
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, October 20, 1993                   TAG: 9310200164
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES                                LENGTH: Medium

ILLNESSES, FEAR PLAGUE 3 DENNY JURORS

The troubled jury deliberations in the Reginald Denny beating case suffered new setbacks Tuesday when one juror was reported to be fearful and two jurors became ill. One of the two saw a doctor.

It was the first day back for the jury after it acquitted two black men of 16 counts and convicted them of reduced charges in attacks during the 1992 riots, including the videotaped beating of Denny, a white truck driver.

The multiracial jury met for 3 1/2 hours, but was sent back to its hotel after lunch when the illnesses were reported. Deliberations were to resume this morning.

Supervising Superior Court Judge Cecil Mills emerged from the closed courtroom and said the jurors felt they had been making progress but said they needed rest.

Superior Court Judge John Ouderkirk said through a court spokeswoman he did not know what was ailing the woman juror who sought medical attention.

A second woman juror was examined by a paramedic at the Criminal Courts Building and was found to have very high blood pressure. She declined medical attention, court spokeswoman Jerrianne Hayslett said.

Prosecutor Janet Moore said outside court that she would seek to use the last remaining alternate juror if it was necessary to remove one of the ill women.

Two jurors were replaced with alternates earlier, and each time the judge ordered that deliberations begin over.

Moore said she didn't think deliberations could resume if both sick jurors were lost.

The jury was trying to decide two remaining deadlocked counts against Damian Williams, 20, and Henry Watson, 29.

The more serious unresolved count was an attempted premeditated murder charge against Williams in the Denny beating. The other charge accused Watson of assaulting a second trucker with a deadly weapon.

The court day began with the jury forewoman, a black woman in her 30s identified as juror No. 431, telling the judge about a problem with an unidentified female juror.

"One juror has expressed fear for herself and her family," the forewoman said.

The judge called the panel and the one remaining alternate into the jury box and repeated an instruction that they must consider only the evidence and the law and not be affected by outside influences.

by CNB