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American Morning
Interview with Bill Eddins
Aired November 15, 2002 - 09:40 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: We will turn our attention back to the case in Florida, the case of brothers Derek and Alex King. It has come to an end with a plea agreement. Fourteen-year-old Derek King was sentenced to eight years in prison, 13-year-old Alex to seven years in the murder of their father. The agreement was reached after the judge who heard the case threw out the jury's guilty verdict and told attorneys on both sides to mediate.
And joining us now from Pensacola, Florida to talk about the process that led to the agreement is the mediator who handled the case, Bill Eddins.
Welcome, Bill.
Was this the best resolution of the case as far as you're concerned from both sides perspective?
BILL EDDINS, MEDIATOR: Yes. Pardon me?
ZAHN: Unfortunately, I think you're getting a little bit of feedback. Can you hear me now, sir?
EDDINS: I can.
ZAHN: OK.
So you're satisfied with the resolution that was reached here?
EDDINS: Yes, I'm very satisfied with it. I felt that it was handled with great professionalism, and particularly by the trial judge at the entry of the plea.
ZAHN: I wanted to share with our audience who perhaps did not get to hear this yesterday. The judge reading a statement from the hearing yesterday. I guess it was something written by Derek King. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUDGE FRANK BELL, ESCAMBIA COUNTY FLA. CIRCUIT COURT: "On the night of my dad's death, Alex told me that Rick was going to come by and pick us up at midnight. Alex suggested that I kill dad. I murdered my dad with an aluminum baseball bat. I set the house on fire from my dad's bedroom. We went to the Easy-Serve on the corner of Muskogee Road and called Rick, who came right away and picked us up."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: So Mr. Eddins, how important to the prosecution was that clear admission of guilt made yesterday?
EDDINS: As I indicated yesterday in open court, that was essential. The prosecution would not reach any compromise unless the truth was told.
ZAHN: And what rule did that play in the negotiating process?
EDDINS: As I indicated yesterday in court, again, it was a crucial role in the negotiating process.
ZAHN: I want to also share with our audience the reaction of the boys' mother, Kelly Marino, to how her sons will be spending almost the next part of the decade. Here are her concerns.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KELLY MARINO, KING BROTHERS' MOTHER: They were told just like it was almost like a youth camp or something to go to with other kids. You know, and they were told this is prison; it's going to be for whatever amount of years. Well, what my children probably heard was you're going to get to be out of this cell here. You know, you're going to get to go out with other kids and play, and you will get out to run in the sunshine and all of this, and it's going to be fun. That's what they are looking forward to there. You know, because they've been in a cell. They were told that they plead to this, that, you know, they get to go have fun with other kids and everything else. They don't know the seriousness of this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: Mr. Eddins, clearly, Ms. Marino suggesting her sons did not fully understand what was about to happen to them. Yet, earlier this morning, I spoke with a member of the defense team who said is that is absolute nonsense. This a mother who never invested much interest in the boys from the very beginning. What do you think? Did these kids understand the fate was doled out yesterday?
EDDINS: I certainly believe that they did. And the reason that I do is the overall circumstances of the situation, the mediation process, the competent attorneys that had spent more time with these boys this last year than the mother had this last year. They were satisfied, too, as well in court. In fact, Dennis Corter specially indicated that he was very satisfied. In addition, the most important aspect of that was the trial judge addressed her concerns in great detail. I've been a lawyer 29 years, and that plea inquiry was as thorough as I have seen in any case. This was an experienced trial judge that was very professional, and made sure that this plea was a knowing, voluntary plea, and these children understood what they were doing. That is a nonissue. That is a nonissue.
ZAHN: Yes.
Earlier this morning, I spoke with the prosecutor in the case and asked if he felt justice had been served and he said it's complicated, as this case was, yes, in the end, this is probably the best deal you could cobbled together. Do you think justice has been served, particularly when you talk about the father of these young men?
EDDINS: I do. I agree with the prosecutor. Justice is a relative thing. And everybody in this case was very professional and worked very hard as an advocate for their client, whether it was a state or the children. This was a compromise. It was a very complicated case. You had so many factors to consider, the fact that they were children, the fact that a very bad crime had occurred. And I believe that, under the circumstances, this was a fair and just result.
ZAHN: Mr. Eddins, I know you had quite a challenge in this case, and we really appreciate joining us today to review some of what happened in the courtroom yesterday.
Thank you, again, for your time this morning.
EDDINS: Thank you very 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 November 15, 2002 - 09:40 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: We will turn our attention back to the case in Florida, the case of brothers Derek and Alex King. It has come to an end with a plea agreement. Fourteen-year-old Derek King was sentenced to eight years in prison, 13-year-old Alex to seven years in the murder of their father. The agreement was reached after the judge who heard the case threw out the jury's guilty verdict and told attorneys on both sides to mediate.
And joining us now from Pensacola, Florida to talk about the process that led to the agreement is the mediator who handled the case, Bill Eddins.
Welcome, Bill.
Was this the best resolution of the case as far as you're concerned from both sides perspective?
BILL EDDINS, MEDIATOR: Yes. Pardon me?
ZAHN: Unfortunately, I think you're getting a little bit of feedback. Can you hear me now, sir?
EDDINS: I can.
ZAHN: OK.
So you're satisfied with the resolution that was reached here?
EDDINS: Yes, I'm very satisfied with it. I felt that it was handled with great professionalism, and particularly by the trial judge at the entry of the plea.
ZAHN: I wanted to share with our audience who perhaps did not get to hear this yesterday. The judge reading a statement from the hearing yesterday. I guess it was something written by Derek King. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUDGE FRANK BELL, ESCAMBIA COUNTY FLA. CIRCUIT COURT: "On the night of my dad's death, Alex told me that Rick was going to come by and pick us up at midnight. Alex suggested that I kill dad. I murdered my dad with an aluminum baseball bat. I set the house on fire from my dad's bedroom. We went to the Easy-Serve on the corner of Muskogee Road and called Rick, who came right away and picked us up."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: So Mr. Eddins, how important to the prosecution was that clear admission of guilt made yesterday?
EDDINS: As I indicated yesterday in open court, that was essential. The prosecution would not reach any compromise unless the truth was told.
ZAHN: And what rule did that play in the negotiating process?
EDDINS: As I indicated yesterday in court, again, it was a crucial role in the negotiating process.
ZAHN: I want to also share with our audience the reaction of the boys' mother, Kelly Marino, to how her sons will be spending almost the next part of the decade. Here are her concerns.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KELLY MARINO, KING BROTHERS' MOTHER: They were told just like it was almost like a youth camp or something to go to with other kids. You know, and they were told this is prison; it's going to be for whatever amount of years. Well, what my children probably heard was you're going to get to be out of this cell here. You know, you're going to get to go out with other kids and play, and you will get out to run in the sunshine and all of this, and it's going to be fun. That's what they are looking forward to there. You know, because they've been in a cell. They were told that they plead to this, that, you know, they get to go have fun with other kids and everything else. They don't know the seriousness of this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: Mr. Eddins, clearly, Ms. Marino suggesting her sons did not fully understand what was about to happen to them. Yet, earlier this morning, I spoke with a member of the defense team who said is that is absolute nonsense. This a mother who never invested much interest in the boys from the very beginning. What do you think? Did these kids understand the fate was doled out yesterday?
EDDINS: I certainly believe that they did. And the reason that I do is the overall circumstances of the situation, the mediation process, the competent attorneys that had spent more time with these boys this last year than the mother had this last year. They were satisfied, too, as well in court. In fact, Dennis Corter specially indicated that he was very satisfied. In addition, the most important aspect of that was the trial judge addressed her concerns in great detail. I've been a lawyer 29 years, and that plea inquiry was as thorough as I have seen in any case. This was an experienced trial judge that was very professional, and made sure that this plea was a knowing, voluntary plea, and these children understood what they were doing. That is a nonissue. That is a nonissue.
ZAHN: Yes.
Earlier this morning, I spoke with the prosecutor in the case and asked if he felt justice had been served and he said it's complicated, as this case was, yes, in the end, this is probably the best deal you could cobbled together. Do you think justice has been served, particularly when you talk about the father of these young men?
EDDINS: I do. I agree with the prosecutor. Justice is a relative thing. And everybody in this case was very professional and worked very hard as an advocate for their client, whether it was a state or the children. This was a compromise. It was a very complicated case. You had so many factors to consider, the fact that they were children, the fact that a very bad crime had occurred. And I believe that, under the circumstances, this was a fair and just result.
ZAHN: Mr. Eddins, I know you had quite a challenge in this case, and we really appreciate joining us today to review some of what happened in the courtroom yesterday.
Thank you, again, for your time this morning.
EDDINS: Thank you very 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
