Pull the trigger!

In the trial of Laura Hall for her role in the death of Jennifer Cave, don’t look for prosecutors to be holding a smoking gun. They’re looking for a squirting fabric freshener instead.

The case is built in part on the theory that Miss “That’s just how I roll” Hall gave self-confessed killer Colton Pitonyak a shopping list of what was needed to clean up the grisly crime scene before they fled to Mexico.

Pitonyak’s lawyers have always tried to put the blame for the brutal dismemberment on Hall, saying she was responsible for planning the mutilation of Cave’s body, while their client did the murder. Part of their argument for putting Hall in the frame depends on the idea that men are just too plain slobby and slothful to really clean up a crime scene. The shopping list included a saw, garbage bags, cleaning agents, and, most damning of all, some Febreze odor eliminator.

Yes, reports the Statesman, Pitonyak’s defense thinks they’ve found an answer: “What guy is going to think of Febreze?” said Pitonyak’s lawyer Sam Bassett.

This article appears in June 29 • 2007.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

SUPPORT US

The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.