The Trial of Tim Heidecker / Characters

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The Defense

Tim Heidecker

Actor: Tim Heidecker

Tim Heidecker is the host of On Cinema who is on trial for twenty counts of felony murder.

Bad Boss: Tim believes that he has the Constitutional right to strike any employee who disobeys him.
Broken Record: Tim repeatedly asks Judge Szymczyk "May I approach the bench?" half a dozen times in the span of a minute, as if rapid-fire asking will somehow convince him to change his answer.
Cluster F-Bomb: Deploys one when he finally snaps and tries to attack Mark on the witness stand.
Conspiracy Theorist: Tim's defense centers on the "China connection," or the belief that the Chinese chemical company sent him poisoned chemicals of which he had no knowledge. Needless to say, there's no evidence for his claim whatsoever, which he says is proof that it's covered up.
A Fool for a Client: Tim chooses to represent himself starting on day two.
I Resemble That Remark!: Tim's response when he's accused of intimidating Mark Proksch:
Vincent Rosetti: Your honor, the defendant is intimidating this witness.
Tim Heidecker: I am not intimidating- I'll intimidate you, believe me!
Jerkass: In too many ways to list here.
Jury and Witness Tampering:
- Tim blatantly attempts to intimidate Mark Proksch into walking back his claims of abuse.
- He offers to pay Orion Jaxx to testify for him, and when called out on it, says he was only offering to repay.
- He hires an actor and tells him to claim he's a concertgoer who saw nothing illegal happening.
- He gives Manuel a forged suicide note from Dr. San to read during his testimony.
Mondegreen Gag: He mishears Joe Estevez's compliment describing him as a "hale fellow" as "hey old fellow."
Never My Fault:
- Tim tries to blame Mark for not bringing a food truck to the festival and causing the hellish conditions there, only for Mark to point out that he was never given any further instructions or money.
- He blames Gregg Turkington for black mold in his apartment that led to Tom Cruise Jr.'s death, regardless of Doctor San's medical incompetence.
Not Good with Rejection: When Ayaka says she no longer loves him, Tim throws his notebook away in anger and earns a contempt of court charge.
Ordered Apology: Tim uses his halfhearted apology for his outburst in court as an attempt to schmooze the jury.
Proof Dare: Tim objects to Mark's testimony of him being an abusive by saying there's no evidence.
Suspiciously Similar Song: Tim is accused of ripping off the melody of a song by Axiom for his song "Empty Bottle."
Throat-Slitting Gesture: Tim directs one of these at Mark during his testimony.
Unflattering ID Photo: Tim's mugshot, which is used in the courtroom, shows him disheveled, wide-eyed, and clearly out of it.

Luther Sanchez

Actor: Zac Holtzman

Luther Sanchez, better known as "Doctor San," is a homeopathic doctor who created the vape pen formula.

All-Natural Snake Oil: During his interrogation, Dr. San describes how the chemicals in the vape pens all have particular natural or spiritual significance.
Comically Inept Healing: Based on witness testimony, Dr. San's way of assisting the dead and dying was by placing homeopathic crystals next to them or giving them more toxic vape pens.
Despair Event Horizon: Dr. San seems to have one when he's told how many people died during his interrogation.
Dr Feel Good: Dr. San freely gave out vape pens full of deadly chemicals, expecting that it would help them achieve enlightenment.
Driven to Suicide: Due to a combination of guilt for killing twenty people and fear of prosecution, Dr. San commits suicide in his prison cell.
Higher Understanding Through Drugs: Dr. San's philosophy when designing the vape pens, as well as what he hoped it would induce in users.
Insane Troll Logic: Dr. San's idea ontreating the people who have seizures from his vape pens is to give them more vape pens.
Posthumous Character: Dr. San never appears in-person due to his death, only appearing in the form of a printed mugshot and a videotaped interrogation.

Mark Dwyer

Actor: Michael Diliberto

Mark Dwyer is a defense attorney initially hired by Tim to defend him, but is let go after the first day.

Deceased Fall-Guy Gambit: His legal strategy for exonerating Tim rests on blaming Luther Sanchez for everything.
George Jetson Job Security: After the first day, Tim fires Dwyer due to vague "strategic differences."

The People of California

Judge Edward Szymczyk

Actor: Curtis Webster

The Honorable Edward Szymczyk is a judge in San Bernardino County and is the presiding judge in The People of California v. Timothy Richard Heidecker.

Backhanded Apology: After the recess on day three, he extends an apology to everyone in the court... except for Tim.
Because I Said So: When refuting Tim's numerous requests to approach the bench:
"I'm the judge, I don't even have to give you a reason."
Sarcastic Well Wishing: When filing Tim's contempt of court charges:
"Before we begin, I have some good news, Mr. Heidecker. I've been able to schedule the hearing on that second contempt citation for this December 4th as well."
Say My Name: The only time he raises his voice in court is when calling out Tim's name to admonish him.
Stern Old Judge: Szymczyk fits this trope to a T. He's a veteran judge with over 20 years of experience, takes his job seriously, and has no qualms with telling off Tim when he crosses a line.
They Call Me MISTER Tibbs!: He has to remind Tim that adhering to courtroom decorum includes addressing the judge as "Your Honor" instead of "Mister Judge."
The Unpronouncable: Largely averted. The only person who has difficulty pronouncing Judge Szymczyk's surname (like "Sim-zick") is Tim, who pronounces it like "Siz-mick," "Siz-lick," "Sim-nack," "Siz-mack," or "Sis-tack" at various points during the trial.

Vincent Rosetti, D.A.

Actor: Don Pecchia

Vincent Rosetti is the District Attorney for San Bernardino County and the primary prosecutor in the case against Tim Heidecker.

Amoral Attorney: Averted, despite Tim's best attempts to portray him as such. Then again, it is very easy to look like a competent and well-intentioned lawyer when compared to Tim Heidecker.
Crocodile Tears: Played with. He does sound visibly distraught during his opening and closing remarks; while they could very well be genuine, they're definitely at the most fortuitous time.

Miriam Waymon

Actress: Inger Tudor

Miriam Waymon is a lawyer employed by San Bernardino County and is the assistant prosecutor in the case.

Witnesses

Emily Siroky

Actress: Allison Claye

Emily Siroky is the first prosecution witness called on day one. She is a concertgoer who attended the Electric Sun Desert Music Festival, and testifies to the abhorrent conditions of the festival.

But for Me, It Was Tuesday: She will always remember Tim's face because he ran over her friend's foot with a golf cart—something that Tim himself evidently doesn't remember (or doesn't want to admit remembering) from the night of the festival.

Lisa Betenzos

Actress: Uncredited

Lisa Betenzos is a paramedic from Apple Valley, California, who was one of the first respondents at the Electric Sun Desert Music Festival. She is the prosecution's second witness on the first day.

The Medic: She's a licensed paramedic with 12 years of experience.
Parking Problems: She says her ambulance was unable to access the festival grounds because Tim had left two moving vans in front of the vehicle entrance.

Jared Jolson

Actor: Cade Frankson

Jared Jolson is the third prosecution witness from day one. He is a concertgoer who used one of the vape pens, and suffered internal injuries as a result.

Immune to Drugs: A more modest example; he claims that his experience with using marijuana means that getting hotboxed didn't significantly impair him the night of the festival.
The Stoner: Mark Dwyer attempts to paint Jared as one in hopes of discrediting his testimony.

Detective Bill Ellis

Actor:Chuck Saale

Bill Ellis is a detective with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department who is the first prosecution witness on day two. He was the one responsible for arresting and interrogating Dr. San.

Captain Obvious: For the sake of thoroughness, DA Rosetti tells him to explain why he stopped Dr. San from giving more vape pens to dying victims:
"In all my 25 years in law enforcement, I've never seen one paramedic, one medical doctor ever take an intoxicated person and put more intoxicant back into that same victim."
Political Overcorrectness: Tim insinuates that Ellis and the rest of the Sheriff's Department are covering up the (baselesss) possibility that the Chinese chemical suppliers duped him because they're too politically correct.

Dr. Gerard Kearny, M.E.

Actor: Daniel Sowa

Dr. Gerard Kearny is the San Bernardino County Medical Examiner, who oversaw the autopsies of the Electric Sun Twenty. He is the prosecution's second witness on day two.

The Coroner: Kearney testifies that all of the dead had the TCH vape juice in their system, as well as its neurological effects.

Gregg Turkington

Actor: Gregg Turkington

Gregg Turkington is Tim's longtime ~~co-host~~ guest on On Cinema. He is the third prosecution witness on day two, as well as a defense witness on day four.

Catchphrase: When Gregg takes the stand, he says "Hey guys!"
The Movie Buff: Played with; although Gregg fancies himself a professional film critic, he doesn't know as much as he claims and refuses to admit when he gets the plot of a film wrong. That being said, Tim tries to paint him as knowing absolutely nothing about movies, which falls flat.
Narcissist: Gregg is incredibly full of himself and spends years refusing to concede that Tim might know more about the Star Trek franchise than him.
Pass the Popcorn: Gregg is seen bringing popcorn and smugly snacking on it during particularly damning moments of the trial for Tim.
Skewed Priorities: When asked to testify about Tim's relationship with Dr. San and how it ties into the Electric Sun murders, he continually veers into complaining about how it affected On Cinema.

Amanda Davis

Actress: Melinda McColgan

Amanda Davis is the mother of Valerie Davis, a 17-year-old girl who died at the Electric Sun Desert Music Festival as a result of using a TCH vape pen. She is the first witness for the prosecution on day three.

Outliving One's Offspring: Amanda testifies about how her daughter died as a result of the festival.

Mark Proksch

Actor: Mark Proksch

Mark Proksch is a celebrity impressionist and perennial On Cinema guest who is frequently employed by Tim and Gregg to do grunt work, such as running the concessions stand at the Victorville Film Center or working as a waiter at Six Bag Cinema. He is the second witness for the prosecution on day three.

Bad Impressionists: Mark's impression skills are shown to be rather lacking in the clips played before the court.
Butt-Monkey: As seen in the highlight reel exhibited in court, Mark is frequently this for Tim.
Cut Himself Shaving:
- Mark claimed that his broken nose from the On Cinema Oscar Special was caused by walking into a door.
- Tim strongarms Mark into agreeing that the physical abuse he suffered was improv comedy that got out of hand.
Does Not Drive: Admits that he does not have a driver's license, since it expired and he never got around to renewing it.
Impossible Task: On the night of the festival, Tim told Mark to secure a food truck to represent Six Bag Cinemas, and gave him no money or further instructions beyond that.
Skewed Priorities: When Tim forced him to perform a Charlie Chaplin impression with a broken nose, Mark says his biggest concern was that because Chaplin never had a broken nose, it would make the impression inaccurate.
The Unpronouncable: Vincent Rosetti mispronounces Mark's surname as "Proschk," while Tim says it like "Prutsch."

Axiom

Actor: Alessandro Serradimigni

Axiom is a musician in DKR (formerly known as Dekkar), Tim Heidecker's EDM band. He is the third witness called by the prosecution on day three.

An Arm and a Leg: Axiom is revealed to have donated his right hand in a transplant to Tim.
Easily Forgiven: He is easily reassured by Tim that their songs are different, and there's no plagiarism whatsoever.
Family of Choice: Axiom refers to Tim as his "brother from another mother" several times.
Stage Names: Axiom is obviously not his real name, that being Alessandro Serradimigni.

Ayaka Ohtani

Actress: Ayaka Ohkawi

Ayaka Ohtani (formerly Heidecker) is Tim Heidecker's Japanese ex-wife, who is the prosecution's final witness on day three.

The Bus Came Back: After being impregnated by Tim, refusing to have an abortion, and returning to Japan to raise the child herself (again), she unexpectedly returns as a witness for the prosecution in Tim's trial.
Good Girls Avoid Abortion: In the case of both Tom Cruise Jr. and Sakura, Ayaka was impregnated by Tim and returned to Japan rather than get an abortion.
Happily Married: After her return to Japan, Ayaka remarried and is living a happy life with her husband and daughter.
Old Flame Fizzle: When asked by Tim on the witness stand whether she still loves him anymore, she says no. Tim reacts poorly to the news.

Orion Jaxx

Actor: Sam Ghodsi

Orion Jaxx is an EDM musician who was one of the other performers at the Electric Sun Desert Music Festival. He's the first defense witness called on day four.

Only in It for the Money: The only reason that Orion agreed to testify is because Tim promised to not only pay him for appearing, but also reimburse him for the festival.
Quote Mine: Tim wants Jaxx to come in and repeat his comment about how he had a great time at the festival... while Jaxx points out that it's out of context, and only said before all the people started dying.
Sue Donym: His stage name of Orion Jaxx is based on his real name, Jack O'Ryan.

Jesse Popp

Actor: Jesse Popp

Jesse Popp is a concertgoer who is the second defense witness called on day four. He claims to have no prior relations to Tim Heidecker, but he is actually an actor.

Ascended Extra: In-Universe example. Jesse was originally an extra on Tim's show Decker, which is how Tim presumably knew him.
Blatant Lies: Jesse's testimony is completely incongruent with what literally every other witness thus far has said about the Electric Sun festival.
Liar Revealed: During cross-examination, Rosetti shows Jesse a printout of his IMDb page and gets him to admit he's an actor being paid by Tim.

Joe Estevez

Actor: Joe Estevez

Joe Estevez is an actor and younger brother of Martin Sheen, who has appeared in On Cinema, Decker, and other works by Tim Heidecker. He is the third defense witness on day four.

Nice Guy: Joe gives high praise for Tim's character, and is very hesitant to say something impolite about him directly.
Perfectly Cromulent Word: Tim is confused for a moment when Joe refers to him as a "hale fellow."
Speech Impediment: Joe has a habit of stammering or stumbling over his words when he's nervous.
Staging an Intervention: In cross-examination, Joe mentions having staged an intervention for Tim to address his drug problems after accidentally setting himself on fire.
Will Not Tell a Lie: Joe refuses to comment on whether he thinks Dr. San is more immoral than Tim, saying that he didn't know Dr. San well enough to form an opinion on his character.

Nicholas Meyer

Actor: Nicholas Meyer

Nicholas Meyer is a director, producer, and screenwriter, most notable for directing Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and co-writing Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. He is the first defense witness on day five.

Only in It for the Money: Tim paid him a large sum of money on short notice to travel to San Bernardino and testify.
Word of God: In-universe example. Tim brings him to the stand in order to settle the question of where Star Trek II is set once and for all. He confirms Tim's belief that II is the one largely set in space and IV is the one largely set in San Francisco.

Manuel Giusti

Actor: Manuel Giusti

Manuel Giusti is the second and final defense witness on day five. He is an Italian-born musician who is a member of Tim's bands Dekkar and DKR.

Guilt-Ridden Accomplice: He agrees to help forge evidence for Tim, but is coaxed during cross-examination into confessing.
Smoking Gun: Manuel reads out a forged Suicide Note from Dr. San saying that he takes all the blame and Tim is innocent.
Token Religious Teammate: D.A. Rosetti appeals to Manuel's Catholic faith in order to get him to admit the truth, reminding him that lying on the stand is a violation of the oath he swore before God.

Characters / The Trial of Tim Heidecker

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