Have you had experience with a defendant representing himself in a felony trial? (Agg. Assault DW x 3 against his wife and two children)

The judge admonished the heck out of him, but the defendant persisted.

The victims are reluctant to testify and now the shooter will get a chance to cross them himself.

Any help / advice is greatly appreciated. We pick a jury this afternoon and start testimony tomorrow.

I had a serial rapist represent himself at trial. It was hard on the victims. You need to offer as much support as possible to the witnesses and victims. Have an investigator, victim witness coordinator, escort them to court. Encourage them to bring friends or other people to support them to sit in the audience. Introduce them to the bailiff and courthouse personnel who can keep them safe while in the courtroom. It necessitates a lot of hand holding. They need to understand that he's doing this to intimidate them and not to let him win.

Two weeks ago I tried a guy who represented himself. And he was a lawyer. If you are ever presented with the opportunity to prosecute such a case I strongly encourage you to opt for a root canal instead. He was (and still is) charged with various frauds. One conviction down . . .

My only suggestions are to be very mindful of speaking objections, and listen carefully for his testimony during opening and closing. Those present convenient, yet improper, forums for testimony that isn't subject to cross examination.