MIKE BURN Generally Crazy Guy
Joined: 08 Nov 2001 Posts: 4825 Location: Frankfurt / Europe
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Posted: Tue Mar 14, 2006 1:35 am Post subject: U.S. blunder may save Moussaoui |
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Oh, oh...........
Quote: http://us.cnn.com/2006/LAW/03/13/moussaoui.trial/index.html
E-mail reveals lawyer's attempt to coach seven witnesses
From Phil Hirschkorn
CNN
Monday, March 13, 2006; Posted: 6:31 p.m. EST (23:31 GMT)
ALEXANDRIA, Virginia (CNN) -- A federal judge threatened to throw out the death penalty at the sentencing trial of al Qaeda conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui after prosecutors disclosed Monday that a government lawyer tried to coach seven witnesses.
U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema sent the jury home and scheduled a hearing Tuesday to investigate what she said could be a "very serious taint of a key portion of this case."
Prosecutors disclosed Monday that seven current and former Federal Aviation Administration employees were sent transcripts from last week's opening statements and testimony.
Brinkema said that "blatantly" violated her February 22 order that witnesses "may not attend or otherwise follow trial proceedings; for example, may not read transcripts, before being called to testify."
The judge voiced her clear displeasure: "In all the years I've been on the bench, I have never seen such an egregious violation of a rule on witnesses."
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