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CNN Live At Daybreak

Opening of First D.C. Area Sniper Trial

Aired October 14, 2003 - 05:03   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 COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And now to another accused murderer, but from a case that made international headlines and frightened a metropolitan area.
CNN's Jeanne Meserve now on today's opening of the first D.C. area sniper trial.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The evidence against John Muhammad and Lee Malvo is so overwhelming, many experts say the defense strategies will center on keeping them alive.

JOSEPH DIGENOVA, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY: I don't think there's any question. I think they're going to be convicted. The real question for the defense is can they avoid the death penalty.

MESERVE: The sniper shootings affected so many people and made so many headlines, that the Muhammad trial was moved from Prince William County, Virginia, the jurisdiction where Dean Harold Meyers (ph) was shot, to Virginia Beach, 200 miles to the south.

TODD SANDERS, FORMER PROSECUTOR: The question of going from Prince William to Virginia Beach, you would think that it would have to be better for the defense. Prince William County is the leading county in the state for the imposition of the death penalty.

MESERVE: Not that jurors in Virginia Beach won't be familiar with the case.

MARVIN MILLER, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: And this is not something where a jury sits down in a jury box with a clean slate, listens to only the admissible evidence and then makes a decision. That's not this case.

MESERVE: A recent book by former Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moos has become a best seller and led to a flurry of national television appearances.

CHARLES MOOSE, FORMER MONTGOMERY COUNTY POLICE CHIEF: Not your normal crime spree.

MESERVE: Another book by reporters for the "Washington Post" contains so much inside information defense attorneys tried unsuccessful to get the case dismissed.

JONATHAN SHAPIRO, MUHAMMAD'S ATTORNEY: It's almost as though they're saying we all know he's guilty, we don't to bother with the trial, let's just go ahead and execute the man.

MESERVE (on camera): Finding a fair and impartial jury may be tough and is expected to take all week.

Jean Meserve, CNN, Virginia Beach, Virginia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Want some more insight into the legal wranglings in the Muhammad case? Well, stay with us. In the next hour of DAYBREAK, we'll have our legal analyst Kendall Coffey right here.

And, of course, you can follow the trial on our Web site, as well. We have a special report, "Sniper Attacks: The Legal Case." You know the address, cnn.com, AOL keyword: CNN.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired October 14, 2003 - 05:03   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And now to another accused murderer, but from a case that made international headlines and frightened a metropolitan area.
CNN's Jeanne Meserve now on today's opening of the first D.C. area sniper trial.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The evidence against John Muhammad and Lee Malvo is so overwhelming, many experts say the defense strategies will center on keeping them alive.

JOSEPH DIGENOVA, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY: I don't think there's any question. I think they're going to be convicted. The real question for the defense is can they avoid the death penalty.

MESERVE: The sniper shootings affected so many people and made so many headlines, that the Muhammad trial was moved from Prince William County, Virginia, the jurisdiction where Dean Harold Meyers (ph) was shot, to Virginia Beach, 200 miles to the south.

TODD SANDERS, FORMER PROSECUTOR: The question of going from Prince William to Virginia Beach, you would think that it would have to be better for the defense. Prince William County is the leading county in the state for the imposition of the death penalty.

MESERVE: Not that jurors in Virginia Beach won't be familiar with the case.

MARVIN MILLER, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: And this is not something where a jury sits down in a jury box with a clean slate, listens to only the admissible evidence and then makes a decision. That's not this case.

MESERVE: A recent book by former Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moos has become a best seller and led to a flurry of national television appearances.

CHARLES MOOSE, FORMER MONTGOMERY COUNTY POLICE CHIEF: Not your normal crime spree.

MESERVE: Another book by reporters for the "Washington Post" contains so much inside information defense attorneys tried unsuccessful to get the case dismissed.

JONATHAN SHAPIRO, MUHAMMAD'S ATTORNEY: It's almost as though they're saying we all know he's guilty, we don't to bother with the trial, let's just go ahead and execute the man.

MESERVE (on camera): Finding a fair and impartial jury may be tough and is expected to take all week.

Jean Meserve, CNN, Virginia Beach, Virginia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Want some more insight into the legal wranglings in the Muhammad case? Well, stay with us. In the next hour of DAYBREAK, we'll have our legal analyst Kendall Coffey right here.

And, of course, you can follow the trial on our Web site, as well. We have a special report, "Sniper Attacks: The Legal Case." You know the address, cnn.com, AOL keyword: CNN.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com