By Val Ellicott
Staff Writer
One of the six jurors who argued strongly for
conviction in the murder case against Kevin Coleman failed to
disclose his own record when the judge and prosecutor asked
prospective jurors if they had ever been arrested.
John Fitzpatrick, 37, of Boynton Beach, was
arrested on July 17, 1990, and charged with grand larceny and
extortion, according to state records. He also was arrested in 1977
on a shoplifting charge and in 1985 for violating probation on a
misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest without violence in Broward County.
The 1990 case was dropped 36 days after
Fitzpatrick's arrest, and Fitzpatrick was acquitted on the
shoplifting charge, records show. Records on the misdemeanor case
were not available.
Fitzpatrick revealed nothing of his encounters with
police as attorneys at Coleman's trial questioned jurors about their backgrounds.
Carey Haughwout, the attorney representing Coleman
in his effort to win a new trial, said Fitzpatrick's failure to
disclose his arrest may be good news for Coleman.
``It certainly can be a reason to set aside a
judgment,'' Haughwout said. ``They (jury candidates) . . . swear to
tell the truth.''
Of the four jurors who were interviewed about the
Coleman trial, Fitzpatrick was most critical of the defense,
describing most of the defense witnesses and one prosecution witness
as ``cockroaches.''
Fitzpatrick said he believed, from the onset of
deliberations, that Coleman was guilty.
