"It seems at some point it would be helpful if someone would come forward and say what really happened that night," said attorney Jack A. Fuller, who represents a 14-year-old girl. "The evidence shows that some were probably involved. But the evidence was clear that not \o7all\f7 were involved."
The minor often cited as not having participated was Allyson Stone, now 18, who was accused of punching and stomping on two women as they fell on a lawn.
Her friends told police she was in her car the whole time because her religion prohibited her from trick-or-treating. And Stone's attorney showed the court her crisp, white tennis shoes from that night -- with not a scuff, grass stain or trace of blood on them.
"My client's heart goes out to the victims," said Stone's lawyer, Darrell Goss. "She is disgusted that anyone would ever do that to any human being. But she was not involved. She was in her car."
Another defense attorney, Frank Williams Jr., called the victim statements "heart-wrenching."
"Any human being would feel compassion for them," he said.
Hyman, who was the only victim to testify during the trial, told the court Wednesday that it was particularly shocking to be the target of a racial attack.
She said she is Latina and Jewish and joined a diversity council in high school after skinheads published an anti-Semitic item in the student newspaper. Her high school sweetheart, she said, was Nigerian.
"I couldn't believe my ears when I heard them yell 'I hate ... white people!' " she said.
Hyman said she is a photography student who has shown her work at the Los Angeles County Art Museum and won some awards. But she has not attended classes since Halloween, she told the court, and fears that she may not be able to pursue her dream of becoming a working photographer because of the beating, which left an eye recessed four millimeters and upset her equilibrium.
Emotionally, she said, she is a mess. Depressed and anxious, she said she doesn't sleep well and is afraid to leave her home -- and is scared even there. "We are in constant fear from the families and any gang member friends they might have," she said.
Some of the minors' relatives groaned at the comment. The defendants, who are mostly good students and involved in sports, have denied any gang affiliation.
Schneider said she has recurring nightmares and now sleeps with her mother. And she said she was dismayed by people who tried to characterize the violence as a fight.
