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CNN Live Today

Skakel Murder Trial Nears Closing Arguments

Aired May 28, 2002 - 12:33   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.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Defense attorneys in the Michael Skakel murder trial are expected to wrap up their case today. And one of the final witnesses who could take the stand is the defendant's brother John.

CNN's Deborah Feyerick is following the trial outside the courthouse in Norwalk, Connecticut -- Deborah.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, well, he did take the stand and he is now finished testifying.

And this is a witness that really underscores the problem of trying a case 27 years later. John Skakel simply could not remember virtually anything about what happened that night. For example, he could not remember driving home from his cousin's house with his brother Rushton Skakel, who apparently was so drunk that the boys had to pull over to the side of the road. And John, who was then under age at 16, had to take the wheel to get them home safely.

This was a story that Michael Skakel told a ghost writer several years ago, who was considering writing a biography. Well, the biography never happened. But also something that John Skakel could not remember was whether Michael was in the car at that time. Now, he said basically -- to the lawyers, he said: "Look, whatever I said back in 1975, that is my story. That's what I'm sticking with." That story does have Michael Skakel in the car.

A third point he couldn't remember, really, was whether there had been any sort of a family meeting right after the Moxley murder. John Skakel has said that he had no recollection of it. Prosecutors have said that there was some sort of a meeting, that there was some sort of a cover-up, where everybody was getting their stories straight. Defense attorneys have said totally not the case.

Now, apparently, John Skakel was hypnotized in the early '90s. And this was an attempt to get him to, again, remember some of the details. But, apparently, it wasn't very effective. The defense lawyer was not happy that prosecutors were able to ask that question about hypnosis, and said to judge: "Look, if he can ask about hypnosis, then I want to ask about a polygraph."

Well, the judge said: "This isn't a negotiation. Either you object to the hypnosis question or not." Well, the defense did not object. But what the defense was able to do was get that idea of a polygraph out there before a jury. But what we don't know is: Whose polygraph was this? When was it taken? And what did it show? We hope to get that answer for you around lunchtime. During the break, it's unclear whether the jury will ever get that information -- Carol.

LIN: All right, we will look forward to it. Thanks very much, Deborah Feyerick, Norwalk, Connecticut, a very interesting and sometimes bizarre trial.

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