Date: Fri, 18 Feb 1994 14:11:15 -0600 (CST) From: "William W. Hughes" <[w--g--s] at [lonestar.utsa.edu]> Subject: Branch Davidian Trial Update - Saturday, 12 Feb 94 Branch Davidian Trial Update - Saturday, 12 Feb 94 [summary] Page 1D Headline - DAVIDIAN'S FIERY ESCAPE ILL-FATED Subhead - Medical examiner says rubble blocked trapdoor leading to bus Tarrant County medical examiner Nizan Peerswani, responding to cross-examination by defense attorney Dan Cogdell, said that six women found a few feet from the trapdoor leading to the buried bus may have been blocked by rubble from a wall collapsed by a tank. He did not state that the women were, in fact, heading to the bus. Six women died fire-related deaths at that location, including Yvette Fagan and Doris Fagan, wife and mother respectively of de- fendant Livingstone Fagan. The other for women were unidentified and listed as Jane Does. Some prosecution witnesses have testified that Branch Davidians who were trying to escape the fire could have run out the holes in the walls and surrendered. Prosecutors also called Bradley Rogans, a 23-year old Ohio man who has been convicted on drug-related charges. Rogans formed a friend- ship with defendant Renos Avraam while both were held in the Cory- ell County Jail last summer. Rogans, described as a reluctant witness, said played backgammon and discussed religion with Avraam until Rogans was release on June 10. Rogans described Avraam as "more educated" than the other defend- ants. "I could have an intelligent conversation with him." Rogans said he would have kept in touch with Avraam, but did not want communications to be subpoenaed. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to come (to the trial) or do anything like this." [This next section is confusing enough without paraphrasing, so I'm going to transcribe a few paragraphs.] Rogans said Avraam told him he hid behind a safe on Feb. 28. Asked if Avraam said he did any shooting that day, Rogans said: "It was nothing that was, like, incriminating. He said something like, 'I'm not a bad shot.'" Asked if Avraam said anything about aiming, Rogans demurred: "He said he was aiming, but he wasn't aiming... I'm not sure, something like that." Rogans said Avraam told him he had a fully automatic weapon, but Rogans said he only could remember Avraam called it "an M something or an AR something." Defense attorney Stanley Rentz asked if Avraam said he was scared Feb. 28. "Afraid? Yeah," Rogans said. "He said he was afraid. If he wasn't afraid, he wouldn't have been hiding behind the safe. The only thing he wasn't afraid of was dying." [end transcription] Lt. Ray Cano of the Texas Rangers testified that he found a pistol, live ammunition, a grenade, a gallon can of "some type of flammable liquid", a camouflage shirt, and a pair of pants with a blue Bic lighter in the pocket in a storage room where defendant Graeme Craddock emerged on 19 Apr. he said the can was about half full, but did not appear to have been recently opened. The name Peter G. was found inside the clothing. [Box accompanying story - transcribed] ATF AGENTS WHO LED RAID FACE FIRING Associated Press DALLAS - The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents who led the unsuccessful raid on the Branch Davidian compound near Waco have 30 days to challenge a recommendation that they be fired, a spokeswoman said. Houston ATF spokeswoman Franceska Perot confirmed Friday that investigators had recommended the dismissal of Phil Chojnacki and Chuck Sarabyn. The final decision on whether to fire Chojnacki and Sarabyn, former special agent in charge and assistant special agent in charge of the agency's Houston division, respectively, is to be made in mid-March by an ATF hearing officer, according to the Dallas Morning News. ========================= ADMINISTRIVIA ========================= KNOWN DISTRIBUTIONS USENET: talk.politics.guns, alt.politics.org.batf, alt.conspiracy, alt.politics.usa.misc & alt.politics.libertarian - author USENET: info.firearms.politics/mailing list Firearms Politics ([firearms politics] at [ns1.rutgers.edu]) - author Other networks - BIX: tojerry/inquest - Paul L. Schauble ([p l s] at [shell.portal.com]) FIDONET: DEBATE - Terry Goodman ([terry goodman] at [support.com] / Terry Goodman 1:102/837) FIDONET: CONTROVERSY - Terry Goodman FIDONET: LEGAL (non-backbone) - Lester Garrett (1:125/101) FIDONET: SMOKER (non-backbone) - Bill Bauer (1:147/32) Prodigy: Politics-Other, Subject; A.T.F. Waco - Jim Bell SmartNet: POLIPHIL - Lester Garrett (FIDO 1:125/101) The Patrick Henry League - a gun rights BBS network: - Paul L. Schauble KNOWN ARCHIVES The Powder Keg BBS, 707-427-1310, 14.4, 24H7D, directory WACO (SurvNet/PRNet 176:100/24, sysop Peter Nesbitt) The Soapbox BBS. 919-387-1152, 14.4, 24H7D, file area BATF (FIDO 1:151/142, sysop Stacy Powers [[p--we--s] at [rock.concert.net]]) Full access on first call, supports FREQ, FREQ FILES to get a list of all available files Anonymous ftp teetot.acusd.edu in directory /pub/Beelzebub/Politics/The_Tax_Cops/Waco/Trial service provided by Jerry Stratton ([j--r--y] at [teetot.acusd.edu]) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - INDEX These Updates have been posted in two forms: summaries of Express- News articles and direct transcripts of Express-News articles. This is a short index to all Updates posted to date, including the current issue. Summaries - 09 Jan 94, 10 Jan 94, 11 Jan 94, 12 Jan 94, 13 Jan 94, 14 Jan 94, 15 Jan 94, 17 Jan 94, 19 Jan 94, 20 Jan 94, 25 Jan 94, 26 Jan 94, 27 Jan 94, 28 Jan 94, 31 Jan 94, 06 Feb 94, 08 Feb 94, 09 Feb 94, 10 Feb 94, 11 Feb 94, 12 Feb 94 Transcripts - 21 Jan 94, 22 Jan 94, 23 Jan 94, 29 Jan 94, 01 Feb 94, 02 Feb 94, 03 Feb 94, 04 Feb 94, 05 Feb 94 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= This Update of the Branch Davidian trial is based on or transcribed from articles published in the San Antonio Express-News. The origi- nal articles, and any sections quoted herein are copyrighted by the Express-News. The remainder of the summary is copyright 1994 by William W. Hughes. Copying of these summaries, either by hardcopy or electronic means, is authorized and encouraged, as long as this notice remains attached and intact. "I do not work for or represent the San Antonio Express-News" =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= [w--g--s] at [lonestar.utsa.edu] (William Hughes) | In memory of 85 un-charged, UTSA doesn't agree with me. They're wrong. | un-convicted victims of the U.S. St. Dismas' Infirmary for the Incurably | government in Waco, Texas - Informed [_Synners_, Pat Cadigan] | including over 20 children.