Winona Ryder’s Trial Begins

The case against Ryder is being tried in a Beverly Hills courtroom in front of a 12-person jury, which includes Peter Gruber, producer and former Sony honcho and a current legal secretary for Sony -- Truly a jury of her peers. The prosecution states she is a thief. The defense claims she has been wrongfully busted because of her celebrity. And, allegedly, Ryder claims "my director directed me to shoplift in preparation for a role I am preparing." Oh…that explains it! No word on what director or role she was referring to.

The actress was arrested December 12 after allegedly shoplifting approximately $5,000 in clothing and accessories from Saks Fifth Avenue on Wilshire Boulevard. Clerks at the store reported seeing her stuffing the clothing and accessories into her purse after removing the price tags from the items. A security tape allegedly shows Ryder using a pair of scissors to remove a sensor tag from an expensive handbag. At the time of her arrest she was in possession of painkillers without a prescription, but the drug charge has been dropped. Is it better to be accused of being a druggie or a thief? I guess in this case the answer is clear.

Ryder is accused of felony grand theft, commercial burglary and vandalism. If convicted of all three charges, the two-time Oscar nominee stands to face a maximum three-year prison term. She is currently free on bail and pleads innocent to all charges. The trial is expected to last approximately five to seven days. Both the defense and prosecution agree on one thing – even if convicted, jail time is "unlikely" for a first offense. Throw that in with her celebrity and Ryder is pretty sure to stay out of an orange jumpsuit.