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Toobin: 'Bad facts' sealed Einhorn verdict
(CNN)) -- Ira Einhorn, the so-called hippie guru, who had been on the run, now has been found guilty of killing his girlfriend. CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin discussed the case and the verdict with CNN anchor Leon Harris. LEON HARRIS: What do you make of what we just heard here? JEFFREY TOOBIN: This has really been an extraordinary legal saga, Leon. Remember, Ira Einhorn has been convicted already of this crime. He was convicted in absentia. That means that he wasn't there for the trial of this murder. He was on the lam at the time. They found him in France. The Pennsylvania legislature had to pass a special law that would allow France to extradite him. They brought him back. He was tried again, and he was convicted again. So, I mean, this verdict is literally 25 years in the making, and there's some very satisfied prosecutors there. HARRIS: Don't you think that after 25 years, the guy could come up with a better story, well, that body that was in the trunk in my closet, I was framed, someone else put it there? TOOBIN: Well, Leon, you know, defense attorneys have a term for that. They call it bad facts. Defense attorneys had some bad facts in this case. As you know, when you find a dead body in your very own trunk and it's your girlfriend, and you have diary entries that talk about your tempestuous relationship with her, those are some bad facts. You know, he took the stand, and I think we can tell by the length of the jury deliberations, the jury wasn't buying it a bit. HARRIS: Yes. TOOBIN: He got convicted. HARRIS: Yes, in a matter of a couple of hours here. ... Now, what could possibly happen next in this? This, the end of the jury's portion of this particular case, deciding whether or not he's culpable, what happens from here out? TOOBIN: Certainly, there will be an appeal, Leon, but I don't think this legal drama, which has had extraordinary twists and turns, is going to change much. He's, obviously, going to be sentenced. He's 62 years old. This will carry a very long sentence. He's not eligible for the death penalty. In fact, one of the interesting issues in terms of the extradition controversy, France did not want to extradite Einhorn if there was any possibility that he would be executed, because France does not have the death penalty. That was part of the very complex negotiations involving his extradition. As I mentioned before, I mean this is just so incredible when you think about it, the state of Pennsylvania, the legislature, passed a separate law that was just to deal with the Einhorn case, so that he could be extradited. You know, this case has not really penetrated the national consciousness very much, but in Pennsylvania, this has been a long- running saga, and Holly Maddux's family has been understandably in the lead in trying to get justice for their late daughter. This has been followed very closely there. You know, they finally brought him back. He did have the trial that, you know -- he had a fair trial. He got a -- he was able to testify. The jury was able to look him over, see whether they believed him, and they convicted him promptly, and I anticipate that the only end to this story is he that he'll serve the rest of his life in jail. HARRIS: All right. Now it's all over but the sentencing. We will have to wait to see how that turns out. Jeff Toobin, thanks much. Take care. TOOBIN: OK, Leon.
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