Decision Expected Today in Skakel Murder Hearing
COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, CNN ANCHOR: A judge is expected to decide today if a nephew of the Kennedy family will go on trial for a 26- year-old murder. CNN's Deborah Feyerick is covering the case for us and joins us now from Stamford, Connecticut. Good morning, Deborah.</s>DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Colleen. Well, a lot riding on this day for Michael Skakel. Five witnesses have testified over a two-day period they heard Michael Skakel -- at least two of them heard Michael Skakel confess to the murder of Martha Moxley, or at least make incriminating statements. But there is a big problem with the testimony of one of the witnesses.</s>MICKEY SHERMAN, ATTORNEY FOR SKAKEL: You can't rely on someone who admits that they have a faulty -- not just a faulty memory -- it's like horrific -- and that he was high when he testified.</s>FEYERICK: Coleman admitted Wednesday he was on heroin a year- and-a-half ago when he testified before a grand jury, telling the panel Michael Skakel said he was going to get away with murder because he was a Kennedy. Skakel's lawyer questioned Coleman's 20-year-old memory, wondering why Skakel, a teenager at the time, would have said that to Coleman, since it was their first meeting at a school for troubled teens.</s>SHERMAN: What's the real deal and what's not? It's very tough to say.</s>FEYERICK: The witness said he never actually heard Skakel confess to the 1975 murder of his friend Martha Moxley when both were 15, but Coleman said he repeatedly heard Skakel say he was sorry for it. Prosecutors were able to arrest Skakel, in part, on Coleman's testimony. Another ex-schoolmate also testified at the probable cause hearing to determine whether Skakel will stand trial. John Higgins said the nephew of Ethel Kennedy told him late one night in 1978, he didn't know whether he killed Moxley, but then said Skakel admitted he did it.</s>FEYERICK: The judge is now deciding what is real and what is not real. Just because one of the witnesses was on drugs when he testified before the grand jury doesn't necessarily mean that he didn't hear what he heard 20 years ago. But, of course, a big risk for prosecutors to put this man before a jury. Now, two things could happen today: Either the judge rules for prosecutors, in which case the defense can have a chance to call their own witnesses and still try to convince the judge not to go to trial. The second thing that could happen is that the judge rules for Skakel and he goes home -- Colleen.</s>MCEDWARDS: Deborah, is it clear yet how important this witness is to the prosecution's case?</s>FEYERICK: Well, his testimony helped prosecutors get an arrest warrant for Michael Skakel. So in that sense, it was key. His testimony also was used in an earlier hearing last summer in which a judge then decided that, yes, this could go to trial, at least in juvenile court. But, now, this is an adult court -- that's why we're hearing it right again. So it is important; it has carried a significant amount of weight up to this point. Now it's all up to the judge to see whether, in fact, he thinks this can go to a jury.</s>MCEDWARDS: Indeed; thanks. CNN's Deborah Feyerick for us live. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com