No Juvie for Haidl 3

On Oct. 21, Orange County's never-ending Haidl gang rape case inched again toward final resolution. Superior Court Judge Frank Briseno denied the requests of Greg Haidl, Keith Spann and Kyle Nachreiner to be sentenced leniently as juveniles. The trio is now eligible for punishment in state prison for the July 2002 videotaped sexual assault of an unconscious minor during a Newport Beach high school party.
The Haidl 3, praying for a miracle.
Courtesy pool photographer

Relatives, friends and lawyers for the defendants left the courthouse dejected, although it was just three weeks ago that they oddly appeared upbeat. In a case loaded with surreal moments, a group that's angrily blamed the victim for wrecking the defendants' lives added one more. They happily posed for group photos -- smiles, laughter and hugs -- in the courthouse hallway.

Haidl, Spann and Nachreiner fans are smiling no more. The defendants will be bused next week to state prison -- perhaps the notorious Chino facility, according to a report by KCAL's Dave Lopez. There, they'll undergo a series of evaluations that won't formally include pool cues, Snapple bottles, lit cigarettes or juice cans.

On Jan. 20 -- some 1,295 days after their crimes, the trio will return to Orange County for formal sentencing. Haidl, the son of a wealthy former assistant sheriff, faces a maximum of 18 years in prison; Spann, 16 years; and Nachreiner, 14 years. If Briseno decides, however, that the crimes weren't serious, he could punish the men with just community service duties and probation.

In March, a jury found Haidl, Nachreiner and Spann guilty of putting a 16-year-old girl into a drunken, drug-induced stupor, stripping her, tossing her body on a garage pool table and then committing lewd acts. The defendants videotaped their sexual conduct which included repeatedly shoving a pool cue, Snapple bottle, apple juice can and a lit cigarette into her vagina and rectum. As a defense, they called the victim a "slut" who "got what she asked for."

Go here for the completeHaidl case archive.

RSCOTTMOXLEY@OCWEEKLY.COM