During testimony in his trial, Tom Petters
acts as if he were in a board meeting, passing notes and whispering to his attorneys, listening attentively, well turned out in neatly tailored business
suits.
His brother Jon has been there every day, and during breaks Petters, gets
up turns around, makes eye contact with Jon and gives him a smile. The smile is
confident, an upbeat look.
Witness after witness stressed what an extraordinary
salesman Petters is.
I can't see how he is looking at the jury, but you have to
wonder if he is giving them that same look.
The key to this case for both sides is
whistleblower Deanna Coleman. In her only court appearance last year, she
appeared on the verge of breaking down. Flanked by her lawyer and a prosecutor,
she struggled to get out her guilty plea. She was emotional then, crying softly
most of the time in that very brief, non-combative appearance. She has had a year
to prepare.
Now she will have to come face to face with the man who was her
mentor, her boss and for a time her lover. How she does, how she holds up could
determine the outcome.
