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Birmingham bombing prosecutor expresses confidence on the legal merits of case

"This is a case that is so unique that I don't believe the court will overturn that."

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (CNN) - Prosecuting attorney Doug Jones on Wednesday described the emotion in the courtroom after a guilty verdict was handed down against a former Ku Klux Klansman in the 1963 bombing deaths of four African-American girls.

A Birmingham, Alabama, jury convicted Thomas Blanton in the attack on the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church.

Jones spoke with CNN's Carol Lin on Wednesday and expressed confidence against any appeal by defense attorneys.

VIDEO A biracial jury convicts Thomas Blanton Jr. in the 1963 bombing deaths of four girls in a black Birmingham church. CNN's Brian Cabell reports Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)  ALSO • Birmingham church bombing chronology   LEGAL RESOURCES Latest Legal News Law Library FindLaw Consumer Center Select a topic Bankruptcy Discrimination Divorce Estate Planning Landlord-Tenant Personal Injury Taxes

Lin: Well, for as much as we've seen from a distance of this case and the coverage and all the publicity, I don't know that anyone can really know what it must have been like to stand there in that courtroom as that verdict was read. Can you share that moment with us?

Jones: It was -- it was somewhat overwhelming. We've put a lot of time, we've put a lot of sweat into this thing. We've, the families of these victims, have been so supportive. It was a very emotional moment for everyone.

Lin: And, at first, a silent one, as I understand, because the people in the courtroom ... it's almost as if they didn't want to have an emotional, immediate emotional reaction to it. They wanted to pay homage to that moment.

Jones: Well, I think there's probably some truth to that. I mean, it was a silence that I think was something that you just had to be there to experience. No one expected the verdict to come in quite that early. We appreciate the jury's careful, I think, deliberation in putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

And, just in there, it was somewhat of a, I wouldn't say a stunned silence, but it was certainly a silence of everybody. There was a lot of relief, a welling-up inside a lot of people.

Lin: All right, well you're about to experience an appeal. John Robbins, Thomas Blanton's attorney, said that he is going to file an appeal as soon as possible. And he's basing it on two things: a violation of his client's Fourth Amendment rights -- illegal search and seizure, getting those FBI tapes -- as well as some questions about the makeup of the jury. Why don't we start first with this key piece of evidence here?

Jones: Right. The key piece of evidence was the tape. We analyzed the legal issues involving that tape extensively. We had a couple of days worth of hearings in front of the judge. And we feel very good that we can sustain that on appeal.

This is a case that is so unique that I don't believe the court will overturn that. Certainly, those tapes were not likely to have ever been able to be used in the 1960s. But there have been a lot of changes in the law in the way people look at those tapes. So we feel pretty good about the fact that we'll be able to sustain that.

Lin: You describe the high-level emotion in that courtroom. And that's one of the reasons why Thomas Blanton's attorney says that this verdict was unjust. And he takes a look at the makeup of the jury -- all but one female. You had, what, eight whites and four blacks on this jury. Do you think the makeup of this jury had anything to do, any influence at all on the verdict?

Jones: No, none whatsoever. I mean, both the defense and the state had a lot of opportunities to examine each of these jurors in an individual fashion. The judge gave both parties incredible leeway. We had a jury questionnaire that we had them fill out, that we were able to study for a couple of days. I don't think there's going to be any problem with the jury selection in this case at all.

Lin: So, as far as you're concerned, is this case closed? Will there be any other indictments in this church bombing?

Jones: Well, I don't expect any other indictments. You know, we still have one case pending -- a co-defendant, Mr. Cherry. That case is pending right now. He has had a psychiatrist that has filed a report indicating that he was not competent to stand trial. We are looking at that now and having him examined -- a full battery of mental and physical examinations.

And we're going to have to wait until the outcome of those before we see whether or not we can proceed to trial with him. But other than those two, we don't expect anything else.

Lin: So it is not over yet for Birmingham, Alabama. Thank you very much, Doug Jones, for joining us this morning.

Jones: My pleasure.

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