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American Morning

Jury Starts First Full Day of Deliberations in Trial of Man Accused of Ordering Murder of Sheriff-Elect

Aired July 09, 2002 - 08:33   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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: It is a case that still chills the spines of a lot of Georgians, a sheriff-elect gunned down in front of his family just before Christmas of the year 2000. Today, a jury starts its first full day of deliberations in the trial of the man accused of ordering the murder, former Dekalb County Sheriff Sydney Dorsey.

CNN's David Mattingly has the very latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was a shocking crime, December 15th, 2000. Derwin Brown, the just elected sheriff from Atlanta's Dekalb County shot 12 times in his driveway, murdered just three days before he would have taken office.

Now on trial, the man Brown defeated, the former incumbent Sheriff Sydney Dorsey, accused of masterminding the hit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This case is about power,and one man's total consumption with power and what he will do to keep power at all costs.

MATTINGLY: Prosecutors claim Dorsey killed his rival to keep control of a corrupt and profitable position. In 10 days of testimony, 57 witnesses for the prosecution gave details of how Dorsey used the power of his office for bribery, theft and murder.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dorsey wants us to kill Derwin Brown.

MATTINGLY: One key witness, one of Dorsey's former deputies, testified under immunity that Dorsey ordered him to arrange Brown's assassination.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No evidence that Sydney Dorsey is involved, and that telling a murderer, we know you're involved, but you'll walk out of here if you state the name Sydney Dorsey.

MATTINGLY: In a previous trial, the deputies' testimony failed to convict two alleged co-conspirators in the case. The prosecution hopes to bolster its case this time with state racketeering charges, evidence that Dorsey demanded sex and accepted bribes from a female bonding agent, ordered deputies to work for his private security firm at taxpayers' expense, and used his personnel to conduct family errands and shuttle his children to school.

(on camera): And now a year and a half since he won election, promising to clean up corruption, a jury will decide if Derwin Brown was indeed murdered by his rival. The former Sheriff Dorsey maintaining his innocence. In closing arguments, his defense attorney comparing the prosecution's case to a witch trial.

David Mattingly, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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