Dismissed Juror Denies He Intimidated Others

Willie Cravin, one of two jurors dismissed from the O.J. Simpson trial Monday, denied that he intimidated another member of the panel and said he was not allowed to defend himself to Superior Court Judge Lance A. Ito before being dropped.

“The reason I was told is that I didn’t get along with people, that some people complained I was intimidating. But I don’t buy that,” Cravin told reporters who met him as he returned to his Carson home at dinner time.

A postal operations manager, Cravin said he stayed away from most jurors “99% of the time” during the trial that has dominated his life since last winter.

“All I was told was, we’re dismissing you because you and some of the jurors don’t get along,” he said, calling it a “one-way decision.”

With his family at his side, Cravin answered reporters’ questions in a calm, subdued tone, steering away from predictions about the trial’s outcome. Because the defense has not yet made its case, it is too early to render a verdict, he said. He said the prosecution is “doing a pretty good job” but added that some defense lawyers are “pretty sharp” too.

Cravin described jurors watching pay-per-view television, playing dominoes and reading the Bible to pass time. He said some jurors were “kind of immature,” but he did not elaborate. The trial is “really dragging,” he said, but added that he does not believe it is “out of control.”

Asked his reaction to returning home, Cravin said wryly, “It’s fine being home, to go back to a normal life. Once I get rid of the cameras, It’ll be normal.”

Cravin repeatedly was asked how Ito can stabilize the trial’s future in view of the dwindling number of jurors.

“Is there a way to save this?” a reporter asked.

“Well, I’ll give him an opportunity to take me back,” Cravin joked.