O.J. SIMPSON . . . WILL ITO BAN TV COVERAGE?

A furious Judge Lance Ito abruptly recessed theO.J. Simpson trialat the end of the afternoon to consider whether to pull the plug on live TV coverage of the trial, after the faces of two jurors were glimpsed during a portion of today's coverage. Of the 22 sequestered jurors, only 20 can find seats in the jury box. A TV camera operated by Court TV showed the faces of the other two jurors, alternates who were seated near the prosecutors. "Judge Ito was beyond furious," said Court TV reporter Kristin Jeannette-Meyers. The trial had begun in earnest this morning, with prosecutors portraying Simpson in their opening statements to the jury as a dangerous, obsessive, and controlling person who killed his ex-wife because he could "no longer have her." Deputy District Attorney Chris Darden painted a terrifying picture of the defendant: "He killed Nicole for a single reason: he killed her out of jealousy," said Darden. "He killed her because he couldn't have her . . . He killed her to control her." Darden alleged that Simpson stalked his ex-wife, even peering through her window while she made love to another man, and was often abusive to her. When Nicole Brown Simpson got pregnant and put on weight, Darden said, Simpson "called her a pig." Next, prosecutor Marcia Clark described evidence that allegedly tied Simpson to the scene of the crime -- including blood found near the victims' bodies that matched Simpson's, she said. Judge Ito ruled today that O.J. Simpson cannot address the jurors directly, but the famous defendant will be allowed to display scars or other physical injuries -- which he is likely to claim preclude him from being the murderer.The O.J. files