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Jury seated in Lewis' murder trial
Posted: Tuesday May 23, 2000 01:44 AM
ATLANTA (AP) -- A false statement given to police by Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis is admissible as evidence in his murder trial, a Superior Court judge ruled Monday. Defense attorneys argued that two Atlanta police officers coerced the statement by threatening to destroy Lewis' pro football career if he didn't cooperate. But Superior Court Judge Alice D. Bonner ruled the statement was 'freely and voluntarily given' and allowed it to be admitted as evidence. Lewis, a three-time National Football League All-Pro, and two co-defendants, Reginald Oakley and Joseph Sweeting, are charged in the Jan. 31 stabbing deaths of Jacinth "Shorty" Baker, 21, and Richard Lollar, 24, during a brawl following a post-Super Bowl party. Opening statements start Tuesday, and the trial is expected to last several weeks. A jury of 10 blacks and two whites was chosen Monday. It is composed of nine black women, one black man, one white man and one white woman. The five alternate jurors are three black women, one white woman and one white man. Defense attorneys said they were pleased with the jury. They said they managed to get rid of the potential jurors most dangerous to the defense. After jury selection, the most significant issue remaining Monday was whether to admit Lewis' statement to police. Lewis, who was staying at a friend's house in Norcross on the morning after the killing, refused to go to the police station and give a statement based on the advice of a lawyer. Instead, he agreed to give a written statement to Atlanta police Lt. Michael Smith. In that statement, Lewis named only two people in the Lincoln Navigator limousine that was seen speeding away from the scene. He did not name either Sweeting or Oakley. "I was leaving ... Cobalt nightclub," Lewis' statement said. "And on my way to my limousine ... a fight broke out way up past my limousine. We saw it, I grabbed my people, we hopped in my truck, we left. While we're driving off, we heard gun shots. We left the scene, and that is basically it." Smith testified Monday that he told Lewis that if he didn't cooperate as a witness it could embarrass him, the Baltimore Ravens and the NFL. Lewis' lawyers said Smith coerced Lewis into testifying. Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said he was pleased to see the judge reject the motion to suppress Lewis' statement. "It's always important for the jurors to hear from the defendant himself," Howard said. Prosecutors have said in court documents that the defendants chased down Baker and Lollar, and started fighting with them after an argument at the Cobalt Lounge. Defense lawyers for Lewis have said the 25-year-old NFL star didn't stab anyone and acted as a peacemaker. Even if Lewis didn't actually stab anyone, he can be convicted of murder if the prosecution can convince a jury that Lewis participated in the brawl that led to the two deaths. If convicted, all three could be sentenced to life in prison.
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