002. The murder trial of Susan Polk drew wide-spread media attention because the testimony in the case pitted brother against brother and sons against mother. The media interest also centered around the 26-year age difference between the couple and the fact that Dr.Polk had been Susan's therapist during her adolescence, before becoming her lover and later husband. Susan's claims that she was a psychic, who was being used by her husband (who she alleged was a Mossad agent) to elicit predictions of world events, including the attacks on the World Trade Center, added to the sensationalism surrounding the case.

Background

In 1972, Susan Bolling was a troubled student growing up in suburbs of Oakland, California. Her parents were divorcing and her mother wondered if Susan was trying to shut out the emotional turmoil of the divorce. Later, a school counselor at Clayton Valley High School in Concord, California, recommended therapy for Susan after she refused to attend classes, and began making preposterous claims regarding her parents. He suggested an expert in adolescent behavior, Felix Polk.

Life with Felix Polk

Felix Polk began treating Susan in 1972, when she was 15 years old. Within a year, however, the doctor-patient relationship changed. After murdering Felix (by then her husband) some 30 years later, Susan would claim that Felix had drugged and raped her, a part of her campaign to denigrate Felix to bolster her bizarre defense. Felix was, at that time he was her therapist, a married father of two.

Susan went to Mills College, an all-women's school nestled in the Oakland hills, before moving to San Francisco State University, from which she graduated. She stopped seeing Felix as a therapist, but the personal relationship continued. Unfortunately, however, Susan's mental problems had not resolved.

In 1982, Polk divorced his wife, prominent concert pianist Sharon Mann, and married Susan. They have 3 sons: Adam, Eli(1985), and Gabriel(1987).

After murdering her husband, Susan would claim that he was a domineering and manipulative husband, obsessed with controlling her life. During her trial, however, no evidence nor eyewitness accounts supported Susan's allegations. However, 2 of Susan's children (Adam and Gabriel) and police reports filed during the marriage showed that Susan was an abusive spouse and batterer. Adam and Gabriel testified that Susan was mentally unstable and habitually spoke of murdering their father.

In 2001, Susan Polk filed for divorce. Susan had abandoned her children, her husband, and her home, and she was looking for a place to live in Montana. Felix Polk went to court and was awarded custody of their youngest son and retained exclusive control of the house. Upon hearing of the court judgment, Susan Polk returned, illegally broke into Felix Polk's Orinda home, and threatened Felix and her son. Incredibly, Susan moved Felix's possessions to the cottage and took up residence in the home. Felix would tell police and friends that he was afraid of his wife and that she had threatened to kill him. A few weeks later, Felix was murdered by his wife, who left the body for her youngest son to find.

Conviction

Susan Polk has been convicted of second-degree murder for the October 13, 2002, death of her husband in a cottage on the couple's $2 million estate in Orinda, California. She faces 16 years to life in prison.

Prosecutors argued that the killing of Felix Polk was a cold, calculated attempt by his wife to gain control of his multimillion dollar estate. When Susan Polk permitted others to represent her, the defense attorneys argued that Susan Polk had long been controlled, abused and battered by her husband (although these claims have never been substantiated, and were contradicted by the couple's children and acquaintances), and she acted in self-defense when he flew into a rage and attacked her. While representing herself, Susan Polk made outrageous unsubstantiated claims, endless recriminations, tales of conspiracy, psychics, fairy tales and secret government agents.

Susan's former defense attorney, Daniel Horowitz, claimed that she had long been a battered wife under the physical and emotional control of her husband.

Trial

Susan Polk was originally released on bail, however it was subsequently revoked when she violated the terms of her bail by contacting and threatening one of her sons. Polk has remained in custody since that time.

The trial began on October 17, 2005, but was declared a mistrial, because of the slaying of Pamela Vitale, the wife of her lead attorney, Daniel Horowitz.

On January 20, 2006, a judge removed her lawyer Daniel Horowitz after he said he had a conflict of interest. On January 31, 2006, after a two-hour hearing, Judge Laurel Brady set Polk's trial date for February 27, 2006. Polk began to demonstrate her instability when she fired a succession of attorneys, and demanded that she be permitted to represent herself. Polk was later allowed to serve as her own attorney.

On February 27, 2006, jury selection began in a jury assembly room where 300 prospective jurors arrived. Judge Laurel Brady has said the trial may last as long as 2 1/2 months.

On March 7, 2006, prosecutor Paul Sequeira gave his opening statement in what would prove to be a high-profile trial, with spectators, TV legal analysts and reporters showing up at a Martinez, Calif. courtroom to watch the spectacle of Polk representing herself and repeatedly bickering with the judge and prosecutor. Polk's delusional and confrontational behavior was on full display with daily recriminations leveled at the judge, the prosecutor, and anyone else who would contradict her. Polk maintained her contention that there was a vast web of conspiracy seeking her conviction, that the crime scene had been tampered with, and that her husband was a vile man and she was justified in murdering him. Susan Polk also claimed that she was a psychic who predicted the September 11, 2001 attacks; that her husband was a secret Israeli spy; that fairy tales are true; and other equally sensational claims. Those who couldn't attend the trial in person would follow the case daily on various Internet Web sites and legal talk shows on TV. Adding to the drama was testimony against Polk by two of her sons, Adam and Gabriel, and testimony on her behalf by her second son, Eli. Adam and Gabriel (the son whom Susan let find his father's mutilated body) described Susan as an angry, delusional and violent person. The testimony by Eli bordered on the bizarre, and provided a window for people to observe the unnaturally close relationship between Susan Polk and her son, leading many to speculate about an incestuous relationship between the two.

On May 17, 2006, Polk began testifying in a narrative format.

On May 24, 2006, Eli Polk was convicted by a jury of misdemeanor battery against an ex-girlfriend, violating a restraining order and violating probation in connection with two arrests in March at the home where his father died.

On May 25, 2006, the prosecutor began cross-examining Polk.

On June 12, 2006, both sides gave their closing arguments to the jury.

On June 16, 2006, Susan Polk was found guilty of second-degree murder. The jury would later comment that neither Susan Polk nor her son Eli were credible witnesses and they completely dismissed her unsubstantiated attacks on her husband's character.

Following her conviction, numerous attorneys declined to represent Polk before her sentencing, citing their unavailability. Point Richmond attorney Linda Fullerton has tentatively agreed to represent her pre-sentencing.

On January 30, 2007, a MOTION FOR A NEW TRIAL; MOTION TO MODIFY VERDICT was filed in the Contra Costa Superior Court. The motion claims that Judge Laurel Brady allowed prosecutor Paul Sequeira to illegally dismiss prospective jurors because they were women; that members of the jury were prejudiced against Polk because of the extensive media coverage of the case, much of it critical of Polk; that there is evidence that the jurors were exposed to media coverage of the trial, and in fact, one juror told reporters immediately after the verdict was read, "Sometimes the media was making stuff up;" that Brady improperly reprimanded Polk in front of jurors and appeared to favor the prosecution; that Judge Brady failed to instruct the jury on heat-of-passion voluntary manslaughter; and that Polk's right to represent herself was hampered by her treatment at the jail and by the claim that on several occasions she was prevented from consulting with an attorney and her legal assistant.

On February 23, 2007, the MOTION FOR A NEW TRIAL; MOTION TO MODIFY VERDICT was argued by both the defense and prosecution. The motion was denied, and Mrs. Polk was immediately sentenced to 16 years to life.

External links

Catherine Crier's book on the Polk case: "Final Analysis: The Untold Story of the Susan Polk Murder Caselink title

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