The judge handed the defense another setback when he issued a written refusal to reconsider his order barring testimony by Christian Reichardt, a former boyfriend of Faye Resnick.
Christopher Owens, one of the co-leaders of the operation, was a talented songwriter and a made-to-order rock star: he had been raised in the Children of God cult, whose refusal to accept modern medicine contributed to the death of his brother, and he had spent his teens struggling with drug addiction.