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CNN Live Today

Former Classmates Testify in Skakel Trial

Aired May 24, 2002 - 13:14   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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Now testimony from one of Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel's former classmates today as the defense continues in its case at his murder trial.

CNN's Deborah Feyerick is covering the trial from Norwalk, Connecticut.

Good afternoon, Deborah.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Fredricka.

Well there was a big question, Michael Skakel's sister, Julia, had been coming to the court almost every day since the beginning of trial and then all of a sudden she stopped showing up and nobody knew exactly quite why. Well now CNN has learned that she was subpoenaed several days ago. She is going to be called by prosecutors to appear as a rebuttal witness. Her importance to this case is that she was at the Skakel home with a friend, Julie Andrea Shakespeare (ph). The two of them were having tea when Michael Skakel is alleged to have gone with his brothers to a cousin's house to watch a television show.

Well it's Andrea Shakespeare who is on the stand now. And she is testifying that the two of them were sitting together, the car pulled out of the driveway, but Shakespeare says that Michael Skakel was at home, that he wasn't miles away as he is said to have been when the Moxley murder took place.

Now some of the most powerful testimony today came from a former classmate of Michael Skakel's and it concerns actually a second classmate, a guy by the name of John Higgins. He was called by prosecutors. He is the one person who has testified at this trial that he heard Michael Skakel say, "I did it" in connection with the Moxley murder.

Well another classmate, Angela McFillin (ph), testified that John Higgins was really an opportunist, known to be untruthful, somebody who would embellish certain things to make himself look good, make other people look bad. The defense is trying to paint him as a liar, but the judge has said, look, you can't bring one witness to call another witness a liar, it's just against the rules. Well what the defense is really trying to maintain is, look, if this gentlemen, John Higgins, actually had a confession, he's the kind of the person who would have gone straight to staff members and supervisors and told them about it. Now on trial just as much perhaps as Michael Skakel is this rehab school, Elan, where all these classmates have been coming from. The prosecution is basically trying to make the point that, you know, regardless of what you believe, students were sent there for a reason. For example, if you were a runaway, you would be confronted during these therapy sessions, why did you run away, why are you having problems with your family? Prosecutors saying that the only person ever confronted about a murder was Michael Skakel -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks very much, Deborah.

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