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05-04-02
21:17:07
JOHNNIE COCHRAN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY, DEAD AT 67 Defense attorney Johnnie Cochran, probably most remembered for his successful defense of O.J. Simpson, died Tuesday after suffering from an inoperable brain tumor. He was 67. Cochran made a name for himself with a series of high-profile police brutality and criminal cases in the late 1970s. He worked on high-profile cases for rap singer Sean "Puffy" Combs, on trial for weapons and bribery charges and Rosa Parks, in a lawsuit launched against OutKast and their label, LaFace Records. However, it was the Simpson trial that defined him. Simpson was accused of murder in the 1994 slay- ings of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her acquaint- ance Ron Goldman. Cochran's famous quip, "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit," reminded jurors during the 1995 trial that the former football star couldn't fit his hand inside a bloody glove found at the scene of the killings. This simple rhyme convinced jurors that the evidence against Simpson failed to fit the crime. PAUL HESTER, CO-FOUNDER OF CROWDED HOUSE, DEAD AT 46 Paul Hester, former drummer for Split Enz and co-founder of Crowded House, is dead after hanging himself in a park in Melbourne, Australia. He was 46. The Australian newspaper said the 46-year-old father of two was found dead Saturday afternoon, after last being seen walking his two dogs Friday evening. Neil Finn, who formed Crowded House with Hester after they played together in Split Enz, canceled perfor- mances at London's Royal Albert Hall to travel to Melbourne. "I am deeply saddened by the loss of a close friend," Finn said. Hester played in several Melbourne bands before Finn gave him his big break with Split Enz in 1983. The pair formed Crowded House with bassist Nick Seymour in the mid- 1980s and went on to record several hits including "Don't Dream It's Over" and "Something So Strong." Hester quit Crowded House in 1994, two years before the band broke up, reinventing himself as a drummer-for-hire in Melbourne and owner of a Melbourne-area tea house. He is survived by his girlfriend, Mardi Somerfeld, and their two daughters, ages 8 and 10. TERRI SCHIAVO HAS DIED Terri Schiavo, the 41-year-old brain damaged woman who became the focus of a national right-to-die battle, has died almost two weeks after doctors removed the feeding tube that kept her alive for 15 years. In 1990, Schiavo collapsed in her home, suffering from heart failure that escalated into severe brain damage due to lack of oxygen. Her husband Michael Schiavo has said she suffered from bulimia, an eat- ing disorder, that resulted in a potassium deficiency that triggered the heart failure. The feeding tube was removed March 18 by the order of Pasco-Pinellas Circuit Judge George Greer. Her husband said that she wouldn't have wanted to live in her condition - what has been deemed by Florida courts as a "persistent vegetative state." According to Brother Paul O'Donnell, a spokesman for Schiavo's parents Bob and Mary Schindler, the couple was with their daughter praying when she passed.
