From left, district attorneys Buron Fitts and William Simpson, special prosecutor William J. Clark (standing) and district attorney Robert P. Stewart in a courtroom during the trial of former attorney Asa Keyes, charged with accepting a bribe from the Julian Petroleum Corporation. The courtroom appears to be relatively empty, with only five other people near the public gallery in the courtroom.
In late September, 1935, 19-year-old Thomas Leroy Drake was indicted for the poison-murder of his great-uncle and aunt after he was reportedly dis-inherited from their estate.
This photograph may be associated with the article, “‘BEAN CASE’ RULING NEAR: Fitts’s Decision Expected to Speed Action Involving Santa Barbara Official,” Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 1935: 6.