Simpson jury: We didn't need witnesses to convict
LAS VEGAS (AP): Jurors who convicted O.J. Simpson of armed robbery and kidnapping said Sunday that they did not trust witness testimony and instead relied on recordings and other documented evidence to convict the former football star.
It might have been a waste for prosecutors to give plea deals to several Simpson co-defendants in exchange for their testimony, since the jury did not rely on it, foreman Paul Connelly said.
Seven members of the 12-person jury agreed to the extraordinary news conference two nights after the verdict was announced because they said they were being hounded by reporters. They answered questions for an hour in the same courtroom where Simpson and Clarence ``C.J.'' Stewart were convicted of robbing two memorabilia dealers at gunpoint in a hotel room.
The jury listened repeatedly to recordings made by collectibles dealer Thomas Riccio _ the host of the hotel confrontation, who was granted immunity _ and felt they heard things that had not been fully transcribed by police, juror Michelle Lyons said.
But jurors could not trust the credibility of witnesses who were given plea deals, Lyons said.