European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 03, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes . Thursday novembers 1994 Man caused flood to keep wife away friends fell court Kirksville my. Apr a Man accused of releasing floodwaters that destroyed houses crops and businesses wanted to keep his estranged wife away from Home so he could have party his friends testified. James r. Scott of Fowler 111., is accused of causing a catastrophe by removing sandbags from the Mississippi River levee at West Quincy  convicted he could be sentenced to 10 years to life in prison. X. Seven witnesses testified tuesday that Scott 24, said he wanted to break the levee. Other said the levee appeared in Good shape up until the rupture july 16 1993, during the devastating midwestern floods. He told me he was going to break it while his wife was Over there in Missouri so he could have a party at his House testified Scott s Friend Eric Epping -./. He said come on let s go break the levee " said another Friend William Flott. Scott has admitted breaching the levee but his lawyers say the confession was obtained after along shift at work and Many hours of questioning. He already is. Serving a a year sentence  a vehicle. On tuesday the second Day of Scott s trial jurors saw a chilling videotape shot from a helicopter that showed the flood from its opening moments. -.,As the cameraman told How a trickle of water built within minutes to a full fledged flood jurors watched Muddy water cover Green Fields an quickly Rise to Treetop level. The water inundated 14,000 acres of Farmland ripped through a mile Long business strip an toppled fuel storage tanks which in turn started a tire atop the roiling Waters. V several involved in killings Simpson jury prospects told los an Jeles a several people were involved in the slayings of . Simpson s sex wife and her Friend but Simpson does t have to prove during his trial who they Are a defense attorney told jury prospects wednesday. Both sides were Given about an hour to question 41 prospective panellists one last time be fore beginning to decide who should be jurors. Are any of you going to require or. Simpson and his lawyers to solve these killings and identify the real killers attorney Johnnie Cochran or. Asked. An swering his own question he said you understand  v later he said two or three or four people whoever were involved in this particular  defense attorney Robert Shapiro questioned prospects individually about various issues including their understanding of the Burden of proof. The prosecution s hour of questioning was to follow the defense. Then attorneys Start the crucial task of picking which of the prospects should be on the jury. Earlier attorneys and the judge completed one on one questioning or the first panel of prospective jurors. The last person questioned a 27-year-old Black woman was excused by Superior court judge Lance Ito be cause he said she had formed opinions that would be detrimental to her service on the jury. She was the last person dismissed for Legal cause a specific reason such As violating the judge s order to avoid All , attorneys need give no reason in dismissing prospects As they exercise peremptory challenges. Each Side has 20 such challenges for the entire jury selection and the current Pool of 42 people the 41 quizzed wednesday plus one who called in sick May not be big enough to select a panel of 12 jurors plus alternates. More prospective jurors Likely will have to be questioned from a second Pool. Ito said wednesday that the second round would begin next tuesday. He also said that he wants 15 alternates rather than the eight originally planned and that jury selection could take All of this month. Peremptory challenges give prosecutors a Chance to dismiss panellists who May be biased in favor of Simp son an attractive charismatic Man who remains sports legend. The defense Hopes to remove prospects Likely to accept the authorities version of events. Some lawyers believe that the most important phase of any trial is selecting a jury said Law professor Peter Arenella of the University of California los Angeles. A Case can be won or lost at this  Simpson is accused of murdering his sex wife Nic Lebrown Simpson and her Friend Ronald Goldman. Opening arguments Aren t expected until late this month or Early december. . Supreme court decisions forbid using peremptory challenges to dismiss jurors solely because of race or gender. Defense attorneys have complained that prosecutors Are trying to keep Blacks off the jury. Twenty six people in the current group about 60 percent Are Black like Simpson. This is unusual be cause prospective jurors were culled from a county that is nearly 50 percent hispanic and Only about 10 percent Black. Polls have shown that Blacks Are More Likely than Whites to believe Simpson is innocent and May have been framed. Several Black jury prospects in the Simp son Case spoke of being harassed by police. I d be dancing in the streets if i were the defense said de Butler a sociologist and jury consultant who helped write the Book race and the jury. But other analysts said a Black majority jury Pool might make it More difficult for the defense to object to prosecutors dismissal of Black jurors. Some analysts also believe that gender May be Asim portent As race. Most of the prospective jurors Are women who May be More susceptible to evidence that Simpson abused his sex wife. Yet some female prospects who have firsthand knowledge of abuse seem to have a favourable impression of Simpson. One Black woman who said on her questionnaire that she had experienced Domestic violence described Simpson As a Mika ble person and a great  she said her opinion would t change even if he were convicted of murder. Out and save Sale showrooms will be open. 10 a. Iff. 6 p. If . 5p.m. Restored and layaway & be reduced. Unrest red furniture plans All items it to Willvr tedi Ramsteiner s t r a q e 4 5 6 6 8 8 2 Spiesbach Telephone 06371-63824