Prosecutors can't show Godfather II clip at Roger Stone trial, judge rules
Source: CNN
Washington (CNN)Federal prosecutors can't show a clip from the film "The Godfather Part II" at a trial as they try to prove to a jury that Roger Stone threatened a witness, a federal judge said Monday.
Judge Amy Berman Jackson of the federal district court in Washington said showing the clip -- which prosecutors wanted to do because Stone referred to it in a conversation with his associate Randy Credico, whom he allegedly threatened -- could prejudice the jury. They can't show it "because the prejudicial effect of the videotape, which includes a number of extraneous matters, outweighs its probative value," she wrote.
The jury will be able to see a transcript of the relevant scene in the movie, Jackson said. And it's possible prosecutors could ask her again to consider showing a clip from the film after Credico testifies or if Stone takes the stand, she said.
Stone has pleaded not guilty. The trial is set to start November 5.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/21/politics/godfather-ii-roger-stone/index.html
I know the scene they are talking about and I guess they wanted to underscore that Stone apparently mentions the scene and they want to show the jury exactly what he was referring to regarding witness tampering...
This is the scene they apparently wanted to show -
The original motion was filed in July so this is the ruling on it.
= new reply since forum marked as read
I get the relevance, but yeah, I certainly agree that a clip from The Godfather would be rather prejudicial....
