Wednesday, June 12, 2002
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Wednesday, June 12, 2002 |
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Judge to Watson: Keep silentBy JOHN MUNFORD
For the first time Friday, Jim Watson spoke aloud in court as he responded to an inquiry from the judge presiding in the murder case against him. Noting the incredible amount of media coverage in the trial, Fulton County Superior Court Judge T. Jackson Bedford reminded Watson that he has the right not to take the stand in his own defense, but if he is interviewed before the trial is over, those interviews could possibly be used as evidence against him in the trial. Judge Bedford urged Watson to "stay silent." "It's what you don't say or the fact that you're saying something that could be used against you," Bedford said. When asked if he understood, Watson replied, "Yes, sir." In an attempt to stave off pretrial publicity, Bedford ordered attorneys for both sides and detectives not to talk to the media about the case. But in his remarks to Jim Watson after the jury left the courtroom Friday afternoon, Bedford said Watson's family members should also consider staying mum until the trial is over. "I cannot stress to you the importance of this," Bedford said. "... And for your family to fully consider that nothing be done to hurt your interests." He has allowed the involved parties to talk to a news crew from the CBS newsmagazine "48 Hours," which has agreed not to air the footage until after the trial is over. Already, edited footage from one TV interview with Watson has been displayed to the jury by prosecutors. In the footage, WSB-TV reporter Mark Winne noted that Watson asked his face not be shown because he was an undercover police officer.
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