Before deliberations began, Judge Kavanewsky instructed the jury not to speculate about Golder's past or references to him being on parole, while touching on concerns that Liebman's contradictory statements were legitimate grounds to question his truthfulness.
Dinnertime Bandit verdict expected soon
Article Launched: 08/20/2008 11:38:51STAMFORD - The jury is expected to deliver its verdict in the case of alleged Dinntertime Bandit Alan Golder within the hour.
The trial ended Tuesday with a dramatic outburst by Golder yelling at Assistant State's Attorney Joseph Valdes during his closing arguments.....
...Golder's public defender Howard Ehring emphasized Liebman's history of drug abuse to undercut his reliability.
Ehring said the jury must recognize the possibility that Liebman, who was in prison from 2000 to 2005 for a violent robbery, might have committed the Greenwich robberies and blamed Golder for them after Golder fled to Belgium in November 1997 as police began to seek him in connection with the burglaries.
Over two days last week, Liebman often referred to court documents during proceedings to correct his testimony about amounts of money he received for selling jewelry, and what type of car he used to drive Golder to Greenwich....
Please See:
08/19/08 Judge John Kavanewsky Jr. excused the jury and then threatened to bar the dinnertime bandit from the courtroom
UPDATE 12:21 pm:
ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTS
NATIONWIDE THAT:
GOLDER GOES DOWN
Conn. jury convicts 'Dinnertime Bandit'Danbury News Times
The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 08/20/2008 12:18:17 PM
STAMFORD, Conn.—A Connecticut Superior Court jury has convicted "Dinnertime Bandit" Alan Golder for home burglaries in Greenwich.
The six jurors in Stamford reached their verdicts Wednesday on the first day of deliberations. They convicted Golder of kidnapping, two counts of burglary and one count of larceny, but acquitted him of two counts each of burglary and larceny.
Golder showed little reaction after the verdicts were announced. His bond was kept at $3 million, and sentencing is set for Oct. 24.
The 53-year-old Golder was dubbed the "Dinnertime Bandit" because he broke into homes in the mid-1990s and stole valuable items from upper floors, often while residents were eating dinner.
UPDATE #2 1:05PM
GREENWICH TIME REPORTS
Public Defender Howard Ehring will ask the judge
to overturn the kidnapping conviction
Jury convicts Golder of "Dinnertime" crimesBy Martin B. Cassidy/ Greenwich Time Staff writer
Article Launched: 08/20/2008 12:25:00 PM
The saga of "Dinnertime Bandit" Alan Golder ended today in Stamford Superior Court as he was convicted of kidnapping, two counts of second-degree burglary and one count of first-degree larceny.
He was found not guilty on several other charges.
Golder, accused of burglarizing the homes of wealthy Greenwich people as they ate dinner, was found guilty in connection with two burglaries in which a prosecution witness and admitted accomplice said he drove Golder to commit the crimes....
Please Read The Full Greenwich Time Story
ALSO: Greenwich's 'Dinnertime Bandit' Convicted
WNBC New York Channel 4
POSTED: 12:48 pm EDT August 20, 2008
"Dinnertime Bandit" Alan Golder was convicted Wednesday for sneaking into mansions in Greenwich, Conn. and stealing valuables -- often while the owners were home.
The six jurors in
Stamford reached their verdicts Wednesday on the first day of deliberations.
UPDATE #3 2:46 PM
EXPANDED ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORT
GOES NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL
Jury Convicts 'Dinnertime Bandit'
Hartford Courant
Associated Press- 2:32 PM EDT, August 20, 2008
STAMFORD, Conn. - A Connecticut jury convicted cat burglar Alan Golder on Wednesday of kidnapping and burglary charges for crimes more than a decade ago that earned him the nickname of the "Dinnertime Bandit."
The six Superior Court jurors needed less than a day to convict Golder of kidnapping, two counts of burglary and one count of larceny. They acquitted him of other burglary and larceny counts.
Prosecutor Joseph Valdes called it a "clearly a well-thought-out verdict."
Golder, 53, showed little reaction after the decision was announced. His bond was kept at $3 million, and sentencing is set for Oct. 24.
He was dubbed the "Dinnertime Bandit" after a series of spectacular burglaries in 1996 and 1997 of several wealthy Connecticut homes.
Prosecutors argued that he scaled mansion walls wearing a black "ninja"-type suit and hood, slipped through second-floor windows during dinnertime while alarms were off and stole precious jewels and property valued at $1 million.
An alleged accomplice, Robert Liebman, testified during the trial that he drove Golder to Greenwich twice and fenced jewelry stolen in burglaries.
Authorities say Golder claimed to have robbed the homes of Johnny Carson, Glen Campbell and other celebrities in the 1970s, stealing jewelry worth millions of dollars over five years.
In 1978, real estate developer Lawrence Lever was fatally shot at his New York home by Golder's accomplice during a break-in. Golder served 15 years in prison and was paroled in June 1996.
The Connecticut thefts began three months after Golder's release. Prosecutors had argued the Connecticut burglaries bore his signature style.
He fled the country in 1997 and lived in Europe before being arrested in Belgium in 2006 and extradited to Connecticut.
Public Defender Howard Ehring had suggested that Liebman, who served five years in prison for robbery, might have committed the Greenwich burglaries and framed Golder.
Ehring was not immediately available for comment after the verdict.
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