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CNN Live Today

Transcript Contains Damaging Testimony Against Skakel

Aired May 20, 2002 - 13:30   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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Norwalk, Connecticut now, where the prosecution continues its case today against Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel. More testimony expected about Skakel's alleged confession in the death of Martha Moxley.

Deborah Feyerick back outside the courtroom with more on what is happening today -- Deborah, good afternoon.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Bill.

Well, not a good day for Michael Skakel. A dead man testifying from beyond the grave. Skakel's lawyer having no chance to cross examine him, or also show the jury that when this man did testify before the grand jury he was on heroin, and then at a later date, was having withdrawal symptoms from heroin, and was on methadone during that second hearing.

Well, what did the jury hear? A transcript of Gregory Coleman, who says Michael Skakel one night told him, "I'm a Kennedy, I am going to get away with murder," and that he drove her skull in, which Coleman took as meaning with a golf club.

This conversation happened late one night at a rehab school. Michael Skakel was being guarded by Gregory Coleman because he had run away, so he was being watched.

The defense pointed out that this is the first time the two teens had ever met, and that it was highly unlikely that Michael Skakel would pour out his guts to this virtual stranger. Now, after that, Gregory Coleman's wife took the stand. She was there, not necessarily to testify about the truth of the statements so much as to testify about his credibility.

And the story she told was that Gregory Coleman was watching television one day, a story about the Moxley murder. At that point, the announcer was trying to make it seem as if Tommy was the one who had killed her, and Gregory Coleman said, but it wasn't Tommy, it was Michael, and he called his wife in and said this is the kid that I was telling you about, and then he decided to call up the local station, saying, You thought you would you get away with this, your time is up.

Now, the defense really is going to push to try to introduce more of that transcript later on, when they have their turn because they think that this transcript paints a totally unfair picture of the exact hearing, so they are going to be trying as hard as they can to get that in, and this trial, Bill, could end within the next two weeks.

HEMMER: Deborah Feyerick in Norwalk. Thank you, Deborah.

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