Jo-Ellan Dimitrius, jury consultant for Simpson, may aid prosecution

By Charlie Brennan, Rocky Mountain News
January 27, 2004

The Kobe Bryant case, which has already featured several names made famous through previous high-profile, criminal-justice sagas, has more star power waiting in the wings.

Jo-Ellan Dimitrius, a Pasadena, Calif., jury consultant who gained fame for her work in the O.J. Simpson criminal trial - in which she helped select the jury that acquitted the former football star - may assist in the prosecution of Bryant for alleged-sexual assault.

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Already, it has been reported that famed forensic scientist Dr. Henry Lee, a veteran of both the successful Simpson defense effort and the JonBenet Ramsey murder investigation, consulted recently with Bryant's prosecutor.

Dimitrius appeared Friday night on CNN's Larry King Live and announced she will be working for Eagle District Attorney Mark Hurlbert when it comes time to pick a jury for the Los Angeles Lakers star's sexual-assault trial.

But that's not exactly true - yet.

It is correct, said Hurlbert's spokeswoman, Krista Flannigan, that Dimitrius called the Eagle County Prosecutor's Office, asking to be in on the case.

"She contacted us," said Flannigan. She added, however, that nothing is official yet, concerning Dimitrius' status.

In October, Hurlbert secured $20,000 from county commissioners, earmarked for a jury consultant's help on the Bryant prosecution.

Flannigan said the timing on when Hurlbert picks a jury consultant is flexible.

"It depends on how things move along, related to trial," she said. "We thought for a while it was going to go this spring, but now it looks like it might be a little further out."

Dimitrius spoke about the timeline during her CNN appearance.

Asked about the start of Bryant's trial, she said, "I'd say it's probably going to be . . . July."

Bryant, who has admitted to having sex with the 19-year-old alleged victim but said their June 30 contact was consensual, is scheduled for another pretrial motions hearing next week .

Denver defense attorney and legal analyst Scott Robinson is not surprised that Dimitrius' name has surfaced as being among those circling Bryant's case.

"These big cases seem to attract would-be experts, like a moth to an open flame," he said. "Everybody wants to climb on the big-bus case. And apparently, Dimitrius has got her thumb out."

Robinson, however, didn't dismiss Dimitrius' estimate of a possible July trial date.

But the accuracy of that prediction could be dramatically affected by whether the defense wakes up what Robinson called the "8,000- pound gorilla in the corner that nobody's talking about" - a possible defense bid to move the trial outside Eagle County due to concerns over pretrial publicity.

"If they decide to wake up that gorilla and file such a motion, forget about a trial before the next (basketball) season," he said.

brennanc@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-892-2742

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