Details

Michael Brick in court: "From a juror's vantage, much of the strange courtroom imagery goes unexplained. The disembodied faces on trial are represented by a row of four men seemingly plucked from the far ends of a casting agent's files. Mr. Pearson's new lawyers, John B. Stella and James L. Koenig, are burly enough to stretch their jackets by leaning forward.

"Mr. Hendrix is represented by Steven Chaikin, a philosophical speaker who wears gray suits with hiking boots, an unkempt beard, hoop earrings and a long gray ponytail, the sort who might fit well doing pro bono work for Grateful Dead fans. His partner, Philip J. Smallman, is dark-haired and lanky, moves deliberately and wears narrow spectacles in the manner of a country gentleman or disguised superhero."

Ramsey writes: What is sorta odd about these details is that they're light-hearted, but the case he's covering is so brutal. It's almost inappropriate, no?

Any thoughts?