WPCNR WHITE PLAINS LAW JOURNAL. By John F. Bailey. November 29, 2010:
Mayor Adam Bradley testified in his own defense this afternoon in his trial on nine charges of domestic abuse, among them: third degree assault and witness tampering and harassment, saying he was pushing the bedroo door shut to keep his wife out of the bedroom and at no time did her hand get caught in the door.
Mr. Bradley’s sister testified that there was no yelling or shouting involving Fumiko Bradley and Mr. Bradley on the day of alleged witness tampering incident April 2 in contrast to what Fumiko Bradley’s mother had testifed previously.
Observers also learned from Mr. Bradley it is possible that Fumiko Bradley overheard him say to Peter Bodnar, (Mr. Bradley’s divorce lawyer), that Mr. Bradley was going to leave Fumiko Bradley, just after the February 28 door-slamming incident unfolded.
In his account of the February 28 incident where his wife Fumiko alleged he slammed her hand in the bedroom door twice, Bradley said that after his wife had come up the stairs, screaming at him for drinking lemonade on the previous day, he tried to calm her down.
He at first was saying “I’m sorry” “several times,” then said he told her “It’s just lemonade,” at which point, Bradley testified Fumiko Bradley slapped him on the left side of his face.
He then said “I pleaded with her, I’m sorry please leave me alone.” He said she was still very angry and screaming at that point while he was “in a state of shock,” and she left the bedroom, while he sat on the bed.
“I was still in shock when I heard her coming back to the bedroom, and I went to the door to prevent her from coming in (to the bedroom). I pushed the door shut.”
Bradley then said “Fumiko was on the other side, pushing on the other side.”
Bradley said there were several struggles with the door with his wife trying to get in, where he tried to keep Mrs. Bradley out and she kept trying to get into the bedroom.
Mr. Penichet, his attorney, asked if at any time he saw Fumiko Bradley’s hand in the door. Bradley said “No. I did not.”
Penichet asked Bradley what happened next, the Mayor said “I eventually let go (of the bedroom door).”
Bradley said the contest over the door resulted in the door injuring his toe.
Penichet introduced a police photograph showing the injury. Bradley asked if the (police) photo was a fair and accurate representation of his toe injury, said the color was off. Audrey Stone the prosecutor introduced another copy asking if the color was better. Bradley agreed.
Penichet moved Mr. Bradley into what happened next. Bradley said Fumiko Bradley came into the room, and he sat on the bed, saying, “Fumiko, please leave me alone.”
Asked to describe Mrs. Bradley’s appearance, he described her as “her face being very red, eyes large, hysterically angry.”
Bradley then testified he went into the bathroom with the telephone and called Peter Bodnar, his lawyer, with his wife standing outside the bathroom door, still screaming.
Penichet then asked what did Mr. Bradley say to Mr. Bogner.
Prosecutor Leaps to her feet.
Prosecutor Audrey Stone lept out of her chair to her feet and in her loudest “Objection!” of the trial –complained to Judge Capeci, that Penichet, “regularly slips prejudicial statements (into the proceedings) that influences witnesses while they are testifying.”
Penichet told Judge Capeci, Mr. Bradley’s answer would go “to the heart” of the case, speaking to “motive.”
With a heavy sigh, Judge Capeci said, “I’ll allow it.”
Bradley then answered the question saying, he told Mr. Bodnar, his divorce lawyer, “I’d had enough. I was packing my bags and was moving out.”
Previously Mrs. Bradley when testifying as the plaintiff, admitted that when she saw Mr. Bradley take the phone into the bathroom, she went downstairs to the kitchen to listen in to the telephone conversation between Mr. Bradley and whoever was on the other end of the line. Mrs. Bradley testifying about that phone call did not say she had heard that said.
It was shortly after that phone call (within hours on that Februry 28) that Mrs. Bradley went to the police station accompanied by the Hofgaertners, her neighbors, and filed the original complaint against Mr. Bradley.
Mr. Bradley also testified that Mrs. Bradley punched him on election day as previously testified to by Yuko Watanabe, the au pair, earlier today. Bradley recounted that marital problems began in their marriage after their first child arrived in October, 2003, and they first began seeing a marriage counselor in 2006 once a week.
In testimony involving the alleged tea throwing incident on January 11, Bradley said his wife pushed him, spilling the tea on both of them. He said the incident started because his wife was angry at him because she had to take his parents to the airport that day because he was not home in time to do so.
Testimony will continue with Mr. Bradley on the stand Tuesday morning.
Earlier this afternoon, Joell Bradley, Mr. Bradley’s sister testified that on the day when Mrs. Bradley’s mother, Kane Machinaga testified that she (Mrs. Machinaga) heard yelling and screaming she (Machinaga) considered “dangerous,” and went to find her daughter in the bathroom shivering, with Mr. Bradley outside the bathroom – that there was no yelling and screaming. This was directly opposite of what Mrs. Machinaga had testified.
Prosecutor Stone said testimony was expected to wrap up Tuesday with summations expected Wednesday.
