JURY INDICTS COSBY SUSPECT.Byline: David Bloom David Bloom (May 22, 1963 – April 6, 2003) was an NBC journalist (co-anchor of Weekend Today and reporter) until his sudden death in 2003 at the age of 39. Early life Daily News Staff WriterSparing prosecutors from having to disclose key evidence to the public and the defense, a Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County grand jury indicted INDICTED, practice. When a man is accused by a bill of indictment preferred by a grand jury, he is said to be indicted. Mikail Markhasev Friday in the Jan. 16 roadside slaying of Ennis Cosby Ennis William Cosby (April 15, 1969 – January 16, 1997) was the son of actor Bill Cosby and Camille Hanks. He had four sisters. Life Ennis's father Bill Cosby mined family life for much of his material, but kept the family itself quite private. . The indictment, and the secretive grand jury testimony that supports it, was ordered sealed by a judge until a May 1 arraignment A criminal proceeding at which the defendant is officially called before a court of competent jurisdiction, informed of the offense charged in the complaint, information, indictment, or other charging document, and asked to enter a plea of guilty, not guilty, or as otherwise permitted . Markhasev, 18, who has been held without bail since March 12, was in court as Superior Court Judge John Reid John Reid may refer to:
The Valley Village teen-ager was previously charged with murder with special circumstances special circumstances n. in criminal cases, particularly homicides, actions of the accused or the situation under which the crime was committed for which state statutes allow or require imposition of a more severe punishment. of attempted robbery and use of a firearm during a crime in the slaying. Prosecutors declined comment Friday on the murder case or their strategy. Markhasev's lawyer, Charles Lindner, said prosecutors have been slow to turn over evidence - such as police reports and news that an eyewitness failed to pick Markhasev out of a lineup. ``The prosecution has known that their witness did not identify Mr. Markhasev at the lineup since the date of his arrest on March 12,'' Lindner said. ``This is now April 11. Mr. Markhasev has been in custody 30 days. ``His lawyers have been denied any police reports, any discovery whatsoever by the people,'' Lindner said outside court. Securing an indictment avoids the need for a preliminary hearing, during which witnesses are questioned under oath in an open courtroom and prosecutors detail their evidence. Defense lawyers do not appear before the grand jury, though by law, prosecutors are supposed to inform them of any exculpatory evidence that might absolve ab·solve tr.v. ab·solved, ab·solv·ing, ab·solves 1. To pronounce clear of guilt or blame. 2. To relieve of a requirement or obligation. 3. a. To grant a remission of sin to. a defendant. Legal experts said the District Attorney's Office's decision to pursue an indictment in its latest high-profile case may well have roots in the failed O.J. Simpson double-murder case. ``Defense attorneys love the preliminary hearing because they see it as a terrific opportunity to learn more about the prosecution's case,'' said Laurie Levenson, associate dean of the Loyola Marymount Law School. ``If you have a preliminary hearing, you hang your witnesses up there for cross-examination before you're even through collecting evidence,'' Levenson said. ``(Prosecutors) would rather not have their evidence tested until they're in the trial.'' An indictment puts the ball squarely in the prosecution's court. ``Because witnesses are not subject to cross-examination (from defense attorneys), it's their little baby,'' said defense attorney Harland Braun. ``It also cuts down on the publicity a lot because it's a secret, so you avoid some of the circus atmosphere. It's good for control.'' In the Simpson case, defense attorneys explored areas where witnesses were ill-prepared to testify, locked them into damning statements and actually made it impossible to use some witnesses at the trial later. Markhasev is accused of gunning down the son of entertainer Bill Cosby as the younger Cosby was changing his car's flat tire on a dark street after pulling off the San Diego Freeway The San Diego Freeway (Interstate 405, and the part of Interstate 5 south of the El Toro Y[1]) is one of the principal north-south highways in Southern California, and the major beltway of I-5 running through Southern California. . In the glare of the national spotlight, police and prosecutors have been tight-lipped tight·lipped also tight-lipped adj. 1. Having the lips pressed together. 2. Loath to speak; close-mouthed. See Synonyms at silent. about the case, revealing little about their evidence or their strategy. Markhasev was arrested on an informant's tip March 12, and police said they have collected the handgun believed used in the crime, as well as the beanie bean·ie n. A small brimless cap. [Probably from bean, head.] beanie Noun Brit, Austral & NZ close-fitting woollen hat Noun a witness claims the suspect wore that night. The case was back in the news this week with disclosures that the prosecution's sole eyewitness, a 47-year-old woman friend of Ennis Cosby's whom he had called to help him fix the flat, couldn't pick Markhasev out of a lineup. The woman drove off when the gunman knocked on her car window and told her to get out. When she returned, she found Cosby dead, shot once in the head beside his car. She later helped police make a composite sketch of the killer. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Mikail Markhasev May 1 arraignment set |
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