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Show Aa SheSaltLakeTribune BUSINESS — workers Fics shably of call union busting / WH FORTHE RECORD, B-2 ROLLY & WELLS MISTOCKS, B-6 Weitzel ‘Can’t Believe’ Convictions Homicide verdicts result of compromise, juror says BY STEPHEN HUNT PAUL ROLLYand JOANN JACOBSEN-WELLS ‘© 2000,The Sait Lake Tribune Oh! Say, Have You Seen the Avenues Flag? JULY 12, 2000 THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Psychiatrist Robert Allen Weitzel said Tuesday he was shocked and devastated at his five homicide convictions, and was obviously distraught after spending his first day in the Davis County Jail. “I can’t believeit. I can’t believe this verdict,” Weitzel told The Salt Lake Tribune in a telephoneinterview. “I thought it was going to be notguilty. I can't believe it” Weitzel said he gave “good care”to the five elderly patients he was accused of killing with lethal doses of morphine. “I stuck my neck out for them, andthe patients’ families were grateful at the time,” he said. “Now here I am,going to prison.” Weitzel was charged with first-degree felony murderfor allegedly intentionally killing thefive patients. But on Monday, a jury of eight found Weitzel guilty of two less serious counts of second-degree felony manslaughter and three even lesser counts of misdemeanor negligent homicide. Jurors said the verdicts were based in part on Weitzel’s failure to spend time with thepatients or closely monitor them, as shown by the numerousprescriptions he phoned in to nurses. But Weitzel said: “The jury didn’t really get it, focusing on telephone orders and howlong I was with patients. I was in daily, and on call 24 hours a day. That’s not manslaughter.” Juror William Gillette said Tuesday the split-decision verdict resulted from dissension in the jury room,followed by compromise. Gillette said he and two other jurors felt Weitzel had intentionally hastened the deathsof two elderly patients and was guilty of murdering them. AndGillette felt Weitzel was guilty of manslaughter for his treatmentof the three otherpatients. Butother jurors — including two who had close relatives: who had-died-in-pain from cancer and felt euthanasia might sometimes be appropriate — were leaning toward lesser counts, and possibly acquittal. The opposing factions met in the middle. “I compromised;I'll admitit,” Gillette said. “I would haveliked to [have] stuck to mygunsandforced us into deliberations [Tuesday].” But Gillette said he did not wantto risk a deadlock and a hung jury See JURY,Page B-3 Anderson ROCKET MAN You mayrecall the photo in The Pulls Plug Salt Lake Tribune of the ees20by-40 footflag that was hanging from the secondstory balconyof Brek and Jenny Anderson’s historic home on Second Avenue andE Streetin Salt LakeCity. When Brek Anderson wentoutside to pick up his Tribune on Friday morning,the photo ofthe flag was in it. But the $800 flag was missing. Someonehadto scale20 feetto the balcony,cut several ropes and steal the magnificentflag, which is saluted and photographed bydozens of people each time the Andersons hang it. Although the couple haveput up signs aroundtheir homeoffering a $50 reward for the return ofthe flag, they have hadonly one response. While watering the lawn Saturday On DARE BY REBECCA WALSH THESALT LAKETRIBUNE Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Andersonhas already decided to stop funding and providingpolice officers for DARE beginningthisfall. No more ribbons, bumperstickers or oversized discussion. black T-shirts. No Still, Anderson and his staff pre- pared a slide show and fact sheet and weathered a small crowdofindignant PTApresidents, parents and program employeesin a futile effort to convince City Council members Tuesday night night, Jenny Anderson was greeted by somejoy-riding teen-agers who,from their speeding car, yelletgs[Expletive] the flag. We burned it.” Qa that heis doing theright thing. “This is not about sentimentality. It's not about making usfeel good. It’s not about asking our kids what makes them feel good after they graduate A Bit Premature? In the midst ofthe controversy over a proposed $270 million mall at the cornerof5600 W.and Interstate 80, somefolks aren’t waiting for Salt LakeCity Mayor Rocky Anderson (whoopposed whathecalled the “sprawl mall”) and the City Council from DARE,” hesaid. “It’s about science. It’s about results. DARE is clearly not the answer, and we need to face up to it.” He has collected a hefty pile of studies to back him up. In Utah, (whichis considering it) to give the Anderson notes, the Centers for Dis- go-aheadornix the development. The July edition of Chain Store Age, a magazineforretail chain stores, features full-page advertisementfor “Grand Salt Lake Mall. One Hotticket to the 2002 Olympic Games.” Interested retailers are urged to lease space in whatthe ad calls a “1.3 million square ft. megamall with value-oriented retail entertainment and dining near the heart ofthe city . . -anatural attraction for 17 million ease Control found marijuana use among teens had increased from 7 percent to 11 percent since 1991 and cocaine use wentup from5 percent to7 Air Force Col. Ben Overall, on an opensilo containing an intercontinentalballistic missile used for training at Hill Air Force Base,runsthe nation’s only repair shopforland-based ICBMs,extendingthelife of 30-year-old MinutemanIII missiles. Hill Keeps Aging Missiles Working BY PAUL FOY A board gameaptlytitled: “Megamall Madness,” which promises to “make you mad and make everyone mad at you,” was dropped offanonymously at Mayor Anderson’soffice af- ter a historical eeany pabiie hearing onthe proposed Grand Object ofthe eyTo reaiseane whatwill be the greatest benefit to the citizens ofSalt Lake. The Winners: Must alwaysbe the citizens. The Players: Anderson and the City Council, developers, investors, bankers, contractors,citizens, special interest groups and news media. The Play: Roll the dice and advance the numberofspaces indicated ‘on the dice, The players must pick a card andfollow the instructions on the card after every time theyroll the dice. A samplingofthe cards: @ “Citizens hold rally. Advance 10 spaces.” @ “Utah Transit Authority requests light rail to megamall. Citizens lose all their money.” @ “Concerned citizens pack council chambers at mayor’s request. Mayoradvances five spaces.” @ “Downtown restaurants provide outdoortables and musicians. Everyone takes the day off work to enjoy the fun.” @ “Developers get approval for $15 million in corporate welfare. All players except the developers go back 20 spaces.” @“DDC eeeCorradini) Get OutofJail Free Card. If, after afew turns, players discover that they are goingin circles or not really going anywhere,they are instructed to “throw the game away pope everyone meet at Lamb's for End ofthe Game: “Thegame will never end until spiritual values prevail over short-term material greed.” Rolly and Wells welcome email at rolly&wells@sltrib.com. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS HILL AIR FORCE BASE — He's the Mr. Goodwrench of Armageddon. Air Force Col. Ben Overall runs the nation’s only repair shop for land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, 25 miles north ofSalt LakeCity. ‘The Cold War maybe over, but “our workloadis growing,” says Overall, 51, an aerospace engineer and commanderof the ICBM System Program Office. Because defense contractors no longer make the Minuteman or Peacekeeper missiles, Overall has the added responsibility of making sure the stockpile remains working. The ICBM shop swaps parts and engines and refurbishes missiles for active duty in undergroundsilos in Montana, Wyoming and North Dakota. Overall supervises 850 workers, mostly civilians — mechanics,electricians,engineers and others — whomaintain the nation’s nuclear defenses. Hill Air Force Base has been refurbishing ICBMssince Norton Air Force Base closed in 1994,shifting the work from program, the mayor insists, isn’t working. Others challenged his hypothesis. “J don’t have anystatisticsfor you,” acknowledged Kathy Stewart, presi- Cold War defense inventory comes to Utah forrepair dentof DARE Officers. “Our strongest numbersare the numbers that don’t show up.” tourists annually.” Meanvhile. . . percent. And use ofecstasy amongSalt Lake City 12th-graders increased 56 percentin one year from 1998 to 1999. The Drug AbuseResistance Education California. Hill is extending thelife of Minuteman II missiles, introduced in 1970, by another 20 years. Theaging missiles arrive by truck or train after their warheads are removed Theygo to an X-raylabfirst, then get torn down and rebuilt with new engines or See MAYOR,Page B-3 CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS guidance systems. The exacting repair work allows no marginforerror.It’s also potentially dan- gerous, like playing with dynamite: An errant spark, flash or static electricity could trigger a missile’s engine. Work bays shut down whenlightning strikes qutdoors because ofthe risk. Inside the shops, missiles lie on metal rails with a heavy, knifelike wedge at the endofthe track. If an engineaccidentally fired, the wedge would cut the missile lengthwise and burn it in a messyconflagration outside a garage door. Secrecy has eased at Hill, where Rus- Former House Speaker Mel Brown, R-Murray, is among the lame-duck sian inspectors can visit with 12 hours The Utah Transit Authority's Flex trans vehicles offer curb-to-curb ser- legislators going on a taxpayer-funded trip to the annual meeting of the National Conference ofState Legislatures this weekend in Chicago. Brown's name was mistakenly left off’a list supplied by Housestaff, said P. Bret Milburn,assistant to the Republican Majority. Q notice and are greeted with courtesy signs — “Watch your head” — in their language. Butthe repair shop tidied up and put awayclassified secrets for an Associated See MISSILES,Page B-3 vice by picking up people with dis- A. “secret” label marks the guidance system section of an ICBMtraining missile at Hill Air Force Base. abilities in frontoftheir residence and then transporting them to their destination. A story Tuesday mischarac- terized the extentof the service. Harry Potter Mystery: Last Pages of Book Vanish Into Thin Air BY VINCE HORIUCHI ‘THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE a it should be called Harry Potter andthe Big Oo At Past five copies of the mega-selling children’s book Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire purchased by the Salt Lake City Public Library were missing 28 pages. And not just any pages, butthelast 28. So for some copies, the book ends: “I see no evidence to the contrary!’ shouted Fudge, now match-. . .” “I called it the Harry Potter Boo-Boo,” said HikmetLoe, technical services manager for the Salt Lake City Public Library. “If you're an avid fan, it’s just disappointing.” Of the five defective copies, only two had been checked out before the library learned of the mistake Monday. By Tuesday, no other bad copjes of the book had been reported, and the two patrons had received replacementcopies. No one from the book’s publisher or the wholesaler whosold the booksto thelibrarysystem knew thecause ofthe goof. “That's thefirst I'm hearingofthat,” said Kris Moran,director of publicity for the book's New York publisher, Scholastic Inc. “I haven't gotten anyothercalls about other instances.” Representatives from Baker & Taylor, the national wholesaler that sold the booksto the Salt Lake City Public Library, did not return phone calls Tuesday, though one manager from its warehouse in Reno said the mistake apparently originated from the book's publisher andprinter. “We called them,and they, quite frankly, don’t wantto talk aboutthis,” the library's Loe said about Baker & Taylor.“All they would say is they "had heard of this occurrence happening. Lester Liebschutz, 69, Salt Lake City, discov: ered his flawed copy of the book after checking it out from the downtown branch of the publiclibrary and peeking at the end. “T was cheating and waslookingat the ending, See LIBRARY,Page B-3 Al Hartmann/The Salt Lake Tribune Librarian Jane Dotterer holds a defective copyof the new Harry Potter book Tuesdayat the downtown Salt LakeCity Public Library. § |
