Guess what Winona Ryder got for her birthday? No, not a pony...
The Girl, Interrupted star marked her 31st B-day Tuesday in a Beverly Hills courtroom as a security guard narrated grainy video footage of her notorious Saks Fifth Avenue shopping spree.
Ryder is accused of doing more lifting than shopping at the 90210-based department store last December 12.
Tuesday was the second full day of the actress' trial on felony theft, burglary and vandalism charges. It also marked the second full day that she showed up dressed for a funeral (this time, a deep brown coat).
Perhaps Ryder's fashion consultant correctly sensed these early trial days would be somber for the actress.
On Tuesday, Saks security manager Kenneth Evans returned to the stand, picking up where he left off on Monday--seemingly picking over Ryder's every move in his store nearly one year ago.
The prosecution witness did the audio-commentary honors for the security-cam footage he directed that December day from the Saks basement.
The video, screened for producer Peter Guber's new development team (aka the jury), shows Ryder doing everything from the mildly mundane (talking up a sales clerk), to the extremely mundane (sipping a soda), to the potentially damning (entering a dressing room wearing a black wide-brimmed hat and leaving said dressing room with the hat apparently stuffed into a bag).
"The red [shopping] bag is now significantly [larger] than when she went in with it," Evans said, as the tape showed Ryder's dressing-room exit.
All told, the video cameras trailed Ryder for 90 minutes. The footage concludes with Ryder being escorted back into Saks by three security guards.
Prosecutors allege the star tried to walk off with more than $5,500 worth of merchandise by cutting sensor tags off her most-wanted goodies in order to avoid any undue beeping on her way out the door.
On Tuesday, Evans said four sensor tags were found stuffed into the pocket of a coat in the Chanel boutique where Ryder had been spotted hanging. He said three of the sensor tags contained fabric from three of the items Ryder allegedly stole (and de-tagged): a Dolce & Gabbana handbag, a Natori handbag and a hair bow.
On Monday, Evans claimed Ryder copped the Method actor defense upon being detained by Saks security.
"My director directed me to shoplift for a role," Evans said Ryder told him.
Evans didn't elaborate on what director, or film, Ryder supposedly was talking about. The two-time Oscar nominee was last seen on screen in Andrew Niccol's Simone, which featured no notable sticky-fingers scenes.
Ryder's defense sought to hammer away at Evans' testimony by introducing a videotape of its own. Attorney Mark Geragos argued that the second tape, more security candid-camera footage, contradicts the prosecution's tape and its accounts of how Ryder spent her time in the store.
Ryder also got support from her father, Michael Horowitz, who hugged his daughter following the day's lunch break. Per one TV report, the embrace left both fighting back tears.
Happy birthday, indeed.
The Ryder trial is expected to last the week. The actress remains free on $20,000 bail. She has pleaded innocent to all charges. If convicted, she could face up to three years in prison.