University of Virginia Library

Charlottesville Jury Convicts Doran,
Gives Former Student $1,000 Fine

By Peter Shea
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Tom Doran was convicted late
yesterday afternoon on perjury charges
but was given only a $1,000 fine, when
he could have received up to a ten-year
prison sentence.

Mr. Doran, a former University
Student, was arrested in September for
allegedly lying during his August 18 trial
for destruction of University property.
The defendant was convicted on the
earlier charge and fined $100.

The perjury charge was prosecuted
yesterday in Charlottesville Corporation Court
before judge George M. Coles by
Commonwealth's Attorney Jack Camblos who
based his case on evidence submitted by two
fourth-year students at the University.

The verdict of guilty was handed down by a
12-member jury after 75 minutes of
deliberation. Every juror was white and male;
only one was clearly under 50 years of age.

Mr. Doran's trial, postponed from last
Tuesday, opened yesterday morning at 10:38.
The jury retired to deliberate at about 5:30 and
returned its decision of guilty at 6:45. The
penalty decided by the jury has been taken
under advisement by the Judge and will be
appealed by the defense.

The progress of the trial was impeded by
numerous conferences between Judge Colos,
defense counsel John Lowe and the prosecuting
attorney. Mr. Lowe startled the packed court
room, however, by not calling any defense
witnesses and resting his entire case on his final
argument.

The Commonwealth's two witnesses both
testified that they saw Mr. Doran enter Cabell
Hall from the courtyard between the building
and Old Cabell Hall within five seconds of the
smashing of windows in the area. Mr. Doran
was convicted of vandalism, a misdemeanor
upon this same testimony last summer.

Mr. Doran did not take the stand in his own
defense but a tape of his testimony in August
played by the prosecution revealed that the
defendant claimed that he had entered Cabell
Hall to "go to the bathroom" and that he was
never on the second floor, the place where the
eye-witnesses reportedly spotted him.

The incident occurred around midnight,
May 6-7, shortly after the speeches by William
Kunstler and Jerry Rubin. The students, Kristin
L. Allen and Richard G. Fredenburg, said that
they were running to Cabell Hall in order to
phone the University Security Department
about the occupation of Maury Hall, the Naval
ROTC building.

As they headed for the courtyard and Old
Cabell Hall, the witnesses both claim to have
heard separate noises of shattering glass. Within
five seconds, they reached the door at the
northern end of the second floor of Cabell Hall,
they ran into someone whom they identified as
Mr. Doran, the witnesses testified.

Mr. Camblos contended that the witnesses
had positively identified the person as Mr.
Doran, but the defense attorney tried to prove
to the jury that some doubt could still exist,
even if not in the minds of the witnesses.

Mr. Lowe, in his final argument reminded
the jury that the two engineers had admitted
that they were excited, and he tried to show
how this could have affected their memory.

The ACLU lawyer claimed that there were
many persons who look much like Mr. Doran
and pointed to five or six in the court room as
evidence. He said that, given the "excitement,
fear, upset, worry" that the witnesses were
undergoing, it would have been easy for them
to notice only the suspect's red hair and beard.

Mr. Lowe based his argument that the two
had not seen the suspect clearly on the fact that
they could not really what he was wearing. Mr.
Allen said the suspect was wearing a poncho,
and glasses but Mr. Doran had stated that he
did not own a poncho.

In his summation, Mr. Camblos told the jury
that this was a serious crime and that, if
repeated by others. It could cause the entire
legal system to fall to pieces. He stressed that
"serious crimes call for serious punishments."

Photo By Howard Weinberg

Doorway In Courtyard Between New and Old Cabell Hall

Scene At Which It Was Claimed Tom Doran Broke Windows On May 6/7