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Date Set for Muhammad's Trial

Aired December 12, 2002 - 14:18   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.


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Meanwhile, a Virginia judge has set next October 14 for the murder trial of D.C. sniper suspect John Allen Muhammad. He and 17-year-old John Lee Malvo are accused in the killings of ten people in the Washington, D.C. area. The judge also rejected a media request to televise the high profile trial.
CNN's Jeanne Meserve standing by live from Manassas, Virginia, with the latest from there -- Jeanne.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, on October 14 of this year, Linda Franklin, an FBI analyst, was gunned down in the parking lot of a Home Depot. Washington as smack in the middle of the sniper shootings.

Next October 14, John Allen Muhammad, one of the two men charged in those shootings, will be in trial. That date was set today. Muhammad was in the courtroom in an orange jumpsuit, leg irons on.

He said little throughout the proceedings, except when asked about the trial date.

There was a still camera there today recording his every expression, but there was not a video camera, and there will be no video cameras in the trial. The judge in this case, Judge LeRoy Millette Jr., said today that he was worried about the impact televising the proceedings would have on jurors and witnesses and the lawyers and on justice in this case, and also in other jurisdictions, where charges also are pending against Mr. Muhammad.

Now, the media had argued in this case that the media is a surrogate for the public, and the public has an unprecedented need to see justice play out in this particular case, because of the wide impact the sniper shootings had on the Washington area.

The defense and the prosecuting attorney, however, were on the same side in this argument, arguing against the cameras. Defense attorney Peter Greenspun saying that he feared that his client's right to a fair trial might be compromised.

The judge agreed with them, saying that the need for a fair trial was, indeed, paramount.

So, no cameras, the trial to begin October 14 -- Kyra, back to you.

PHILLIPS: Jeanne, I hope you can still hear me. Let me know if you can't, just give me a signal there. I don't know if that's a helicopter sort of distracting us. Do you expect an appeal on today's ruling on the cameras?

Yes, it looks we're having a hard time. Is it landing?

MESERVE: It is almost past us.

PHILLIPS: Yes, it's coming to pick you up.

MESERVE: Try it again.

PHILLIPS: All right, here we go. Let's talk about if we expect an appeal on today's ruling on cameras, Jeanne.

MESERVE: The lawyers for the media indicated that they are exploring what some of their options might be in this case. However, under Virginia law, the decision on whether or not to have a camera in the courtroom is made at the discretion of the judge. And so some lawyers tell me that the chances of an appeal in this case are, in fact, quite slim -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: How long do you think Muhammad's trial could run, Jeanne?

MESERVE: Pretty long. They were talking about it today. They said instead of working three or four days a week, this court will be in session five days a week, and they have blocked out eight weeks on the calendar for this trial. It might not take that long, but they figure at this point it is better to block out too much time, rather than too little -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Our Jeanne Meserve. I want to know how you got that chopper to come pick you up and take you to work. You let me know how you swung that, all right? Jeanne Meserve...

MESERVE: OK. Will do.

PHILLIPS: ... thank you. Thanks so much.

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 December 12, 2002 - 14:18   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Meanwhile, a Virginia judge has set next October 14 for the murder trial of D.C. sniper suspect John Allen Muhammad. He and 17-year-old John Lee Malvo are accused in the killings of ten people in the Washington, D.C. area. The judge also rejected a media request to televise the high profile trial.
CNN's Jeanne Meserve standing by live from Manassas, Virginia, with the latest from there -- Jeanne.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, on October 14 of this year, Linda Franklin, an FBI analyst, was gunned down in the parking lot of a Home Depot. Washington as smack in the middle of the sniper shootings.

Next October 14, John Allen Muhammad, one of the two men charged in those shootings, will be in trial. That date was set today. Muhammad was in the courtroom in an orange jumpsuit, leg irons on.

He said little throughout the proceedings, except when asked about the trial date.

There was a still camera there today recording his every expression, but there was not a video camera, and there will be no video cameras in the trial. The judge in this case, Judge LeRoy Millette Jr., said today that he was worried about the impact televising the proceedings would have on jurors and witnesses and the lawyers and on justice in this case, and also in other jurisdictions, where charges also are pending against Mr. Muhammad.

Now, the media had argued in this case that the media is a surrogate for the public, and the public has an unprecedented need to see justice play out in this particular case, because of the wide impact the sniper shootings had on the Washington area.

The defense and the prosecuting attorney, however, were on the same side in this argument, arguing against the cameras. Defense attorney Peter Greenspun saying that he feared that his client's right to a fair trial might be compromised.

The judge agreed with them, saying that the need for a fair trial was, indeed, paramount.

So, no cameras, the trial to begin October 14 -- Kyra, back to you.

PHILLIPS: Jeanne, I hope you can still hear me. Let me know if you can't, just give me a signal there. I don't know if that's a helicopter sort of distracting us. Do you expect an appeal on today's ruling on the cameras?

Yes, it looks we're having a hard time. Is it landing?

MESERVE: It is almost past us.

PHILLIPS: Yes, it's coming to pick you up.

MESERVE: Try it again.

PHILLIPS: All right, here we go. Let's talk about if we expect an appeal on today's ruling on cameras, Jeanne.

MESERVE: The lawyers for the media indicated that they are exploring what some of their options might be in this case. However, under Virginia law, the decision on whether or not to have a camera in the courtroom is made at the discretion of the judge. And so some lawyers tell me that the chances of an appeal in this case are, in fact, quite slim -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: How long do you think Muhammad's trial could run, Jeanne?

MESERVE: Pretty long. They were talking about it today. They said instead of working three or four days a week, this court will be in session five days a week, and they have blocked out eight weeks on the calendar for this trial. It might not take that long, but they figure at this point it is better to block out too much time, rather than too little -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Our Jeanne Meserve. I want to know how you got that chopper to come pick you up and take you to work. You let me know how you swung that, all right? Jeanne Meserve...

MESERVE: OK. Will do.

PHILLIPS: ... thank you. Thanks so much.

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