European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 28, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday March 28, 1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 3 i a it # a police say Lyle left and Erik Menendez killed their parents to receive a $14 million  charged in parents deaths plead innocent Beverly Hills Calif. Apr two Brothers pleaded innocent to the Shotgun slaying of their parents which police say was carried out to obtain a $14 million inheritance. Erik Menendez 19, and Lyle Menendez 22, stood solemnly As they entered their pleas before municipal court judge Judith o. Stein. The two could face the death penalty if convicted. The pair chatted quietly before the proceedings began occasionally smiling and turning to nod at relatives sitting in the packed courtroom. The two stood As Stein read the charges against them two counts each of murder with allegations of committing the killings for financial gain and lying in wait with a Shotgun. The sons Are accused of killing their father Hollywood film executive Jose Menendez 45, and their Mother former Beauty Queen Kitty Menendez 44, so they could inherit the couples Fortune. Stein set an april 9 Date for them to return to municipal court for pretrial motions and the setting of a preliminary hearing Date. At that Lime the judge will consider a prosecution motion to unseal paperwork containing the evidence prosecutors say justified a search of the office of family psychologist Jerome oziel. At Issue is whether tape recorded conversations Between the Brothers and oziel May be used As evidence in the Case. Such therapy sessions like conferences with doctors and lawyers Are generally not admissible in court but exceptions can be made in cases where threats Are made. Deputy District attorney Eliott Alhadeff said the privilege had been violated because threats were made during the conversations with oziel. Be also suggested some conversations took place outside a therapist patient relationship. A Lyle Menendez a attorney Gerald Chan said he believes none of the tapes is Adissi raw be tapes it Chaleff said he believes the e is highly circumstantial and one that can of proved Only if they Are assumed to be  he pc la a captors Sav the sons fired repeated Shotgun Cinn i a a r  As the couple watched Televik a ppr Longust in an upstairs Den in the family a Beverly Hills mansion. Tint so bloody and clues so few in la Hollywood believed the hard drive Thev Thoni Hac been Kihei by mothers. Sized   i fit have run afoul of Organ Mem a role As Bead of live entertain Pirn a Roo a Ueo company affiliated with Carol co a Assise 0f he a a rambo a m0viespofci ,xs.ra0nths 0f investigation panamanian Soldier deaths fewer than earlier reported by the los Angeles times Washington a the . Military command in Panama acknowledged monday that Only one sixth of the 314 panamanian soldiers reported killed in december a invasion have been confirmed dead a a disclosure indicating that Many More civilians than combatants died in the assault. The . Southern come said it now believed that the actual casualty figure for panamanian forces was about 50, meaning that the civilian toll exceeded it by a 4 to 1 margin. While acknowledging that its previous estimates a May have been too High a the Southern come denied that it deliberately inflated them. Nevertheless the disclosure prompted by a human rights group report that questioned . Estimates provides a picture of the . Operation that is much different from what had previously been portrayed. The . Estimate of 314 panamanian enemy dead was widely reported at the time of the invasion and was cited by military officials. They noted in comparison that Only 22 . Soldiers were killed in action. An additional 202 panamanian civilians were killed during the operation according to the Southern come. In reporting that Only 50 panamanian soldiers had been confirmed dead the Panama based Southern come said it now believes that its higher estimates based on Battlefield reports by individual units May have included  for example a Southern come spokesman said several . Soldiers involved in a fast and furious action apparently claimed individual kills for a fire fight in which Only one panamanian Soldier died. A a that a the kind of thing that can Lead to an inflated figure a said the spokesman Marj Boggs. She said Southern come officials were now a pretty confident that the number of panamanian military dead did not greatly exceed 50. The inflation of enemy casualty figures is not unusual in warfare. But the magnitude of the apparent . Exaggeration in Panama and the decision not to promptly Correct it would suggest an official unwillingness to confront evidence that Victory in Panama was neither As clean nor As Clear Cut As initially described. The indication that far More civilians than soldiers were killed in the operation comes in the Wake of new disclosures that military authorities Are investigating serious allegations of misconduct by 21 . Soldiers including actions that caused the non combat deaths of eight panamanians. . Officials in Panama have acknowledged privately for at least two months that the estimate of 314 enemy dead appeared to be too High. But until monday the Southern come had stuck steadfastly to that official claim. Its Retreat appeared to have been prompted by the report earlier this month from a group called physicians for human rights which also concluded that at least 302 panamanian civilians had been killed during the . Invasion a far More than the . Figure of 202. But the Southern come expressed some scepticism about that claim saying that it was a out of proportion to the findings of a joint .-panamanian investigation. That investigation was based on an actual body count making its conclusions about civilian casualties far More reliable than the Early . Estimates of 314 panamanian military dead. The estimates of military dead were never endorsed by the panamanian government. Parents of pan am victim join lawsuit Over Security surcharge new Brunswick . Apr a group including the parents of a pan am bombing victim sued the airline monday contending it collected a $5-per-ticket surcharge for Security on International flights but never spent the Money to protect passengers. Among those filing suit against pan american world airways were Peter and aphrodite Tsairis parents of Alexia Tsairis who died when pan am flight 103 exploded Over Lockerbie Scotland on dec. 21, 1988. The crash of the Boeing 747 killed 259 passengers and Crew and 11 people on the ground. Richard a. Grossman a lawyer handling the Case said the suit was intended to be a class action for customers who purchased pan am tickets from 1986 until 1989. A damages could amount to Over $100 million with More than a million passengers in line for refunds plus punitive damages a he said. A the truth is that these passengers paid for something they did not get. That something was effective  besides the Tsa irises of Franklin lakes those filing suit were t. Jennifer Vail of Wilmington del., and Alexia Tsairis estate. Named As defendants were pan am corp. Pan american world airways inc. Pan american world services inc. Alert management systems inc. C. Edward Acker a former president and chief executive officer of the corporation and Martin e. Shugrue jr., a former vice chair Man of the corporation and chief executive officer of pan am world airways Grossman said. Vail a pan am customer seeking reimbursement of the surcharges is a a representative of the group in effect a Grossman said. He said other targets of the suit Are former Board members and officers of the corporation. Their names were not available before the suit was filed he said. Elizabeth manners a pan am spokeswoman said the company has not seen the suit and had no immediate comment. Generally however she said pan am a position is that its flight Security is sufficient. A american carriers do have quite stringent requirements and we certainly do abide by them a she said. Grossman said pan am has acknowledged collecting $ 18 million in surcharges. He said the airlines own Security expert Isaac Yeffet told pan am officials almost two years before the flight 103 crash that the carriers Security was a almost totally ineffectual and that leveling a surcharge a could be regarded As  the lawsuit said pan am ignored Yeffeth Scall for sweeping changes in the airlines Security system yet continued to impose the $5 surcharge. Yeffet was previously head of Security at Al a1 Israel airlines the lawyer said. Cuba jams to Marti test transmission Washington apr a .-financed television operation began sending signals to Cuba Early tuesday but cuban officials blocked the transmission 38 minutes after it began a voice of America official said. The to test operation began at 1 30 . Est and was clearly visible on Channel 13 in the Havana area until the jamming began at 2 08, said the official who asked not to be identified by name. The communist nations officials have been preparing for the operation denouncing the Experiment As a violation of cuban sovereignty and saying they had the capability to Jam it. Official cuban statements have said retaliatory measures besides jamming would be taken but none was announced immediately the to a source said. The station is a to version of radio Marti which has provided news and entertainment to cuban listen ers since 1985. Radio Marti was not jammed tuesday morning. Cuban officials in addition to jamming Channel 13, also blocked the signals on several other channels the Voa source said. He said that at 3 45 ., to Marti switched from the test pattern to baseball highlights and musical programming and these signals were also jammed. The signal was sent from a transmitter placed aboard a balloon dangling 10,000 feet above cudjoe key off the South Florida coast. Technical problems have delayed testing for months. After the testing the administration is supposed to make a Legal and technical evaluation of the operation within three months according to the legislation. If the operation proves feasible on both counts formal programming can begin for a two year period. 1 he funds already have been appropriated