The Blue Elephant Defense

PITTSBURGH: The trial of two white police officers charged with killing a black motorist ended abruptly in a mistrial Friday when a celebrity coroner lashed out in a verbal attack on one of the defendants. Police Lieutenant Milton Mulholland and Officer Michael Albert are charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of Jonny Gammage. Last October, Jonny Gammage was driving the Jaguar of his cousin, Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Ray Seals, through the largely white suburb of Brentwood when he was pulled over by Mulholland. A struggle ensued which drew nearby officers to the scene, and Gammage was suffocated and killed. When asked by the defense to describe the events of the killing, coroner Cyril Wecht lashed out at one of the defendants, challenging the officer to explain his actions to the court. Wecht is known for his outspoken criticism of the L.A. County Coroner's handling of the O.J. case, and his public disdain for the Kennedy Assassination's single-bullet theory. He has been an outspoken critic of the all-white jury, and Defense attorney Tom Ceraso suggested that Wecht intentionally made the comment to draw a mistrial, since demanding that defendants testify on their own behalf is unconstitutional. State Judge David Cashman sounded beaten: "I'm very frustrated and I'm tired and I'm upset," Cashman said. "What am I supposed to tell the jury? To disregard the statement? You can't tell folks not to look at a blue elephant, and this is a blue elephant." Selection of the new jury will begin in two months. Frank Pellegrini