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Criminal Justice

People vs. Karen, Part 3: Katie Sorenson Goes To Trial

A light-skinned woman with shoulder length brown hair, wearing large round eyeglasses, is seated in a courtroom.
Katie Sorensen and her attorney, Charles Dresow, listen as her sentence is read by judge Laura Passaglia during her sentencing at Sonoma County Superior Court in Santa Rosa on June 29, 2023.
(
Kent Porter
/
The Press Democrat
)

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Topline:

In the third episode of Imperfect Paradise: People vs. Karen, Katie Sorensen's criminal case heads to trial. The Sonoma County district attorney argues that Sorensen was an aspiring influencer who fabricated a sensational story to go viral. Will a jury find her guilty?

Imperfect Paradise: People vs. Karen tells the story of Sadie and Eddie Martinez, a Latino couple who were falsely accused of attempted kidnapping by a white woman in December 2020, and how they fought to hold her accountable.

What's in Episode 3: Sadie and Eddie Martinez take the witness stand and tell the jury no attempted kidnapping ever happened at the Michaels craft store in December 2020. Katie Sorensen also testifies — marking her first public appearance since making her viral Instagram video more than two years earlier.

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What's the prosecutor's argument? The prosecutor argues that Sorensen was an aspiring influencer who made up the entire attempted kidnapping story to gain followers and boost her online business, Motherhood Essentials.

What's Sorensen's defense? The defense attorney argues that Sorensen was extremely nervous at Michaels that day due to the pandemic, and she misinterpreted Eddie and Sadie Martinez's behavior as threatening. But he maintains Sorensen truly felt afraid, and did not knowingly file a false police report.

The question is: Did Sorensen knowingly lie to police about what happened? And can the prosecutor convince a jury of that, beyond a reasonable doubt?

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