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Feb 7, 2008 8:50 pm US/Eastern
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Wecht Video Takes Center Stage During Trial
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ―
A video today took center stage at Dr. Cyril Wecht's federal corruption trial but the prosecution and defense have very different ideas about what that video shows.
In a way the defendant spoke to the jury today, not from the witness stand but from a video. The defense sees this tape as showing the jury the real Cyril Wecht. The prosecution sees the tape as another distraction to his duties as coroner.
The production was called "The Three Sleuths" and it played in Las Vegas but it was no musical production, but rather a forensic production with Dr. Cyril Wecht and two other doctors taking people to key whodunnits in history and arguing about their own theories on the case.
The prosecution pointed out that Wecht's administrative assistant had spent county time helping Wecht arrange the logistics of the production, a production in which the jury heard Wecht talk about one of his passions, the single bullet theory in the assassination of former President John Kennedy.
The defense sees the tape as giving the jury another side of Wecht.
Early, two lawyers who hired Wecht, and whose bills included a $90 limo ride - something the government sees as fraudulent - testified they had no problem with his bills.
"His expenses were more reasonable that his fees," Detroit attorney Eric Buikema said.
But, when asked if he would hire him again, he said "absolutely."
Also revealed in court today was that the administrative assistant, Kathy McCabe, who has testified for the past two days, was given immunity from prosecution shortly before she testified before the grand jury in this case.
Testimony will continue on Monday.
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