Ventura Judge to Decide if Convicted Killer Is Retried

Had Bridget Callahan testified at her murder trial last fall, she could have undermined the credibility of two key prosecution witnesses, and that will be a “significant point” in a decision on whether she should get a new trial, a Ventura County judge said Friday.

Superior Court Judge Vincent O’Neill Jr. made the comment as attorneys finished calling witnesses in a hearing to determine whether Callahan, 31, should be retried.

She was convicted in November for aiding two skinhead gang members in the 1998 slaying of 17-year-old Nichole Hendrix.

Because the jury found that the crime occurred during a kidnapping and robbery, Callahan faces life in prison without parole.

Her new attorneys, Kay Duffy and Jim Farley, have argued that Callahan’s former lawyer, Joseph O’Neill, failed to explore evidence that may have spared her from a life sentence. Callahan testified Thursday that she had wanted to take the stand during trial, but said her former attorney would not let her.

The judge will hear closing arguments Tuesday.