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CNN Live Sunday
Last Night Kobe Bryant Goes On With Life
Aired August 03, 2003 - 18:41 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.
KELLI ARENA, CNN ANCHOR: Kobe Bryant appears in court in Colorado on Wednesday when the sexual assault charge against him will be read. A hotel clerk is accusing the Los Angeles Lakers star of assaulting her and he is denying that.
CNN's Gary Tuchman is covering the Kobe Bryant case and he joins us now from Eagle, Colorado -- Gary.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kelli, hello to you.
If there's anybody advising Kobe Bryant to stay out of the public eye he's not following that advice right now. Last night, he and his wife Vanessa showed up at something called the Teen Choice Awards in Universal City, California. They stopped on the red carpet for photographs, waved. Kobe Bryant held up a peace sign and then they went inside and he won the Teen Choice Male Athlete of the Year.
The show is being taped for future broadcast. Ironically, it's going to be on the air two hours after he arrives here in Eagle, Colorado for his initial appearance in court in the building right behind me. That will happen 6:00 Eastern Time on Wednesday, 4:00 Mountain Time.
That initial appearance in court will probably last no more than ten or 15 minutes, it could last longer because of all the publicity in this case, but normally what happens in a hearing like this is Kobe Bryant will be read the charges, will be read his rights, will be read the possible sentence and will be asked if he understands what he has just heard.
The substantive part of all this will happen in a second hearing because what is likely to happen here on Wednesday is Judge Frederick Gannett will then say we are going to set up a preliminary hearing. He has to do that within 30 days. At the preliminary hearing we are likely to hear for the first time in open court what the prosecution evidence against Kobe Bryant is.
What the prosecution has to do is convince the judge to let the legal wheels continue spinning. They do not have to give evidence beyond a reasonable doubt. They just need to give evidence that gives the judge probable cause to continue the legal case. That's a much lower threshold than beyond a reasonable doubt, which ultimately a jury will have to decide.
But that's likely what will happen here on Wednesday is the judge will hear what the prosecution has to say and then he will set up a preliminary hearing within a month in this very same courthouse. Kelli, back to you.
ARENA: Gary, what about security, how tight will it be?
TUCHMAN: Well we've seen elaborate security at other trials throughout the United States for situations that have gotten a lot of publicity but never before in Eagle, Colorado have they gone through what they're about to go through.
They have a lot of security here because Kobe Bryant will be showing up on Wednesday and they're anticipating having scores of members of the news media here, so they're working on that as we speak, getting the proper security together for the event on Wednesday.
ARENA: All right, Gary Tuchman thanks very much for the report.
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 August 3, 2003 - 18:41 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KELLI ARENA, CNN ANCHOR: Kobe Bryant appears in court in Colorado on Wednesday when the sexual assault charge against him will be read. A hotel clerk is accusing the Los Angeles Lakers star of assaulting her and he is denying that.
CNN's Gary Tuchman is covering the Kobe Bryant case and he joins us now from Eagle, Colorado -- Gary.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kelli, hello to you.
If there's anybody advising Kobe Bryant to stay out of the public eye he's not following that advice right now. Last night, he and his wife Vanessa showed up at something called the Teen Choice Awards in Universal City, California. They stopped on the red carpet for photographs, waved. Kobe Bryant held up a peace sign and then they went inside and he won the Teen Choice Male Athlete of the Year.
The show is being taped for future broadcast. Ironically, it's going to be on the air two hours after he arrives here in Eagle, Colorado for his initial appearance in court in the building right behind me. That will happen 6:00 Eastern Time on Wednesday, 4:00 Mountain Time.
That initial appearance in court will probably last no more than ten or 15 minutes, it could last longer because of all the publicity in this case, but normally what happens in a hearing like this is Kobe Bryant will be read the charges, will be read his rights, will be read the possible sentence and will be asked if he understands what he has just heard.
The substantive part of all this will happen in a second hearing because what is likely to happen here on Wednesday is Judge Frederick Gannett will then say we are going to set up a preliminary hearing. He has to do that within 30 days. At the preliminary hearing we are likely to hear for the first time in open court what the prosecution evidence against Kobe Bryant is.
What the prosecution has to do is convince the judge to let the legal wheels continue spinning. They do not have to give evidence beyond a reasonable doubt. They just need to give evidence that gives the judge probable cause to continue the legal case. That's a much lower threshold than beyond a reasonable doubt, which ultimately a jury will have to decide.
But that's likely what will happen here on Wednesday is the judge will hear what the prosecution has to say and then he will set up a preliminary hearing within a month in this very same courthouse. Kelli, back to you.
ARENA: Gary, what about security, how tight will it be?
TUCHMAN: Well we've seen elaborate security at other trials throughout the United States for situations that have gotten a lot of publicity but never before in Eagle, Colorado have they gone through what they're about to go through.
They have a lot of security here because Kobe Bryant will be showing up on Wednesday and they're anticipating having scores of members of the news media here, so they're working on that as we speak, getting the proper security together for the event on Wednesday.
ARENA: All right, Gary Tuchman thanks very much for the report.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
