Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, August 20, 1993 TAG: 9308200165
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES LENGTH: Medium
"We are here to establish the responsibility of these two defendants for these crimes - nothing more, nothing less," Deputy District Attorney Lawrence Morrison told jurors in his opening statement.
Damian Williams, 20, and Henry Watson, 28, sat beside their lawyers staring ahead as Morrison showed the jury blown-up photos from videos of the riots. He said they clearly identified Williams as the man who hurled a brick at Reginald Denny's head, then "danced in glee" around his battered body.
He said Watson is clearly seen stomping on Denny's head and neck as well as abetting assaults and robberies of other victims.
The defense said police arrested the wrong people.
"The evidence will show they are being tried as scapegoats," Williams' attorney, Edi Faal, told jurors in his opening statement.
But Morrison said the defendants are clearly identifiable by their clothing, and that a blemish on Williams' cheek makes him even more visible.
Williams and Watson are accused of attempted murder and other felonies in the assaults on eight victims. But the Denny beating, a searing symbol of the violence that engulfed Los Angeles, is at the center of the case.
Morrison warned jurors that some of the visual evidence may sicken them, and some jurors appeared stunned by the graphic photos he showed. They saw Denny's face obscured by blood and the image of Fidel Lopez, his body battered, bloody and spray-painted black. Morrison said Williams spray-painted Lopez's exposed genitals - "the final indignity."
To prove attempted murder, the most serious charge, prosecutors must show that the defendants acts were premeditated. Morrison said the videos show Williams holding a brick and standing back "to think about what he's going to do."
"Mr. Williams hurled the brick. Reginald Denny crumbled and Mr. Williams celebrated," the prosecutor said. "He then danced with glee around Mr. Denny, joyfully cavorting . . . over what he had done."
Morrison said jurors also would hear about great acts of heroism by the good Samaritans who rushed to the aid of victims and saved Denny's life.
Although the beating is seen by some as a symbolic counterpoint to the 1991 beating of black motorist Rodney King by four white police officers, the King case was not mentioned in court.
The policemen's state acquittal on most assault charges on April 29, 1992, triggered the unrest that ultimately claimed 54 lives and caused $1 billion in damage.
Two of the officers were subsequently convicted of federal civil-rights violations and were given 2 1/2-year sentences viewed as too lenient by many in the black community.
Superior Court Judge John Ouderkirk has told jurors the Denny trial is not a chance to "even the score" for those sentences.
Many black leaders have contended that Williams and Watson have been treated more harshly because they are black and Denny is white.
If convicted, the Denny beating defendants could face life in prison.
Another defendant, Antoine Miller, 21, is charged with attempted murder but has been granted a separate trial. Lance Jerome Parker, 27, awaits trial, charged with assault with a firearm and other felonies.
by CNB