Laker Trainer Is Acquitted in Abuse Case

Laker trainer Gary Vitti was found not guilty Wednesday of choking his former fiancee during an argument in their Manhattan Beach home.

A Torrance Superior Court jury acquitted Vitti, 46, of one misdemeanor count of corporal injury on a cohabitant. The jury spent one day deliberating after the trial.

Vitti was arrested after Wendy Newton, 35, said he grabbed her by the neck during a May 29 argument and slammed her against a wall, briefly knocking her unconscious.

He did not testify at his trial, but defense attorney Tony Capozzola denied that Vitti choked Newton.

“This weight has been on my shoulders for 10 months,” said Vitti, who intended to greet the Lakers’ jet at LAX this morning. “I’m happy. But the big thing, I’m happiest for my daughters, who’ve had to see this in the papers and hear about it in school. They don’t deserve that. I’m happiest for them and my family and friends. The vindication is for everybody, not just me.”