Grand Jury Boss Pressing for Monroe Probe Is Ousted

The foreman of the Los Angeles County Grand Jury was replaced this morning, reportedly after fellow grand jurors complained that he had abused his authority.

The announcement by the presiding judge of the Superior Court came as the foreman, Sam Cordova, 53, of Sylmar, was holding a press conference calling for the county Board of Supervisors or the governor to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the 1962 death of Marilyn Monroe.

Last Friday, Dist. Atty. Ira Reiner had labeled as “irresponsible almost beyond description” Cordova’s suggestion that the Los Angeles County Grand Jury would reopen the case.

Authorities said the decision to replace Cordova was not directly related to his call for a new look at the case of the celebrated actress, whose death was officially ruled a suicide.

Thomas T. Johnson, presiding judge of Superior Court, said he was told last week that Cordova had agreed to submit a letter of resignation effective today. As a result, Johnson said, he appointed a new foreman, Charles T. Richardson of Claremont, who began serving this morning.

But The Times learned that no resignation letter had been received from Cordova this morning.

Reiner said that Cordova, before his public remarks on Monroe, was given the choice of resigning or being replaced as of this morning because grand jury members had complained that he was repeatedly making unauthorized statements on their behalf.

At his press conference this morning, Cordova denied to reporters that he had heard of rumors he might be removed from his foreman’s post.