Wednesday, May 18, 2005

The Dick Dasen Trial: Big Dick Swings For The Fences

What's the all-time favorite staple on those trial-watching "news" programs? Even more popular than the perennial "polygraphs are not admissible" shouting match? That's right, it's "should the defense attorney let his or her client take the stand" debate. It's cliche Nirvana.

And we've got our own home version of the game right here, because Multi-Millon Dollar Dick has decided to take the stand.

Turns out Dick's quite the ladies' man.

Prosecuting Deputy County Attorney Dan Guzynski wondered at the fact that so many women would spontaneously decide they wanted to have sex with Dasen, many within minutes of meeting him to discuss their financial problems.

"Why are they interested in you?" Guzynski asked.

"Because I had money," Dasen said. And, "I was under the impression that they wanted to have sex with me."

He said he let himself believe that he was known as "some sort of extraordinary lover."

After sexual encounters with the women, "I was flattered when I left, in almost every case. I was shocked to hear the things they're saying now," Dasen said.

And here's some snappy dialogue for Dick Wolf to steal:

Dasen testified that the girls lied to him about their age. Guzynski asked why, instead of taking the word of young-looking girls, Dasen didn't ask for identification to prove they were of legal age. One of the girls had no ID, Dasen said. Then Guzynski turned it around.

"Do you think there's a problem when you're 60 years old and have to ask the girls you're having sex with for ID?"

Dasen let his softer side show through:

A 16-year-old girl convincingly told him that she was 19 and gave him a fake name, Dasen said. When he found out her true age, "I couldn't sleep for two days," he testified, through tears.

And then there's this long-stare-then-cut-to-the-verdict moment:

Guzynski questioned Best's characterization of Dasen as an old man who "can't say no" who had been duped, broken, and beaten by girls as young as 15. "You had no trouble standing up to me," Guzynski remarked.

"I can stand up to anybody," Dasen replied.

D'oh!

This may explain the snappy pace of the defense case:

Once so wealthy he reportedly doled out as much as $200,000 to one woman, Dasen now faces several lawsuits and the same financial worries he said he had tried to protect others from.

"I'm insolvent, broke," he said.

Dick's been drained.

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