LOS ANGELES --  One day after the defense dealt a major blow to the prosecution's first witness in the Painseeker Murder Trial, the prosecution answered by stealing a witness from the defense.  Now in its second week, the first-degree murder trial of Laura Douglass has already had its share of gamesmanship between Assistant District Attorney Thomas Andrews and high-profile defense attorney Les Levin.  On Tuesday, however, Levin was driven to distraction when Andrews called Geoffrey MacIntyre, a close friend of Douglass', to the stand as his second witness.

After an extended sidebar, MacIntyre was asked to take the stand.  When later asked for comment, Andrews explained, "It is a common practice in our office to list all possible witnesses on the witness list.  Mr. MacIntyre was not originally expected to be called because the defense had put him on theirs.  However, since the defense claims that Ms. Douglass' lying to police was immaterial, I thought we needed to show how deep her lie went."

The prosecution's stealing of MacIntyre was a calculated risk.  While he has attended the trial each day in support of Laura Douglass, Mr. MacIntyre was also an ex-lover of Painseeker victim Raychel Wagner, although recent letters circulated on the Painseeker site have brought to light the disturbing tension between them in the months prior to her murder.

Clearly uncomfortable with his new perception as a witness for the prosecution, MacIntyre's demeanor was disrupted further when Andrews asked permission from Judge Michael Rodriguez to treat MacIntyre as a hostile witness due to a possible prejudice from his long relationship with the defendant.  Levin objected on the grounds that prosecution only meant to damage his character and credibility before the jury, but he was overruled.

Allowed to continue, Andrews asked a series of leading questions designed to drive MacIntyre through a description of his activities on the night of the murder.  MacIntyre confirmed that he was involved in an argument with the victim and others at the studios for Terror Trax, where he then worked as Chief Creative Officer.  Following the argument, he accompanied Wagner's bodyguard, Sharon Wolfe, to Laura Douglass' bar, Safehaven.  MacIntyre also admitted that he had been dating Wolfe for the previous month.

MacIntyre stated that he entered Safehaven at 7:40 p.m. with Sharon Wolfe and it was there that they met Laura Douglass.  MacIntyre admitted that he was still embittered by the argument and discussed it with both of them while he drank.  He confessed that he did not notice how many or how few drinks were consumed by either Sharon or Laura.  However, he did admit that he probably "blacked out" around 11:00 p.m.  He said that he flipped in and out of consciousness over the next two hours, until he received a phone call from Wolfe informing him that Wagner had been murdered.

Andrews then asked MacIntyre about his statement to police some hours later in which he said that Sharon was with him when they were at the bar.  Andrews asked him to clarify that he did not intend to provide an alibi for either Sharon Wolfe or Laura Douglass.  He agreed, perhaps understanding that by denying the question he implicated himself in the crime.

Andrews finally asked MacIntyre if either Douglass or Wolfe told him about their being at the scene of the crime prior to Douglass' admission of the fact on the Painseeker web site.  He responded that neither did.  When asked to state the nature of his relationship with Douglass, he replied that they were "close friends."

"If you two are so close, " Andrews replied, "what other reason can you give for Laura Douglass not telling you the truth about her activities on the night of the murder?"  When MacIntyre could not come up with an answer after a few silent seconds, Andrews announced that he was done with Mr. MacIntyre.

Defense attorney Les Levin asked one question in response to Andrews' nearly day-long session, "Do you believe that Laura is responsible for Raychel's murder?"  When MacIntyre answered no, Levin stated that he had no further questions, but reserved the right to call him back for the defense's case.

The Painseeker web site clearly made an impact on the trial on Tuesday.  Andrews' guidance of MacIntyre's unprepared testimony was basically an extended version of "Day In Replay," his own account of the day of Raychel Wagner's murder.

Geoffrey MacIntyre refused requests for comment following the day's session.

On his way out of court, Assistant District Attorney Andrews stated that he expects to conclude the prosecution's case on either Friday or Monday,   However, he would not state who he expected to call on Wednesday.