They have never met Mayor Bradley, but now with his trial underway, decided to come sit in the courtroom and watch things unfold.
"It's amazing how the same story is told in such different ways so you try and get a gut feeling," Piekos said.
With his political career hanging in the wings, Mayor Adam Bradley sat in court, shaking his head at times as a photo of his wife's badly bruised hand was shown.
It was an injury that he is accused of causing by slamming it in a door.
According to the DA, it was one of several explosive incidents between the couple.
A neighbor who Fumiko Bradley confided in told the judge on that February day Fumiko called her.
"She was very upset... crying... I knew something was wrong," Alexandra Hofgaertner said.
Hofgaertner said she saw Fumiko's black and blue fingers and "...knew she was in trouble."
The same witness recalled another time when Fumiko left her home and showed up on her doorstep in tears, "...wearing an apron that was completely wet."
Authorities maintain Bradley threw hot tea on his wife.
In his opening statement, the Mayor's attorney insisted Fumiko is a walking, talking definition of reasonable doubt, that his client was not abusive, that Fumiko was the aggressor and this is a case of role reversal.
Fumiko's attorney said Bradley's strategy of blaming the true victim is the lie.
Nearly three dozen witnesses are expected to testify in a case in County Court.
The mayor faces six misdemeanor charges, each with a maximum sentence of one year behind bars if convicted.
The mayor is also embroiled in a divorce and is the subject of an ethics probe by the city.
