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Off-Handed Remark by Michael Skakel Dominates Morning's Testimony at Murder Trial

Aired May 21, 2002 - 11:33   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: An off-handed remark by Michael Skakel dominated this morning's testimony at his murder trial.

CNN's Deborah Feyerick joins us from outside the courtside in Norwalk, Connecticut.

What's all this about, Deb?

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Leon.

Well, first let's start with what the prosecutors wanted to do first thing this morning. They wanted to call back a witness they had on the stand yesterday. It was one of Michael Skakel's boyhood friends, who said while he was testifying, Michael Skakel was glaring at him, mouthing obscenities at him, calling him a liar. Prosecutors call this intimidation of a witness. Skakel's lawyer called it bologna, and the judge said that the prosecutors couldn't call him back because the effect if it would be too prejudicial for the jury.

And Pew's (ph) testimony seemed relatively simple, saying that Michael had a crush on Martha, that she didn't seem as interested. He also described competitive relationship between Michael and Tommy, sometimes saying that they would get into fights. He also said that Michael was the best athlete if the neighborhood, that he was very strong, had great agility and was very coordinated. He's the first person to actually give the physical description of what Michael Skakel was like back in 1975 when he was just 15 years old.

Now, Michael Skakel at one point worked with his cousin, Michael Kennedy. That's the son of Robert and Ethel Kennedy, who was tragically killed in a skiing incident. He was being investigated for some wrongdoing of his own, allegedly having an affair with his baby sitter.

Well, on the stand right now is the friend of the babysitter, and she is recounting a conversation she had with Martha Moxley. She said she walked into her condo. There was a party of 10 people going on. And apparently Michael Skakel walked up to her, and jokingly, she said, he said, "Ask me why I killed my neighbor." And then she he mentioned something about a golf club. That was all she said that Michael had told her. But during a taped phone conversation with another friend, she went into greater detail about what Michael Skakel had told her. And prosecutors wanted to really get at the heart of it, as to whether in fact she had heard Michael Skakel said all of these things allegedly about the murder. She said, I'm sorry I was lying. She was trying to impress somebody who was on the other end of the phone conversation.

What did come out was the commitment of the investigator, Frank Guard (ph). He's came under a bit of criticism for some of his methods. But He told this witness, Duran Ridge (ph), he said, I have been investigating this for 20 years, and if I have to look into it 20 more years, that's what I am going to do --Leon.

HARRIS: I'm sure the family does not want it to go on for another 20 years now. Deborah Feyerick in Milwalk (ph), Connecticut, thank you very much. We'll let you get back inside the courtroom.

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