Murder trail opens for two former Rajneeshees
PORTLAND (AD A
guru hooked on RolU
Knyii's and evpmsiv >•
w all hes and sometimes
high on nitrous aside
mis power cra/eo. para
noid personal secretary handing out
bizarre orders and com acting enemies
lists from her opulent bedroom crowded
with favor seekers
Thousands of red-garhed followers
building their vision of utopia in the high
Oregon desert.
The strange days of Rajneeshpuratn
were revisited Wednesdav in opening
arguments in the trial of two of the com
mtine’s former leaders on t harm's ttiev
conspired to kill the 1‘ S. attorney for
Oregon
"It's a i lassie i ase of human frailty and
corruption, the arrogance of power and
the manipulation ol the dev • >!ed ; ■. ..
cutor T ! Reardon 111 said
However, attorneys for the defendants
say the government’s (ase is based entire
ly on the dubious testimony of five e\ fol
lowers of the guru wh.se stories have
( hanged through the years. The five are
testifying as part of deals they < til with
the government
"The evident e will show that these an*
people who lie to get what they want,''
attorney Leslie Weathi-rhrad said
Defendants Sally Anne ( roft and Susan
Hagan were known as Ma f’retti Simla
and Ma Anand So in their days at the
north < entral Oregon commune in the
early 1980s Croft was in charge of the
commune's money Hagan headed the
heavy equipment department
Reardon depu ted Croft as the No t
person at the commune, hut her attorney
disputed that, saying there was no hierar
chy beyond the guru. Hhagyvan Shree
Rapjeesh. and his sharp-tongued person
Ma
(.roft was asked hy Ka|Oeesh to succeed
She* i i ■ set retary 'vs hen ■-::!■ I hr
commune, hot she turned him down after
he told her he didn’t tare about his fol
lowers and was only concerned with his
Rolls Kovt t’s and watches, Weatherhead
said.
In 1*181. Rajneesh moved his followers
from India to the former Hig Muddy
Rani h in a remote set turn of VVast o
County The defendants wore motor play
ers in the development of a lay ish i om
rmtne that included an airport, shopping
malls hotel and a largo meditation hall
Four thousand followers worked sev
en-day weeks in a tightly controlled,
authoritarian onv ironnumt
Witnesses will testify that Croft and
Hagan were present at meetings where
plans were made to kill then-U S attor
ney Charles Turner, Reardon said Turn
er was heading an investigation into alle
gations that Rajneeshees were condor ting
sham marriages to circumvent U S
immigration taws
The prosecution contends Croft and
Hagan attended "a series of killing enn
ferem es" In Sheelas lied room where the
l onsptrai y to kill Turner was developed
Croft is alleged to have supplied the mon
ey to purchase five guns that i mild not lie
trai ed to the commune Hagan was a fer
vent follower who gave a pep talk in sup
port of the plot, the prosecution alleges
Followers of the guru went to Cortland
to find out Turner s work habits and took
photographs of his home, Reardon said
Two women were sent to Texas and New
Mexico it) Inis (hi* guns The weapons
wen’ retrieved from a drained lake last
year and will bo presented as evidence,
Reardon said
Hut the defense attorneys said there is
no evidence that the two women attend
ed the meetings, and those w ho say nth
etw ise have changed their stories over the
years Four of the five named in opening
arguments have rent bed plea bargain
deals with the government t he fifth was
granted immunity from all prosecution
Wootherheud w ants the results of a lie
deter tor examination that ( roft took to lie
admitted as evidence Hagan's attorney
Colleen St tssors said her t bent has
offered to take a lie detector test, too
The women fought extradition from
tngland. where Croft worked as an
at i militant and Hagan was an nromather
apist Several family members and sup
portsi s. mt (tiding I lagan a 19 yeat did
daughter, were m the courtroom Wrdties
day
it w it the same t ourt house where
Raineesb pleaded guilty to imuugrntinn
tr.iml before leas ing the t minify in l'ttl'i
He died in India in 19‘M)
Packwood declines public hearing
WASHINGTON (AP) Sttn
Bob Pack wood notified the Ethic s
Committee on Wednesday that
he will not request a hearing on
< barges including sexual mis
conduct and attempting to
obstruct the probe by altering his
diaries
However, the committee could
order a hearing anyway — and
has done so in every case that has
reached the final investigative
stage The Oregon Republican’s
case has reached that point, and
he had until Wednesday to
request a hearing
if the ethics panel's three
Republicans and three Democrats
decide to order hearings, they
also would determine whether —
as in the past — the proceedings
would he public. The alternative
would be to reach conclusions
without a hearing, basing a com
mittee report on evidence gath
ered and on private interviews
with witnesses
Packwood's lawyers sent the
(ommittee a brief letter stating,
this is Id notify you th.it Se>y
Pgt kwood does not request ,i
hearing."
“ l he senator, who i hairs the
Senate Ptnin e ( ommittee. could
have used the proceeding to
make statements in his defense
and his lawyers could have cross
examined witnesses
It was not immediately clear
what the Ethics Committee
would decide. Sen Barbara
Mikulski, D-Md., a committee
member, has called for public
hearings. Ranking committee
Democrat Richard Bryan, of
Nevada, strongly hinted that fie
favored hearings by pointing to
the panel's past history
Pack wood met with the panel
privately for three days last week
to defend himself and answer
questions.
His chief of staff. Elaine
Franklin, said. "For two and one
half years. Sen Pai kwood has
said tie wants an opportunity to
present his side to tin* Fthics
Committee For three days last
week he hud that opportunity
"Non he looks forward to
One. a resolution to these mat
ters; two, leading the Senate on
the spending n<striiiiits tns essary
to balance the budget ’
The Finance Committee is
preparing to revamp Medicare
and Medicaid and to write tax
cut legislation
111 the sexual mis< undue t idle
gallons, Packwood was accused
of making unwanted advances to
women from 1969 through 1990.
including grabbing and kissing
them against their will Several
of the women said they wanted
to toll their stories at a public
hearing
lie is also accused of altering
his personal diaries when he
learned they might be subpoe
naed. and soliciting job offers for
his soon-to-be ex wife from indi
viduals with legislative interests
Blind couple’s concessions
sight for visitors’ sore eyes
K( X .1 t. Kl v I K. On- (AT) -
People who buy a latte or .1
snow conn at Valley of the
Rogue Slate Park have a hard
tune (relieving Koy and Met kv
Picket l are hoth legally blind
"They didn't at I like blind
people." said lerrv Agnew.
who stop[»«I on Ins way home
to Visalia. (jdif
"1 had not a clue." said Rob
Massey of Tigard "She |us!
took my money and made
change."
With so many visitors say
ing they want a < hant e to buy
snacks and drinks. Oregon
state parks this year are m.ik
ing their first foray into the
world of concession stands,
said |im Mutton, who manages
the park neighboring a rest
stop on Interstate 5 between
Medford and (’.runts Pass
I ndrr Oregon law. Inn tbs
od gM'pnwini i- fot offer
mg t on* evsiuus til state owned
facilities The Picketts pay 15
psn I'll! of thru « iMW ret eipls
to the stale
i bough people hit • little
notion tin’ I’ii ketis iiri> dis
abled, tlii’v both suffer from
sever** limitations to their
sight
"I can't tell a man from a
woman until they open their
mouth." Hoy Pit kett said
They hove learned their way
around the 24-foot trailer that
is their concession stand Koy
Pickett uses a magnifier to
identify i urrency and knows
a soft drink is full when the
bubbles burst over the rim
"1 make espresso as fast as
somebody with sight.' Koy
Pit kett Mild
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