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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 17, 1998)
Ittli jesday • February 17, 1998 The Battalion - ^ Ijr £ n adet trial evidence goes to jury FORT WORTH, (AP) — Jurors be- in deciding Monday whether for- er midshipman Diane Zamora I Ued a romantic rival after hearing I osecutors denounce her as a so- | opath and a cunning con artist. Assistant prosecutor Michele lartmann opened her closing argu- l ents by telling panelists that ] I unora acted as “judge, juiy and ex- laitioner” when she helped her fi ll ice kill 16-year-old Adrianne Jones. '“Shoot her! She’s not dead yet! I st do it. Shoot her, kill her, shoot I iri' Those are the words of Diane I unora,” Hartmann yelled at ju- lirs, repeating part of the confes- |on Zamora gave police and later canted. Hartmann repeatedly reminded rots that a defense psychologist stifled last week that Zamora ored highly on a test for pyscho- thic deviancy. “She’s a sociopath. She’s lied all her life. Don’t let her trick you,” artmann said. : Defense attorney John Linebarger told jurors said Zamo ra’s then fiance David Graham was responsible for the crime. Linebarger describing Graham as “She didn’t help. She didn’t assist. It was David Graham.” John Linebarger Zamora's Defense Attorney a “macho G.I. Joe” who dominated Zamora and convinced her to take the blame. “There is no evidence to sug gest that Jones was hit over the head with anything but the butt of a gun (that) we know was in the hands of David Graham, not Diane Zamora,” Linebarger said. “She didn’t help. She didn’t assist. It was David Graham.” State District Judge Joe Drago opened proceedings Monday by telling jurors that in addition to cap ital murder, they also could consid er lesser charges of kidnapping, as sault and false imprisonment. He did not give them the option of murder, a minor victory for pros ecutors who said they wanted only capital murder considered because the evidence did not support a less er offense. Defense attorneys ob jected to the omission. Capital murder is a murder com mitted with another felony. Prose cutors say Zamora helped Graham kidnap and kill Jones in December 1995 in retaliation for their fling. If Zamora is convicted of capi tal murder, she would automati cally receive a life sentence with parole possible after 40 years. Prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty. ]prah’s beef trial defense to begin today AMARILLO (AP) — The Texas attlemen suing Oprah Winfrey ive spent the last four weeks at- cking her in |every way laginable. itesday, they villfind them- elves on the defensive. Defense at- |] jtomeys are eady to make teir case that Vinfrey’s April il6, 1996, show Winfrey on “dangerous ods” did not falsely defame U.S. ef. Plaintiffs rested on Friday, the 8th day of the federal trial. But before they start calling witnesses, the defense is hoping U.S. District Judge Mary Lou Robinson will end the trial on their claim that the cattlemen “have not presented legally suffi cient evidence.” The defense re quest is relatively routine. Defendants also are asking Judge Robinson to rule unconsti tutional the 1995 Texas law under which the cattlemen sued. That civil statute protects perishable food products from false and defamatory statements. Joe Coyne, lawyer for lead plain tiff Paul Engler, said he would sub mit a response before the hearing. Jurors will not be present for Tuesday’s hearing. They had Monday off in honor of Presi dents’ Day and, if the trial contin ues, they will not be required back until Wednesday. The cattlemen claim that Win frey’s show, which featured a dis cussion on whether the decade- long British epidemic of mad cow disease was a concern for U.S. beef consumers, caused cattle prices to plunge. Plaintiffs say the market tumble cost them $12 million. They claim the show was unfair because it was not balanced and incorrectly por trayed U.S. cattle as being at risk of mad cow disease, which has never been detected in the United States. They seek to recoup their al leged losses plus unspecified punitive damages. lamodome hosts Final Four, but critics persist SAN ANTONIO (AP) — It’s been aligned by hometown naysayers, jut the Alamodome has gotten the ib done in luring big sports events fee city. Next month, the NCAA Final our calls the dome home. The cavernous stadium will be onfigured to seat 41,500 for the restigious college basketball tour- ament March 28-30. Having the Alamodome was the eyto landing the Final Four for San Jitonio, sports boosters say. “The facility is absolutely cru- ial,” said Sandra Lopez, executive irector of the Final Four Local Or- [anizing Committee. “It is the major factor,” added )eborah Sibley, associate execu te director of the San Antonio ports Foundation. The Alamodome opened in toy 1993, four years after area oters approved a five-year, half- :ent transit sales tax to finance the 186 million building. Today the lome is debt-free. An unusual structure with a ca- )le-suspension roof, the Alamod- ®ie sits on 57 acres of land on the ast edge of downtown. The build- ngcan hold up to 65,000 people. It was a project pushed in 1989 ty then Mayor Henry Cisneros, who promised it would bring big things to San Antonio, possibly even a Na tional Football League team. The NFL has not come, except for a few preseason games. The Canadian Football League came. And went. The San Antonio Texans of the CFL played in the Alamod ome in 1995. The dome has hosted assorted regular-season college football and basketball games featuring out-of-town teams. It is the site of the annual Alamo Bowl. The Rolling Stones, Elton John and other major music acts have played the dome. And city officials are trying to secure the 2000 Re publican National Convention. Some San Antonio residents, however, contend the Alamodome was a waste of tax money for a city in need of basic services, like better roads and drainage. Other residents complain about soil pollution in the vicinity of the dome. Dirt contaminated with lead and hydrocarbons that was excavated during construc tion has been the subject of law suits and controversy. The San Antonio Spurs’ owners do not like the dome either. The NBA team has played in the Alamodome since the 1993-94 sea son. Spurs owners say they need a smaller arena equipped with luxu ry suites to compete financially in the league. Spurs chairman Peter Holt says he wants the team to remain in town, but last summer — after poll results showed San Antonio resi dents do not want public money used to build a new arena — Holt hinted the Spurs could one day end up in another city. “If you ask me personally, I be lieve the easiest thing for this own ership group to do is sell,” Holt said. But for one-time basketball events, including the 1996 NBA All- Star Game and last year’s men’s NCAA Midwest Regional tourna ment, the dome has worked. The University of Texas at San Antonio was the host school for the regional tournament and will be for the Final Four. The dome got good reviews after the regional, consid ered a test run for the Final Four. “Everything was just awesome,” Lopez said. In fact, sports organizers are planning for another men’s Mid west Regional in the dome in 2001 and for the Women’s Final Four in 2002. And they hope to host an other men’s Final Four — in 2003 or beyond. The Battalion Classified Advertising • Easy • Affordable • Effective For information, call 345-0569 ★ ★ ★ 5 STAR NBA & COLLEGE HOOPS □ CK m? a •2S5' (C ITi *1 ^3) MUST BE 18 YEARS « SERU-U f619J 645-8434 Sewell Motor Company (representing Cadillac, Chevrolet, CMC, Lexus, Oldsmobile, Pontiac) invites you to visit our booth to discuss your opportunities in automobile retailing at the Business Career Fair Tuesday, Februaiy 17th 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Wehner Building Majors of specific interest: Marketing, Management, Finance, Accounting, Industrial Distribution Dallas • San Antonio New Orleans Eating Disorders Screening Program Tuesday, February 24, 1998 10:00 am. - 2:00 p.m. Information Tables MSC Main Hallway 8:30 p.m. -10:00 p.m. National Eating Disorders Screening Program MSC Room 201 Presentation on Eating Disorders, Panel Discussion, Educational Video, and Confidential Screenings done by Mental Health Professionals at No Charge Sponsored by Student Counseling Service, Aggie R.E.A.C.H., and Student Health Services CAMP DAY Tuesday, February 17, 1998 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM MSC Hallway & Flag Room Interview for summer positions as camp counselors. Wanted: People with an interest in kids and skills in archery dance music arts drama nature/outdoor baseball equestrian education basketball activities riflery boating fishing tennis camping football soccer canoeing hiking swimming crafts lifeguarding theater Sponsored by the Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences, the RPTS Majors Club, and the TAMU Career Center % S> Disney Information Services ) Help Us Make the Magic Representatives of the Walt Disney World Information Services Team will be presenting Wednesday, February 18th at 6:00 p.m. in Rudder Room 402 on the topics of Business Systems at Walt Disney World and to discuss intern opportunities for summer and fall in Orlando, Florida. V * ^ MSC SCONA 43 // Cities: Decline or Rebirth?" Thursday, February 19 6:00 p.m. MSC 201 "The Future of America's Cities" Mr. Bruce Katz, Director of the Center on Urban and Metropolitan Planning, Brooking Institution // Friday, February 20 10:45 a.m MSC 201 The American City in the New Millennium The Honorable Kirk Watson, Mayor of Austin, Texas // // - i 4 f £s Friday, February 20 1:45 p.m. MSC 201 Are America's Cities Ready for the 21st Century?" ^ ^ „ *«♦'** * cy****#. + - r * >X x. •-O 'X- -■ ' ilfci ** Lt. Gen. Julius Becton, Jr. (Ret.), CEO/Suprintenden Washington, D.C. School District SP ' riL: '.'.Lt . - li * ■ : : Commander Betty Kelepecz, Los Angeles Police Department Cinney, M.D., Texas Health and It Mil Human Services Commission ^-.v-' ' ’« Perrons with disabilities please call 845*7625 to Inform us of your special needs. We request three (3) working days prior to the event to enable u* to assist you to the best of our abilities.