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Kennedy Cousin Sentencing

Aired August 29, 2002 - 11:05   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel is expected to address the court today before a judge sentences him for murder.
CNN's Deborah Feyerick joins us from Norwalk, Connecticut this morning.

Deborah, what is happening there at this hour.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, we can fill what you has gone on within last hour. Defense lawyers were very adamant about getting about 1,800 police reports marked as evidence, and the reason that they wanted to do that was because they wanted to show of all those police reports, there was never a composite sketch that was provided to the defense by prosecutors. It is a very controversial sketch that defense says looks like another suspect while prosecutors say it was somebody who was ruled out early in the investigation.

The judge said that he would allow it to be marked, but he said it would be done at end of the hearing. After that, several of Skakel's friends and family members got up to speak, three so far just today. There were three yesterday and three today. One of them a childhood friend, described how Michael Skakel saved his life, helping him to get sober. He also said that Michael Skakel is the kind of person who if he really had killed Martha Moxley, he would have already taken full responsibility for it, that according to the childhood friend.

Then a college friend got up, and he described Michael as a man who grasps people who are on the brink of self destruction and pulls them back, describing him not as a criminal, in his words, but a hero. The third person to speak, Michael Skakel's brother, John. He testified at the trial, and though he couldn't remember a lot of details of that night, he was very clear in the recollection, saying I told authorities back in 1975 that I was in the car with Michael when we went to watch television that evening when Martha Moxley was killed. Again, much clearer today on what happened back then than he was when testifying before the jury.

We are expected to hear from Michael Skakel a little bit later on. What will happen now is once prosecutors will be able to get and up make a statement from the defense team, and following that, Michael Skakel also has an opportunity to address the court. So we are waiting to see when that happens, and then, of course, he finds out just how much of rest of his life he will spend in prison -- Fredricka. WHITFIELD: Seems safe to say that Michael Skakel showed rather an a emotional side yesterday. And likely when he takes stand today, we'll see more of that. But I imagine it really is too late in terms of Moxley family is concerned. I imagine they could care one way or another how he so feeling.

FEYERICK: And it's a good point, Fredricka. Both sides feel extremely passionately. The Moxleys want Michael Skakel to serve as much time as possible, and the Skakel family, they say he shouldn't be serving any time at all, maintaining he did not do the crime. And Michael Skakel very emotional, even today. He was crying as his friends stood up to speak about him.

You know, he is really. It has taken a toll on him to be in prison for the last two months, you know, and his friends are saying he does have a young son, and he served a punishment in a way by having to go to that Elan school, that horribly abusive school back in the 1970s where he went to try to get his life straightened out.

HARRIS: All right, Deborah Feyerick, in Norwalk, Connecticut, thank you very much.

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