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CNN Live At Daybreak

Fugitive Ira Einhorn Returns Home to Face Trial

Aired July 20, 2001 - 08:02   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: We've got developments now in the case of American fugitive Ira Einhorn. He may or may not face a new murder trial. He was declared guilty in absentia in a 1993 trial.

And in an interview we did with the district attorney's office from Philadelphia, they say that, as far as he is concerned, he is already guilty and sentenced.

Now, the plane carrying Einhorn from Paris arrived about four hours ago. It is just one day after France finally agreed to extradite him. He was on the run for 20 years. Einhorn was convicted in absentia back in 1993 for killing his girlfriend -- for beating her to death.

CNN's Brian Palmer recaps the 1977 case.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN PALMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Back in the 1960's, Ira Einhorn was a colorful and popular presence on Philadelphia's counter-culture scene. He shifted smoothly into the Me Decade, becoming, by the end of the 1970's, a corporate consultant, and for a semester, a Harvard University fellow.

But then Ira Einhorn became a fugitive from justice. His girlfriend, Holly Maddux, a 30-year-old East Texas native, was beaten to death in 1977, then stuffed into a trunk. Einhorn was arrested 18 months later when police finally discovered the trunk in a closet of the apartment they shared after neighbors had complained of a foul odor.

RICHARD EISENBERG, PHILADELPHIA DISTRICT ATTORNEY: The evidence was dramatic. The crime was brutal.

PALMER: Einhorn was charged with murder. He denied killed Maddux, alleging he was framed by government authorities.

Einhorn jumped bail and fled the U.S. in 1981. He was convicted in absentia in 1993 of murdering Maddux. But that didn't resolve the case, especially for Maddux's sisters.

MEG WAKEMAN, HOLLY MADDUX'S SISTER: It's very painful. It's a loss. You know, her birthday, the holidays, they are all constant reminders. PALMER: U.S. investigators finally tracked Einhorn in 1997 to France, where he lived under an alias. French authorities arrested Einhorn, but later released him, expressing doubts that Einhorn would get a fair trial in the U.S.

ELIZABETH HALL, HOLLY MADDUX'S SISTER: This is not completely about the nuances of international law. There is a person behind all of this, and she is dead.

PALMER (on camera): The U.S. and France negotiated the Einhorn case for years. In 1998, Pennsylvania passed a law that would grant him a new trial. That finally satisfied the French government, which removed the last obstacle to extradition on July 12.

(voice-over): Einhorn's lawyers appealed to the European Court of Human Rights. But now, nearly a quarter century after Holly Maddux, was murdered, Einhorn is expected to face trial, this time in person.

Brian Palmer, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Although that situation is changing this morning, CNN's Jason Carroll is covering this story for us. He is in Philadelphia outside the D.A.'s office.

Good morning, Jason. What happens next?

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's really -- the ball is really in Ira Einhorn's court and his attorney. Basically, the district attorney is waiting to see what will happen here. What's going to happen is -- at least what some are theorizing what will happen -- is that he will file a petition for a retrial.

Now, he has the right to do that. The law is in his corner, at least in that respect. And the district attorney says that she will agree to that. But we're still waiting to hear if that in fact will happen. If he does not file for a retrial, the verdict from his former trial will stand -- Carol.

LIN: Jason, you know, what's so remarkable about this case is that it has been kept alive for 24 years, this murder case. What are you reading about it in the papers and hearing on the radio this morning?

CARROLL: You know, Carol, it's truly incredible.

I mean, this story has really kept the attention of this city for decades literally. We picked up the papers this morning -- this one, take a look if you will, Carol. This is the "Philadelphia Daily News," the people's paper.

It says: "After 20 Years, Einhorn is Back and the World's a Better Place." The article inside basically just describes what the city of Philadelphia was like then vs. now, some 20 years later. This next one, let me show you the "Philadelphia Enquirer." The headline here pretty obvious: "Einhorn's Run is Over." You can see here, this is a snapshot taken outside of his farmhouse in the South of France, when he was finally put into U.S. custody. This is the headline that I really like, Carol. This is the bottom fold here: "New Digs in a Less Idyllic Setting."

Einhorn has been transferred to Graterford prison. We spoke to a prison spokesperson this morning who told us that he has been fingerprinted. He has been photographed. And right now, he is under a suicide watch -- Carol.

LIN: All right, thank you very much, Jason Carroll, reporting live in Philadelphia following this case throughout the day.

We'll see what happens, whether there will in fact, Colleen, be a new trial.

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