Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Sniper Trial Expected to Resume in Hour in Virginia
Aired November 05, 2003 - 08:12 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.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The sniper trial is expected to resume in an hour in Virginia. A long list of witnesses scheduled to testify today against defendant John Allen Muhammad as prosecutors continue to lay out their case.
CNN's Jeanne Meserve is live for us from Virginia Beach -- Jeanne, good morning.
What do you expect that we're going to expect today?
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Soledad, if you're a fan of one of those forensic crime shows, this is the day for you. They are going to be introducing witnesses to talk about trace evidence, about DNA, about fingerprints, about ballistics, about electronics analysis. There is a lot of that kind of evidence in this case and it is extraordinarily important because the case against John Muhammad is a circumstantial one -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Well, will jurors have an opportunity to take a look at the Chevy Caprice or will that be off limits to them?
MESERVE: We have heard from several sources that the Caprice has been moved down here to the Virginia Beach area. It certainly would be an option for the jury to go and look at it. Prosecutors haven't said yet whether they're going to do that. It could be an extraordinarily powerful piece of evidence. As you know, investigators have testified that the back seat would fold up. Someone could crawl into the trunk. They say in the trunk there was a sniper platform and hole through which a rifle could be fired.
O'BRIEN: Jeanne, now that the trial has moved in this forensics direction, it seems certain to slow things down a lot. How long do they expect this trial to go?
MESERVE: Well, the prosecution says it will wrap up its case on Monday. Tuesday is a day off because of a holiday. And then the defense, remarkably enough, says it will only take two or three days for it to put on its case. After that, there's a rebuttal. There are closing arguments. The jury will deliberate, decide, then potentially there's a whole different phase of the trial if he's found guilty, which would determine his punishment.
But another factor here is the trial of Lee Boyd Malvo. He, of course, is the other individual charged in these crimes. His trial is slated to begin next Monday in nearby Chesapeake.
O'BRIEN: So you think several weeks at the minimum? MESERVE: At least.
O'BRIEN: All right, Jeanne Meserve, thanks 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 5, 2003 - 08:12 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The sniper trial is expected to resume in an hour in Virginia. A long list of witnesses scheduled to testify today against defendant John Allen Muhammad as prosecutors continue to lay out their case.
CNN's Jeanne Meserve is live for us from Virginia Beach -- Jeanne, good morning.
What do you expect that we're going to expect today?
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Soledad, if you're a fan of one of those forensic crime shows, this is the day for you. They are going to be introducing witnesses to talk about trace evidence, about DNA, about fingerprints, about ballistics, about electronics analysis. There is a lot of that kind of evidence in this case and it is extraordinarily important because the case against John Muhammad is a circumstantial one -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Well, will jurors have an opportunity to take a look at the Chevy Caprice or will that be off limits to them?
MESERVE: We have heard from several sources that the Caprice has been moved down here to the Virginia Beach area. It certainly would be an option for the jury to go and look at it. Prosecutors haven't said yet whether they're going to do that. It could be an extraordinarily powerful piece of evidence. As you know, investigators have testified that the back seat would fold up. Someone could crawl into the trunk. They say in the trunk there was a sniper platform and hole through which a rifle could be fired.
O'BRIEN: Jeanne, now that the trial has moved in this forensics direction, it seems certain to slow things down a lot. How long do they expect this trial to go?
MESERVE: Well, the prosecution says it will wrap up its case on Monday. Tuesday is a day off because of a holiday. And then the defense, remarkably enough, says it will only take two or three days for it to put on its case. After that, there's a rebuttal. There are closing arguments. The jury will deliberate, decide, then potentially there's a whole different phase of the trial if he's found guilty, which would determine his punishment.
But another factor here is the trial of Lee Boyd Malvo. He, of course, is the other individual charged in these crimes. His trial is slated to begin next Monday in nearby Chesapeake.
O'BRIEN: So you think several weeks at the minimum? MESERVE: At least.
O'BRIEN: All right, Jeanne Meserve, thanks 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
