To establish a history of Sweeney's violent behavior, the prosecution called one of Sweeney's ex-girlfriends, Lillian Pierce, to testify. Pierce, who did not testify in the jury's presence at the request of Sweeney's attorney, stated that she and Sweeney had dated on and off from 1977 to 1980. Pierce claimed that during the relationship, Sweeney had assaulted her on ten occasions and she was hospitalized twice for injuries he inflicted on her. During one such assault, Pierce sustained a perforated eardrum and a collapsed lung. She later suffered a broken nose. During Pierce's testimony, Sweeney became enraged, jumped up from his seat, and ran towards the door leading to the judge's chambers. He was subdued by two bailiffs and four armed guards. Sweeney was then handcuffed to his chair and began to cry. He apologized for the outburst; Judge Katz accepted the apology. Attorney Michael Adelson requested that Judge Katz rule Pierce's testimony inadmissible as it was "prejudicial". Judge Katz granted the request and the jury never learned of Pierce's testimony until after the trial. Katz also refused to allow testimony from Dunne's mother, Ellen Dunne, as well Dunne's friends, ruling their statements about Sweeney's abusive nature as hearsay.