Winona Ryder’s shoplifting case went to the jury Monday afternoon, after a prosecutor accused her of stealing for the thrill of it and her defense attorney described the actress as a victim of a conspiracy by Saks Fifth Avenue.
The jurors were ordered to select a foreman or forewoman and return Tuesday morning to the Beverly Hills courthouse to begin weighing the fate of Ryder, who did not take the stand. The Oscar-nominated actress faces a possible 3-year prison term if convicted on charges of grand theft, burglary and vandalism.
Deputy District Atty. Ann Rundle said during her closing argument that Ryder, 31, walked into the Beverly Hills department store and stole more than $5,500 in designer merchandise “just for the thrill of it.”
She urged jurors to convict Ryder, giving them a Top 10 list of what the law on shoplifting does not say. Among them: Only poor people steal; Crime is OK as long as your director tells you to do it; If you sell $200 hair bows, you deserve to get ripped off.
“It’s a simple case of theft,” she said. “She came, she stole, she left. End of story.”
Rundle detailed Ryder’s trip through Saks in December, showing clips of surveillance videotapes and holding up unpaid-for purses and blouses that Ryder allegedly was carrying when stopped by security guards outside the store.
The prosecutor accused Ryder of carrying scissors into the store to cut off sensor tags, tissue to wrap merchandise and a garment bag to hide stolen clothing. The actress bought four items that day as a “ruse” to allow her to steal about 20 more, she said.
The prosecutors also showed jurors a poster of Ryder’s face with captions describing what security guards testified the actress said to explain her conduct. The guards testified last week that Ryder told them she took the items in preparation for a film role or that she believed her assistant had paid for them. No assistant was visible in the surveillance tapes played repeatedly during the weeklong trial.
Defense attorney Mark Geragos, in his closing argument, accused Saks employees of lying and planting evidence to ensure that Ryder would be convicted and to insulate the department store from civil liability.
Geragos suggested that guard Colleen Rainey, who testified that she saw Ryder cut tags off merchandise, profited from Ryder’s case. Security manager Kenneth Evans, who said he watched her walk out of the store with stolen merchandise, only did so to appease his bosses and get his “15 minutes of fame,” Geragos said.
Geragos also accused Beverly Hills police of mishandling evidence and Saks personnel of purposely taping over a surveillance video.
Rundle said in her rebuttal that the defense case was based on “insinuation, accusation and speculation.”
“We’ve presented the truth; they’ve given you a story that could have only been written in Hollywood.”
