Jim Brown with his wife, Monique   RELATED VIDEO The day after the incident, Brown and his wife described what happened Windows Media 28K 80K

August 24, 1999
Web posted at: 1:58 a.m. EDT (0558 GMT)

In this story: Wife phoned 911 in June Police: Many abuse victims recant Jurors questioned on Brown's celebrity status RELATED STORIES, SITES

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- Jury selection in the trial of former Cleveland Browns running back Jim Brown, charged with making "terrorist threats" against his wife, is expected to continue Tuesday.

Brown's trial is expected to last two to three weeks.

In her opening statement, Deputy City Attorney Grace Lee said Brown threatened to kill his wife by "snapping her neck."

The Los Angeles City Attorney's Office charged Brown, 63, with two misdemeanor counts: One count of making "terrorist threats" to his wife, Monique, and one count of vandalism. Brown pleaded not guilty to both counts.

Monique Brown, 25, appeared in court with her husband for the start of the proceedings. Both Jim Brown and his wife have denied that she was ever in danger.

Wife phoned 911 in June

The charges stem from a 911 call Monique Brown made on June 16 after an argument with her husband at their home in the Hollywood Hills section of Los Angeles.

Following their investigation, Los Angeles Police Department officers arrested Brown. He was originally charged with a felony and released on $50,000 bail. That charge was reduced to the two misdemeanor counts. If convicted, he could face 18 months in jail and a maximum fine of $2,000.

Monique Brown has said she overreacted when she called 911, but, according to Brown's attorney, the City of Los Angeles has a "must-arrest, must-prosecute" policy on domestic abuse.

Police: Many abuse victims recant

According to Los Angeles City Attorney spokesman Mike Qualls, three-fourths of abuse victims recant, but it is the city attorney's policy to prosecute if they have evidence that a crime was committed.

Brown's attorney William Graysen said the defense will be that Jim Brown did not make a terrorist threat or commit an act of vandalism. He said Monique Brown made certain statements when she called 911 that are not true. He said Monique Brown will take the stand and state why those statments are not true.

Whether her husband will testify has not been decided, he said.

Graysen said that although the former football player broke the windows of his wife's car, it was not illegal because he owns the car.

The California Penal Code states that acts considered vandalism are made against "real or person property not his or her own."

Jurors questioned on Brown's celebrity status

Under California law, it is considered a terrorist threat for any person to willfully threaten "to commit a crime which will result in death or great bodily injury to another person with the specific intent that the statement is to be taken as a threat even if there is no intent of actually carrying it out."

Graysen said the way the Los Angeles Police Department officers conducted themselves "will be an important element of the case." Brown has complained that 15 to 20 police cars and officers with shotguns showed up to arrest him. He said police overreacted because he is an African-American celebrity who works with ex-gang members and ex-convicts. The Browns contend that the police manipulated and led Monique Brown into saying certain things.

But Lee said in her opening statement that the police response was based on information that Brown was armed with a shovel, had threatened to kill his wife, had a history of violence, and lived in the hillside.

Lee said police typically call for backup when responding to hillside calls because the locations can be difficult to reach.

In a questionnaire, prospective jurors were asked to comment on Brown's celebrity status. Prospective jurors were asked what they thought about anyone who might appear on talk shows concerning the case. Brown and his wife appeared on CNN's "Larry King Live," where they discussed the episode with legal and domestic abuse experts and took calls from viewers.

The questionnaire also asked whether Brown's celebrity status would influence prospective jurors' verdict decisions and whether Brown should be treated differently because he is a celebrity.

The Hall of Famer led the National Football League in rushing eight times. He led the Cleveland Browns to the NFL championship in 1964 and retired from the game soon after to pursue careers in acting and community activism.

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