Judge Won’t Act to Make Cheyenne Brando Testify

A federal judge refused Monday to ask the French government to compel actor Marlon Brando’s daughter, Cheyenne, to testify at the murder trial of her half-brother, Christian, next month or to answer questions by satellite from her new home in Tahiti.

U.S. District Judge Terry J. Hatter Jr. told prosecutors in Los Angeles they should either seek to serve her with a subpoena through the state courts or cite legal precedents for his acting in the case. The next step is “the (state) Supreme Court, I think,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Steven Barshop. Christian Brando’s trial for the murder last spring of Cheyenne’s lover, Dag Drollet, is set for Oct. 9.

The young woman’s testimony is “crucial” to establishing Christian Brando’s state of mind before the shooting, prosecutors said. Brando claims the shooting was accidental. His sister told police that he repeatedly had threatened to kill Drollet, but her statement cannot be used unless she is cross-examined.