Henley Confederates May Get New Trial

The four men convicted of participating in a drug smuggling ring with former Los Angeles Rams defensive back Darryl Henley may be entitled to a new trial, a federal appeals court said Wednesday.

The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ordered a lower court to review whether the four men’s convictions, including that of Henley’s uncle, Rex, were the result of a prejudiced jury after the football player attempted to bribe at least one juror with $50,000.

The appeals court is following U.S. Supreme Court precedents on jury tampering. The high court has held that jurors who have been solicited for a bribe or threatened may have a tainted view of those on trial and may infect other jurors during deliberations.

The appellate panel’s order does not include a review of the football player’s conviction. After trial, Henley subsequently pleaded guilty to soliciting the murder of U.S. District Judge Gary L. Taylor, who was overseeing his drug-trafficking trial, and of Tracy Donaho, an ex-Rams cheerleader who was a key witness in the drug case.

The former Rams player and the four others--his uncle, Rafael Bustamante, Willie McGowan and Garey West--were convicted of participating in a cocaine ring financed by Henley. The four are serving prison terms ranging from 13 to 20 years.

Charges were filed in 1993 after Donaho was arrested at an Atlanta airport with about 25 pounds of cocaine in a suitcase.

Henley was a second-round draft choice out of UCLA by the Rams in 1989 and was a regular starter through much of the 1994 season, when he played while free on bail prior to trial.