Court TV loses Strohmeyer verdict

Bill Gang

Wednesday, Feb. 18, 1998 | 10:23 a.m.

Court TV won't be permitted to provide gavel-to-gavel coverage of the Jeremy Strohmeyer trial on charges he murdered a 7-year-old girl, but local television and newspaper cameramen will be free to record the proceedings.

It was a marginal victory for the 19-year-old defendant's lawyers, who had been venomous in their attacks on the media coverage of the case since Strohmeyer's arrest May 28.

The defense team had won an earlier courtroom victory over the inadmissibility at the teenager's trial of information retrieved from his personal computer -- undisclosed Internet chat room conversations and unspecified pictures.

But that ruling by District Judge Don Chairez may be in jeopardy.

District Attorney Stewart Bell said Tuesday his office has filed an appeal with the Nevada Supreme Court contesting Chairez's decision that the police search of the home of Strohmeyer's parents in Long Beach went too far.

In court documents, prosecutors conceded that police never justified the seizure of the computer nor the need to search its memory, but argued that there were exceptions to the search and seizure laws that should let the information into the case.

It is unknown how quickly the high court will rule and Bell concedes the April 20 trial date may be affected if the process is slow, although he said he hopes the current trial date can be maintained.

"I hope we don't have to exchange one for the other," said Bell, who is trying the case personally with Deputy District Attorney Peggy Leen.

"It's important to put forth all legally allowable evidence."

Strohmeyer's Las Vegas attorney Richard Wright said he was surprised the appeal was filed because the evidence being kept out didn't deal a death blow to the prosecution's case.

On the same day Chairez ruled to exclude the computer evidence, he declared that three confessions Strohmeyer gave to police about his involvement in the May 25 rape and murder of Sherrice Iverson at a Primm casino could be shown to a jury.

In addition, according to Metro Police investigators, Strohmeyer told several friends that he had killed the girl.

In the ruling on media coverage, Chairez noted Tuesday that Strohmeyer's California attorney Leslie Abramson works as a commentator for Court TV and he fears that could impact the cable network's coverage.

"Such a relationship may tempt Court TV to focus on Ms. Abramson, which may cause her to feel self conscious," the judge stated in his decision. "It would be unfair to place Ms. Abramson in such a position if it will be a detriment to her client."

He added that Court TV isn't even seen in Clark County and "gavel-to-gavel coverage serves no useful purpose to this community that will not be fulfilled by local press and television coverage."

Defense attorneys have contended that extensive media coverage of the case will jeopardize the ability to seat an impartial jury and will deny Strohmeyer his constitutional right to a fair trial.

Chairez's decision states that there has been nothing to show that the routine media coverage would affect the fair administration of justice.

Pointing out that open trials have always been a vital check and balance over the justice system, the judge stated that "today, the camera plays the role of expanding the size of the courtroom and allows the public to attend the trial from the comfort of their own homes."

The defense also complains that Bell is running for re-election as district attorney and could use the trial for political purposes.

Chairez noted, however, that Bell has personally prosecuted several other trials during his four-year term as district attorney.

Iverson was killed in a women's restroom at the Primm Valley hotel-casino at the Nevada-California border, 45 miles southwest of Las Vegas.

Two body-pierced men believed to be involved were videotaped by surveillance cameras and Strohmeyer and David Cash Jr. were identified by schoolmates after the images were aired on Long Beach television stations.

Cash tes-ti-fied against Strohmeyer before a Clark County Grand Jury.