Path to a Verdict

Here is a chronology of significant events in the “Twilight Zone” movie manslaughter case.

July 23, 1982--Helicopter damaged by special effects during filming of “Twilight Zone: The Movie” crashes on film set in Saugus, killing actor Vic Morrow and child performers Myca Dinh Lee, 7, and Renee Chen, 6.

July 30, 1982--State Labor Commission assesses $5,000 civil citations against Warner Bros. studios, Landis, associate producer George Folsey and unit production manager Dan Allingham for allowing the two children to work after 6:30 p.m. and by exposing them to “an extreme hazardous situation near explosives.”

June 24, 1983--Los Angeles County Grand Jury indicts Landis, Folsey, Allingham, special-effects coordinator Paul Stewart and helicopter pilot Dorcey Wingo on involuntary manslaughter charges. On the same day, “Twilight Zone: The Movie” opens nationwide.

June 27, 1983--Warner Bros. Inc. and Landis, Folsey and Allingham pay civil fines of $20,000 to the state labor commissioner as a result of the crash. The settlement was made without any admission of liability. Total fines in the case eventually rose to $82,000.

Jan. 9, 1984--A preliminary hearing opens before Superior Court Judge Brian Crahan to determine whether the “Twilight Zone” defendants should stand trial.

March 6, 1984--National Transportation Safety Board concludes that flying debris propelled by special-effects explosions was the probable cause of the crash. The board later amends the report to add another probable cause--that heat from a special-effects fireball melted a portion of the aircraft’s rear rotary blade.

April 23, 1984--Landis, Stewart and Wingo are ordered to stand trial on involuntary manslaughter charges. However, Crahan dismisses separate charges involving child endangerment against Landis, Folsey and Allingham.

Nov. 5, 1984--Superior Court Judge Gordon Ringer reinstates all charges against the five defendants.

March 22, 1985--A California appeals court refuses to dismiss the involuntary manslaughter charges.

July 22, 1986--Jury selection begins, four years after the fatal crash.

April 15, 1987--After 100 court days, testimony ends in the trial.

May 18, 1987--The case goes to the jury.