VENTURA : Jury Acquits Man of Gun Threat Charges

In April, 11 jurors wanted to convict Kevin McCord on charges that he pulled a shotgun on two female dancers who refused to have sex with him.

But the case ended in mistrial when the 12th juror--an 84-year-old nun--refused to go along.

On Monday, she was vindicated when a second jury acquitted McCord of both charges.

Defense attorney Richard W. Hanawalt praised the nun’s courage.

“There’s no question the jury was very harsh with her, but for her age, she was very adept,” he said.

McCord, 26, faced up to 13 1/2 years in prison if convicted of the two false-imprisonment charges.

According to trial testimony, the two women came to his parents’ Ventura house Sept. 19, 1992, after McCord called their escort service. There, according to the women, he demanded sex and pulled out a shotgun when they refused.

But McCord, who testified at the second trial but not at the first, said the women saw the shotgun hidden under a bed as they poked around the house. Fearing that they were thieves, he threw the women out, he said.

After the first trial, the nun said the women were not believable, Hanawalt said.

At the second trial, Hanawalt said the defense was able to produce telephone bills showing that McCord was on the phone with other dancers most of the time that he was accused of holding a gun on the two women.

“He was phone maniac,” Hanawalt said. “He was just on the phone right and left.”

Deputy Dist. Atty. Terence M. Kilbride could not be reached for comment Monday.

The first jury did convict McCord of possessing a gun, in violation of his parole for five prior felony convictions. Superior Court Judge Charles R. McGrath sentenced him to three years in state prison, but with time served, he could be released in about six months.