OUSTED JUROR, DARDEN BLAST LETTER.Byline: Ray Richmond Ray Richmond (born October 19, 1957) is a globally syndicated critic and entertainment/media columnist. A longtime fixture on the Los Angeles journalism scene, he is best known for his years with The Hollywood Reporter. Daily News Television Writer A juror juror n. any person who actually serves on a jury. Lists of potential jurors are chosen from various sources such as registered voters, automobile registration or telephone directories. dismissed from the O.J. Simpson trial contends that a letter about her to the judge was a fake, and prosecutor Christopher Darden Christopher Allen Darden (born April 7, 1956) is an American lawyer and fifteen-year veteran of the LA County District Attorney's office. He was, along with Marcia Clark, a prosecuting attorney in the murder trial of O.J. Simpson. said Friday it ``smacks of obstruction of justice A criminal offense that involves interference, through words or actions, with the proper operations of a court or officers of the court. The integrity of the judicial system depends on the participants' acting honestly and without fear of reprisals. .'' Francine Florio-Bunten of San Gabriel San Gabriel (săn gā`brēəl), city (1990 pop. 37,120), Los Angeles co., SW Calif.; inc. 1913. Fabric, furniture, paper products, tools, and aircraft parts are manufactured. was dismissed from the Simpson jury, but not because of allegations in the letter that she negotiated a pro-prosecution book deal while she was on the jury. Judge Lance Ito ejected her for lying to him about a note passed to her from another juror, according to court records. But Florio-Bunten's attorney, Rex Reeves, suggests in a ``60 Minutes'' report that will air Sunday: ``This is probably the jury tampering jury tampering n. the crime of attempting to influence a jury through any means other than presenting evidence and argument in court, including conversations about the case outside the court, offering bribes, making threats, or asking acquaintances to intercede with of the century.'' Darden told WTTG-TV, the Fox station in Washington, D.C., on Friday that he and co-prosecutor Marcia Clark objected when Ito first revealed he had received the letter, believing it was ``a fabrication fabrication (fab´rikā´sh  n),n the construction or making of a restoration. and a plant.'' Asked if he believed the letter amounted to tampering, Darden drew a legal distinction. ``From a lawyer's perspective, it smacks of obstruction of justice,'' Darden said. The letter writer claimed to be a 20-year-old receptionist for a literary agent. The letter claimed the unidentified agent had negotiated with Florio-Bunten's husband for a pro-prosecution book that the juror would write, tentatively titled ``Standing Alone: A Verdict for Nicole.'' The letter writer claimed to come from a family who had lived in Germany during World War II. ``60 Minutes'' said it scoured 58 literary agencies in Los Angeles and could find no receptionist who fit that description, and none of the agencies said they had any contact with Florio-Bunten or her husband. Neither Florio-Bunten nor her attorney could be reached for comment Friday. A spokeswoman for the District Attorney's Office said allegations of jury tampering are rare. In cases where tampering is alleged, information forwarded to the office may be reviewed before there is a decision whether to launch a criminal investigation. In his new book ``In Contempt,'' Darden says that he believed the letter was a fake at the time, but he doesn't accuse anyone of planting it. |
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