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American Morning

In Boston, Man Charged with Beating Another Man to Death Over Children's Hockey Goes on Trial

Aired January 03, 2002 - 07:17   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: In Boston, a man charged with beating another man to death over a children's hockey game goes on trial today. Expected to take the stand, the sons of both the defendant and the victim.

With more on this case, here now CNN's Boston bureau chief Bill Delaney.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL DELANEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Whether Thomas Junta is sentenced to as many as 20 years in prison or doesn't go at all now depends on whether a jury concludes he killed from rage or in self-defense when he beat Michael Costin to death on July 5, 2000 as several children looked on, including Costin's sons.

Costin had supervised a hockey practice, mostly of 10 year olds at a rink in Reading, Massachusetts where Junta watched from the stands, allegedly infuriated when he felt Costin allowed too much roughness.

Wednesday, as jury selection began in a Cambridge, Massachusetts courtroom, attorneys indicated the killing's brutality, arguing over admitting photographs of the dead man.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's gruesome, it's gross, it's sickening, it's horrible. It would cause extreme prejudice to this jury looking at those photographs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I agree it's graphic and I have every intention of, you know, explaining to the jury that there will be photographs that will be graphic in my opening. But it's also very important to the Commonwealth's case to be able to show what the injuries are.

DELANEY: Junta is expected to testify in his own defense, claiming Costin started the fight. More electrifying testimony still expected when Junta's son and one of Costin's three sons also testify about what they saw after that mid-summer hockey practice.

Bill Delaney, CNN, Boston.

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