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Former Kennedy Family Babysitter on Stand Today in Skakel Murder Trial

Aired May 23, 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: On the stand today in the Michael Skakel murder trial, a former Kennedy family babysitter.

CNN's Deborah Feyerick joins us now from the courthouse in Norwalk, Connecticut.

Good morning, Deborah.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Leon.

Well, there was drama in the courtroom, but it had to nothing to do with the baby-sitter. It had everything do with the jury, and that's because yesterday, during the break, as the jurors were being led out of the courtroom, one of them saw something and then made a remark. Well, you are not supposed to talk about this case, and apparently this remark was considered important. The juror said that he saw Michael Skakel mouth the words "good job" to his cousin, who was then on the stand testifying about Michael Skakel's alibi the night Martha Moxley was killed.

Now the judge asked why he thought that that was so significant, that he would actually make a comment, especially to other jurors who were present. The jurors said, well, it was the first time he had heard Michael Skakel say anything.

This morning, one by one, each juror was brought in and asked, did you hear it, did you not hear it? Fourteen of the 16 said no, they did not hear this. It could have been a lot more complicated for the judge if lot more people had heard it. Right now, the judge is deciding what he is going to do about the juror who made the comment and the one how heard it and then reported it to the judge. The defense really wants to know whether this comment that Michael Skakel said, "good job," meant that maybe Michael Skakel was saying, good, thanks for supporting my alibi, and the defense wanted to know whether he may have thought he was lying.

Now yesterday, the witness, the cousin, was on the stand. He testified that Michael Skakel was with him at about the time Martha Moxley was killed. They had gone to the cousin's house to watch a television program, "Monte Pyton's Flying Circus."

Well, another brother of Michael Skakel's also testified something similar to that, that both the cousin and the brother could not remember other details outside of the actual alibi. For example, they couldn't remember who they had dinner with, or what happened after Martha was found dead, things like that. They did know the alibi, just didn't know other things.

As for the babysitter, she is in court. Michael Skakel greeted her very warmly. It is expected that she will sort of knock down testimony from an earlier witness who said, they were all together, sort of this informal gathering, and Michael Skakel had made the comment, "Ask me why I killed my neighbor."

So a lot of drama right now. We are just finding out who on the jury is going to stay, and who is going to go -- Leon.

HARRIS: Well, let me ask you this, Deborah.

Have you talked to anyone there who has indicated this is perhaps grounds for some moving for a mistrial at some point later down the road or something, or what?

FEYERICK: Well, I think that is everyone's fear. I think that is the judge's fear, that's the prosecution's fear. They certainly don't want that to happen.

Again, it's not so bad, because 14 people did not hear this comment. So you have the juror in question, plus an alternate juror, the one who actually heard him say it in the first place. That still means have you have 14 people. That's fine. So the whole trial should not be at issue.

HARRIS: So if they do lose those two, do they have to come out and get two more alternate jurors or something, or do they just leave it at that.

FEYERICK: No, because they have 12 now, and two extras, plus the two in question. So you've go 16 people sitting in, listening to this trial all together.

HARRIS: There you go. All right.

Deborah Feyerick, finally getting some action up there, finally.

Deborah Feyerick, appreciate the report. Take care. We will check back with you later on.

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