THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 17, 1996 TAG: 9603170091
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: DEDHAM, MASS. LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines
The father of John C. Salvi III paced the courthouse hallways Saturday, waiting to find out if a jury would convict his son of murder in the deaths of two abortion clinic receptionists.
``I'm praying a lot, hoping the jury sees what I see and my wife sees, and the psychiatrists,'' said John C. Salvi Jr., whose son pleaded innocent by reason of insanity.
The jury deliberated about 6 1/2 hours Saturday before adjourning until Monday.
The mother of Lee Ann Nichols, a receptionist at Preterm Health Services shot 10 times and killed by Salvi, said she also prayed as the jury deliberated.
``I do not have bitterness, because I will not allow bitterness to eat me up. But the damage he did to so many people and so many families,'' Ruth Nichols said. ``If he is convicted, I would have an additional request that every Dec. 30 he be in solitary confinement.''
Salvi is charged with murdering Nichols and Shannon Lowney, the receptionist at Planned Parenthood, and wounding five other people in back-to-back shootings at the two Brookline clinics on Dec. 30, 1994.
Prosecutors say Salvi is an anti-abortion extremist who carefully planned his crime. Defense attorneys say he is a paranoid schizophrenic who thought he was fighting a worldwide, anti-Catholic conspiracy.
After the jury left Saturday, defense attorney J.W. Carney Jr. said the judge refused to let Salvi testify at the trial.
Superior Court Judge Barbara Dortch-Okara said the testimony would be irrelevant because Salvi would just talk about his delusional beliefs, Carney said.
His attorneys had wanted to put him on the stand Wednesday to rebut a prosecution psychologist who testified he might be faking mental illness. ``We thought the best way would be to let them (the jury) see with their own eyes and hear with their own ears'' how delusional he was, Carney said.
Earlier in the trial, Dortch-Okara had asked Salvi whether he understood he had a right to testify in his own defense. Salvi responded that he comprehended his rights, but declined to testify.
Dortch-Okara could not be reached at her office for comment, and she has an unlisted home telephone number.
Nichols said it has been hard to put her daughter's death behind her because the trial keeps opening up the wounds. Friday, when attorneys for both sides summed up their cases in dramatic and emotional closing arguments, was the hardest day of all.
``I've been here away from home, Ohio, for two months. Yesterday, I sat in the courtroom and it finally got to me. I had to leave,'' she said. ``I thought of my daughter in a casket and I had to leave.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
ASSOCIATED PRESS
As John C. Salvi III waited in court Saturday, the jury deliberated
his fate. After about 6 1/2 hours, they adjourned until Monday.
GRAPHIC
THE SALVI CASE
[For complete graphic, please see microfilm]
KEYWORDS: MURDER SHOOTING ABORTION CLINICS TRIAL by CNB