7.Tarana Khan — Direct/Cross/Redirect
126 linesJUDGE EVERETT: Please call your next witness.
MR. ZELMAN: The defense would call Tehronna Khan.
JUDGE EVERETT: Please raise your right hand.
whereupon, TEHRONNA KHAN was called as a witness, having been first duly sworn, was examined and testified as follows:
JUDGE EVERETT: You may take your seat. Please speak loudly and clearly for the jurors. You can adjust the microphone as you need.
You may examine.
MR. ZELMAN: Thank you, Your Honor.
DIRECT EXAMINATION BY MR. ZELMAN:
MR. ZELMAN: Good afternoon. Can you please introduce yourself to the jury and spell your last name?
TARANA KHAN: Yes. My name is Tehronna Khan, last name is K-H-A-N.
MR. ZELMAN: And, Ms. Khan, how are you employed currently?
TARANA KHAN: I'm a mitigation specialist/paralegal for the Federal Defender of the Middle District of Georgia.
MR. ZELMAN: And what does that job -- what do those job responsibilities entail?
TARANA KHAN: what I do is I go on -- I go down three different -- the male side and the -- I'm sorry, the maternal and paternal side of the families, and I investigate all of the issues. I don't -- do a fact investigation, and I also do the mental evaluations, as far -- not the evaluations, but I go back -- you know, doing all the records and get all the things together, present it to the courts, so we can try to geta lesser sentence for our clients.
MR. ZELMAN: And that's with a habeas unit?
TARANA KHAN: Not right now. I'm just with the Middle District of Florida -- I'm sorry, of Georgia. But I was doing that with the habeas here in Tallahassee.
MR. ZELMAN: Okay. And how long have you been in your current role in the Middle District of Georgia?
TARANA KHAN: One year in Georgia.
MR. ZELMAN: Okay. Prior to that, did you work for the Federal Defender's Office here in the Northern District of Florida?
TARANA KHAN: I did. The capital habeas unit.
MR. ZELMAN: And can you tell us what you did there, please?
TARANA KHAN: Yes. I did investigation, went to talk to clients, all their families. It was more of a fact investigation at that point.
MR. ZELMAN: Okay. And so that entailed you going out at the direction of the attorneys that you worked with, interviewing individuals?
TARANA KHAN: Correct.
MR. ZELMAN: Gathering records?
TARANA KHAN: Yes.
MR. ZELMAN: And that included individuals that were in custody, correct?
TARANA KHAN: Correct.
MR. ZELMAN: And preparing reports?
TARANA KHAN: Correct.
MR. ZELMAN: And presenting that to whom?
TARANA KHAN: The attorneys.
MR. ZELMAN: Did it also have -- did it also bring you to have occasion to testify in court ever?
TARANA KHAN: No.
MR. ZELMAN: No. Now, how long were you employed with the Northern District of Florida Federal Defender's Office?
TARANA KHAN: From 2016 until July 2022.
MR. ZELMAN: And can you tell us a little bit about your educational background?
TARANA KHAN: Yes. I have an associate's in paralegal, a bachelor's in legal studies. And I've studied sociology, and I've earned a certificate in that.
MR. ZELMAN: And when did you complete your bachelor's?
TARANA KHAN: In two thousand -- around 2014, maybe.
MR. ZELMAN: Now, in between working for the Federal Defender's office in the Northern District of Florida and the Federal Defender's office in the Middle District of Georgia, did you work as a licensed private investigator in Florida?
TARANA KHAN: After I left the Federal Defender's Office in Tallahassee, yes.
MR. ZELMAN: Okay. And how long did you do that for?
TARANA KHAN: Since 2022. And I never -- I never, I guess, stopped. I just took the job in -- for the Federal Middle District of Georgia and left.
MR. ZELMAN: And as a licensed private investigator, were you retained by my office to interview an individual by the name of Patricia Byrd?
TARANA KHAN: Yes.
MR. ZELMAN: And where was she located?
TARANA KHAN: In the Leon County Jail.
MR. ZELMAN: Okay. How many times did you meet with Ms. Byrd?
TARANA KHAN: Once.
MR. ZELMAN: And that was at the Leon County Jail?
TARANA KHAN: Yes.
MR. ZELMAN: And do you remember when that was?
TARANA KHAN: I want to say January. Can I look and see?
MR. ZELMAN: If it will help refresh your memory, sure.
TARANA KHAN: Okay. Ms. Byrd was on January 24th.
MR. ZELMAN: 2025?
TARANA KHAN: Correct. I'm sorry.
MR. ZELMAN: And when you interviewed Ms. Byrd, did you tell Ms. Byrd that Mrs. Adelson was going to pay her for her testimony?
TARANA KHAN: No.
MR. ZELMAN: Specifically, did you tell Ms. Byrd that Donna Adelson was going to buy her a piece of land?
TARANA KHAN: No.
MR. ZELMAN: what about a trailer?
TARANA KHAN: No.
MR. ZELMAN: what about veneers for her teeth?
TARANA KHAN: No.
MR. ZELMAN: what about a small vehicle for her and her children?
TARANA KHAN: No.
MR. ZELMAN: Okay. Did Ms. Byrd tell you that Mrs. Adelson had offered those items to her?
TARANA KHAN: No.
MR. ZELMAN: Did Ms. Byrd tell you that Mrs. Adelson confessed to any portion of the crimes that -- with which mrs. Adelson is charged in this case?
TARANA KHAN: Did she tell you that -- did I -- I'm sorry. Can you repeat that for me?
MR. ZELMAN: Did Ms. Byrd tell you that Mrs. Adelson confessed to her?
TARANA KHAN: No.
MR. ZELMAN: Just a moment, Your Honor.
JUDGE EVERETT: Go ahead.
BY MR. ZELMAN:
MR. ZELMAN: Ms. Khan, prior to interviewing Ms. Byrd on January 24th, 2025, did you meet with or speak with Donna Adelson?
TARANA KHAN: No.
MR. ZELMAN: Have you ever met with or spoken with Donna Adelson?
TARANA KHAN: No.
MR. ZELMAN: Nothing further, Your Honor.
JUDGE EVERETT: Cross-examination?
MS. DUGAN: Yes, sir.
CROSS- EXAMINATION BY MS. DUGAN:
MS. DUGAN: why did you interview Ms. Byrd?
TARANA KHAN: I was given a list of names to interview.
MS. DUGAN: By defense counsel?
TARANA KHAN: correct.
MS. DUGAN: Okay. And she was not a State witness at that time, right?
TARANA KHAN: I wouldn't know.
MS. DUGAN: You wouldn't know? would it refresh your memory to see a copy of the State's amended discovery when we did list her as a witness?
TARANA KHAN: I wouldn't -- I didn't see that. I wouldn't have seen that.
MS. DUGAN: Okay. So that -- that wouldn't help you to know when she was amended as a witness in the case?
TARANA KHAN: I wouldn't have known it, no.
MS. DUGAN: Okay. So you were not asked to go there because she was a State's witness? I'l] just put it that way.
TARANA KHAN: No. No.
MS. DUGAN: And did you record your interview with Ms. Byrd?
TARANA KHAN: No.
MS. DUGAN: The SAO investigators were able to record their interview with her. why didn't you when you interviewed her?
TARANA KHAN: I wasn't asked to do that.
MS. DUGAN: Asked by who?
TARANA KHAN: The attorneys.
MS. DUGAN: So they didn't ask you to do it?
TARANA KHAN: They didn't ask me to record it, no.
MS. DUGAN: Okay. Could you have taken a recorder and recorded it though?
TARANA KHAN: Had I requested it, for the jail to permit me to take a recorder in there.
MS. DUGAN: The jail does allow that?
TARANA KHAN: I don't know. I didn't ask.
MS. DUGAN: Okay. If you get permission, in your experience is it typical --
TARANA KHAN: Correct. Yes.
MS. DUGAN: -- for jails to allow you to do that?
TARANA KHAN: Yes.
MS. DUGAN: Just a second.
That's all I have. Thank you.
JUDGE EVERETT: Redirect examination?
MR. ZELMAN: Just a moment.
REDIRECT EXAMINATION BY MR. ZELMAN:
MR. ZELMAN: Ms. Khan, since you didn't ask for permission to take a recording device into the jail when you met with Ms. Byrd, how did you take accurate notes?
TARANA KHAN: As I was speaking with them, I wrote everything down that they said -- that they were saying to me. So I did pen and paper.
MR. ZELMAN: Pen to paper. And had the State requested those through the discovery process, you would have been able to produce those?
TARANA KHAN: Correct.
MR. ZELMAN: Nothing further.
JUDGE EVERETT: will this witness need to be recalled or retained for any reason?
MS. DUGAN: No, sir.
MR. ZELMAN: We would retain her, but she is free to go about her business.
JUDGE EVERETT: You may step down, Ms. Khan. If you are recalled by the attorneys, they will let you know. Do not discuss your testimony with any other person.
TARANA KHAN: Thank you.