Posted on 03/24/2005 5:04:36 AM PST by Hawk44
LOS ANGELES Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley said jurors who acquitted actor Robert Blake of the murder of his wife are "incredibly stupid" and insisted his office had put on a good case.
In his first comments on the high-profile loss, Cooley said the verdict shows prosecuting celebrities is extremely difficult in Los Angeles.
"The Blake case taught us some lessons, that is for sure," Cooley said. "Quite frankly, based on my review of the evidence, he is as guilty as sin. He is a miserable human being."
Chuck Safko, one of the jurors who voted to acquit Blake, answered with scorn of his own.
"To hear him say we aren't a smart jury is sour grapes," Safko said. "They didn't have a good case. Their case was built around witnesses who weren't truthful."
Blake, 71, was accused of murdering his wife on May 4, 2001, mainly based on the word of two Hollywood stuntmen who testified the actor tried to hire them to kill her. Only two jurors ever thought Blake might be guilty, according to interviews after the verdict, and all 12 came to the unanimous verdict of not guilty after two weeks of deliberations.
The comment shows Cooley is "small-minded," said Blake's attorney, Gerald Schwartzbach. It was worthy of a politician, not a lawyer, Schwartzbach said.
Cooley's comments were unusual, but not unethical, according to legal experts.
"To criticize the jurors is unprofessional it is unbelievable," said Laurie Levinson, a professor of criminal law at Loyola Law School. "I think you have to give the jury credit. They are very conscientious jury. It was a reasonable-doubt case, and disagreeing with Mr. Cooley doesn't make them stupid."
Unfortunately the Jacko prosecution thus far seems as incompetent, if not moreso than the Blake prosecution.
Did he have residue on his hands after the shot was fired into the woman's head?
HUMMM, he has been found legally not guilty. i wonder how fast Blakes lawyers can file a defamation lawsuit.
The customer is always right.
That's right, blame the stupid voters that elected you.
SO9
I don't usually follow celebrity cases, but it looked to me like the jury did not buy the Prooscetuion's case, in part because the murder victim had a history that produced a list of suspects as large as the Manhattan Yellow Pages.
Unfortunately for the Prosecutor, the person Blake was accused of murdering was an even more miserable human being.
In this case, he's absolutely correct. Same was true for the OJ jury, so any Los Angeles DA should prepare for the "stupid jury effect."
Nope. That was a big cause of concern for the jury. No GSR.
I didn't watch or follow any of the trial, but I did see jury members speak afterward. They seemed like intelligent people for the most part. The foreman said the fact there was no gunshot residue on Blake and that many of the prosecution's witnesses are known liars led to reasonable doubt.
What does it say about him if he can't even convince a stupid jury that he's right?
Letterman had a joke on that the other day, "Blake thanks his crack legal team, the judge, and the jury of 12 good dumbasses."
All I know is...........CALIFORNIA
Just damn.
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The defense proved that the victim was a slut.
Their strongest evidence against him was his involvement in the 'He-Man Woman Hater's Club'.
Are all these California DAs as dumb as this one and the one at the OJ trail and the one in SanFrancisco and and and on and on?
The DA is also indicting his own ability to choose jurors.
He participated in the jury selection process.
No lawyer worth his salt blames the jury if he loses a case he thinks he should have won. He looks inward to figure out how he failed to get his message to the jury.
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