Days before a closely watched trial was set to begin, Alameda County prosecutors told a judge they cannot find the woman at the center of the bribery and perjury case against Oakland homicide Detective Phong Tran.
The witness, Aisha Weber, is the same person whose later statements helped unravel a 2016 murder conviction. Her testimony is so central to the new case that prosecutors are now asking a judge to order her to appear and to preserve key evidence in case she never shows up. Tran has pleaded not guilty and remains on administrative leave from the Oakland Police Department while the district attorney’s office tries to hold the case together.
Prosecutors Say Star Witness Warned She Would Move Where She Cannot Be Found
In a recent court filing, Alameda County prosecutors said Weber told investigators she planned to relocate to a place where she can’t be found. According to the filing, their last in-person contact with her was on Oct. 31, 2025. When they returned to her home on Nov. 17, 2025, the residence was empty.
The district attorney’s office has asked the court to compel Weber to appear at Tran’s trial, which is scheduled to begin March 2, 2026, and to allow her previous testimony to be preserved for potential use at trial. Those details were laid out in court papers reviewed by The Mercury News.
Recantation That Toppled Old Convictions
Years ago, Weber signed a sworn declaration saying she had lied on the stand in the earlier murder case. She also alleged that she received about $30,000 in connection with her testimony. That recantation, along with the history of undisclosed payments surrounding her statements, prompted prosecutors and judges to take a hard second look at the old case…