Attempted-murder trial to start Monday for son of former ‘Real Housewives’ star

The attempted-murder trial for Joshua Waring, son of former “Real Housewives of Orange County” star Lauri Peterson, is expected to begin Monday with jury selection.

Waring, 29, is facing three counts of attempted murder and other felony and misdemeanor charges in connection with a shooting at a former sober-living home in Costa Mesa in June 2016, according to Orange County Superior Court records.

Waring could face multiple life sentences if convicted.

His mother was a cast member on Bravo’s Orange County-based reality TV series from its debut in 2006 until 2008.

A man identified only as Daniel L. was seriously injured in the shooting in the 2900 block of Babb Street.

Witnesses told police that Waring had left the house, described as a “drug crash pad,” after a confrontation with a resident but returned around 2:30 a.m. June 20 in a BMW X3 belonging to his girlfriend, authorities said. Shots were fired at three people outside, authorities said.

Waring was arrested about eight hours later after a police pursuit through Santa Ana.

Superior Court Judge Jonathan Fish heard arguments this week from Waring’s attorney, Joel Garson, and Senior Deputy District Attorney Cynthia Nichols about what evidence should be presented to jurors and what should be excluded.

Garson wrote in court papers that Daniel L. told authorities that the shots were fired from a blue or purple Acura, not the white BMW that authorities say Waring was driving.

Less than a half-hour after the shooting, Garson wrote, an officer saw a blue Acura matching the description parked at the Star Inn on Newport Boulevard.

Video from the motel showed that the blue vehicle arrived shortly after the shooting occurred and that a man named Bryan Goldstein, nicknamed Ace, got out and walked to a room, according to Garson.

A Costa Mesa police officer questioned Goldstein at the motel about the shooting.

Garson alleged in court Thursday that Goldstein received special treatment from officers. He argued that officers didn’t test his hands or clothing for gunshot residue and didn’t search the car until two days later, after it had been sitting in a tow yard with the windows open.

Nichols contended that everyone questioned that night was treated the same way.

Goldstein has an immunity agreement with the Orange County district attorney’s office to testify in an Anaheim homicide case from July 2016, according to court papers. Garson said Thursday that Goldstein had been an informant in another case in 2004.

Fish agreed Thursday to allow Garson to question Costa Mesa officers about whether they knew Goldstein had previously cooperated with law enforcement when they interviewed him the night of the shooting.

Goldstein indicated that if asked to testify in the Waring case he would invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. He will not be called as a defense witness, according to Garson.

A few months after the shooting, while in a holding tank in Orange County Jail, Goldstein spoke about the shooting with Ira Stringer, an inmate who was housed near Waring, according to a Jan. 5 account of an interview between Stringer and Kristen Knowles, a private investigator working with Garson.

According to Stringer, Goldstein asked him to tell Waring that he “won’t let him go down for this.” Knowles’ report states that Goldstein told Stringer he was the one in the dark-colored car and he was the shooter.

According to the report, Goldstein told Stringer that he threw the gun into a trash bin at the Star Inn before police showed up to question him.

Then, according to the report, Goldstein’s story began to change.

“While there were other people around, Goldstein stated he was in the light car and Josh was the shooter,” Knowles wrote.

Nichols argued in court papers against allowing jurors to hear Stringer’s testimony, calling it unreliable.

Fish is expected to rule on that Monday.

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Twitter: @HannahFryTCN