News Briefs
April 17, 1996
Web posted at: 1 a.m. EDTCowlings takes the Fifth in Simpson civil case
LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- O.J. Simpson's longtime friend Al Cowlings invoked his Fifth Amendment privileges and refused to testify several times during his deposition for the Simpson civil case Tuesday.
Cowlings' attorney Donald Re told reporters his client took the Fifth because the statute of limitations had not run out on possible charges against Cowlings for his role in Simpson's televised freeway chase.
Cowlings was in the Bronco with Simpson during the famous slow-speed chase, five days after the murders of Simpson's ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman.
Cowlings took the Fifth on all questions that referred to the time period between when Simpson returned from Chicago and his arrest on June 17, 1994.
Cowlings' deposition resumes Wednesday.
Jury seated in Polly Klaas murder trial
SANTA ROSA, California (CNN) -- A jury of six women and six men was seated in the Polly Klaas murder trial Tuesday.
Richard Allen Davis, the man accused of killing 12-year-old Klaas in 1993, is a parolee with a record of violence.
Allen, 41, is accused of kidnapping Klaas from a slumber party at her northern California home and strangling her.
The case focused attention on child abductions, and the defendant's lengthy criminal history helped fuel get-tough crime initiatives, including California's "three strikes" law mandating life imprisonment for repeat felons.
McVeigh's lawyers seek death penalty shield
DENVER (CNN) -- Defense attorneys for Oklahoma City bombing suspect Timothy McVeigh asked the judge Monday to allow the jury a choice of guilty verdicts that would spare McVeigh the death penalty if he is found guilty.
Although the trial will not start until later this year, the judge said he will rule on the issue well in advance of the trial date.
McVeigh and Terry Nichols are charged with terrorism, murder and conspiracy in the bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building one year ago this Friday in which 168 persons died.
The law allows jurors to recommend the death penalty if people die in a terrorist bombing. The law does not mention any need to prove a specific intent to kill.
McVeigh's lawyers said prosecutors in their indictment cited an intent to kill people, and they should have to prove that.
- McVeigh's attorney claims international terrorists behind Oklahoma bombing - April 9, 1996
- Motorcade takes McVeigh, Nichols to first hearing - April 9, 1996
GOP governor urges Republicans to soften anti-abortion stance
ALBANY, New York (CNN) -- New York Gov. George Pataki wants to remove or soften the anti-abortion language in the Republican Party presidential platform, setting the stage for a possible showdown.
Pataki said it's important for Republicans to be a party with wide appeal as the November elections approach.
"When (voters) take another look at the Republican Party, I want them to see an open, inclusive party. And in the aftermath of some of the primary rhetoric . . . we have an obligation to speak out," Pataki said.
His stance puts him at odds with the party's far right wing, led by Pat Buchanan, the presidential contender who has made the rights of the unborn a rallying cry.
Tornadoes hit North Carolina, but no serious injuries
ZEBULON, North Carolina (CNN) -- Tornadoes ripped through eastern North Carolina, tearing up houses and buildings in 10 counties Monday. No serious injuries were reported.
The town of Zebulon, about 20 miles east of Raleigh, was the worst hit. The storm sent at least 20 people to the hospital, destroyed a school building and damaged several homes and businesses. At least 3,200 residents in Zebulon were without power and water.
The same storm system on Sunday spawned a tornado that killed seven people in Arkansas' Ozark Mountains during the first big tourist weekend of spring.
- Arkansas tornado kills seven - April 15, 1996
NRA helps pay legal bills for 'subway vigilante'
NEW YORK (CNN) -- The National Rifle Association donated $20,000 for the defense of New York subway gunman Bernard Goetz, who faces a $50 million civil lawsuit by one of the teens he shot 12 years ago, The New York Times reported Tuesday.
The NRA contribution came from the Firearms Civil Rights Legal Defense Fund, which pays thousands of dollars each year to defendants who have used handguns in self-defense.
Goetz is being sued by Darrell Cabey, who was left paralyzed when Goetz shot him and three other black teens after they demanded $5 from him on the subway. Goetz maintained the shooting was in self-defense, alleging the teens were trying to mug him. Cabey says Goetz, who is white, is a racist who overreacted.
- 'Subway Vigilante' back in court a decade later - April 8, 1996
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