Rosenberg, a 23-year old animal cruelty investigator for the grassroots animal rights group Direct Action Everywhere (DxE), is charged with one count of felony conspiracy and 3 misdemeanors, including trespass, for rescuing 4 chickens she described as sick and suffering from a Perdue-owned slaughterhouse. She could go to jail for almost 5 years.

In its opening statement, the defense argued that Zoe did not go into her rescue brashly but - rather - relied on extensive investigation from another animal investigator and presented those findings to law enforcement. Defense attorney Kevin Little was able to describe the chicken killing process and show a large pile of dead chickens explaining that this is the condemnation pile, where chickens not eligible to be sold for food end up. Little said Zoe was convinced these animals had been subject to cruelty and many boiled alive and that this is just business as usual. Perdue denies all allegations of animal cruelty, saying it has high animal welfare standards and calling DxE extremists. The company is invited on to respond further at any time.

Meanwhile, in a tactic that the defense suggests could be a backdoor way of shutting down media coverage of this controversial case, the prosecutors just subpoenaed Direct Action Everywhere’s Communications Lead Cassie King and another DxE lead organizer Paul Picklesimer as potential rebuttal witnesses. The result is that neither can go into court to document what is happening at trial. Combine that with no video or still photos allowed inside and you can see why some of Zoe Rosenberg’s supporters are calling this an attempt to keep this trial from making headlines. Could the script be flipping? Could this case be putting industrialized animal agriculture on trial in the minds of the public?

UnchainedTV’s Jane Velez-Mitchell hosts LIVE, DAILY coverage of this case with attorneys, activists and reporter Matthew Zirbel at the courthouse bringing us the very latest. Now, let’s find out what’s happening.