Jurors

Arguing that a letter from a juror suggests jury misconduct, defense attorneys for four Conejo Valley youths began laying the groundwork Monday to appeal felony murder convictions that carry life sentences for the teenage defendants. Citing portions of the letter sent one day after the verdict was reached, attorney Jill Lansing asked a judge to release the names and addresses of jury members to allow for a probe into possible improprieties. Malibu Municipal Judge Lawrence J.

Westwood attorney Tom Dempsey thought he had them pegged. He was arguing a personal injury case on behalf of a middle-aged woman who had wrecked her shoulder bouncing down an inner tube ride at a Palm Springs water park. In the jury box sat a couple of Generation Xers--barely into their 20s, not exactly fresh-faced and eager, but still ready to try their hand at this civic duty thing.

A juror who is alleged to have solicited a bribe to vote against convicting former Ram cornerback Darryl Henley on cocaine trafficking charges said Tuesday he plans to invoke the 5th Amendment if called to testify during a defense bid for a new trial. Making a brief appearance in federal court here, Bryan Quihuis of San Bernardino told U. S. District Judge Gary L. Taylor that he would invoke his rights against self-incrimination and refuse to answer every question posed to him.

After 20 weeks of argument and testimony, the jurors finally began deliberations Friday afternoon in the retrial of the Menendez brothers. The seven men and five women retired to the jury room at lunchtime, taking with them nearly 450 exhibits illustrating the testimony of 64 witnesses. The jurors had spent the morning listening to Superior Court Judge Stanley M. Weisberg's instructions on the law.

A San Bernardino Superior Court jury deadlocked Friday in the attempted-murder retrial of former Cal State Northridge football player Jonathan Beauregard. After four days of deliberating, the jury voted 11-1 in favor of acquittal, creating another mistrial. In Beauregard's first trial, in October, a jury also deadlocked, voting 9-3 in favor of conviction. "It's very disappointing and we don't know at this point if there will be another retrial," Deputy Dist. Atty. Cheryl Kersy said.

Responding to a prosecution appeal, the state Court of Appeals threw out eight items on a questionnaire for prospective jurors in Jack Kevorkian's upcoming assisted-suicide trial. Five of the eight questions dealt with religious beliefs or practices, said Larry Kozma of the Oakland County prosecutor's office. The other three asked about beliefs on assisted suicide and the right to die. Neither a copy nor further details of the ruling were immediately available.

The Los Angeles County district attorney's office is "seriously looking into" allegations that an anonymous letter that ultimately led to the dismissal of a juror in the O.J. Simpson murder trial was fabricated. If prosecutors determine that the document was falsified, its author--assuming he or she can be identified--could be charged with obstruction of justice. Simpson, however, cannot be retried, because his acquittal confers a constitutional protection against double jeopardy.

Here are thumbnail sketches and the seating chart for the 12 men and women who will determine whether Lyle and Erik Menendez live or die. Back Row JUROR 7: White male, 30, of Sherman Oaks. Single, truck driver for city of Los Angeles, certified massage therapist and a pilot. Air National Guard reservist, served in Persian Gulf War as flight medic. Also was a reserve officer for the San Fernando Police Department. Owns guns. Didn't follow first trial.

Eight women and four men were selected Thursday as jurors in the Alec Baldwin case, paving the way for opening arguments to begin early next week. Baldwin, 37, is charged with misdemeanor battery for allegedly striking Alan Zanger, 51, a well-known celebrity photographer who was videotaping the October homecoming of Baldwin's wife, actress Kim Basinger, and the couple's newborn daughter.

A jury on Friday recommended the death penalty for a man convicted of murdering three people and wounding a fourth at a South-Central Los Angeles tire store in December 1992. Lamar Barnwell is expected to be sentenced April 18 in the execution-style murders of Eural Johnson, Kenneth Newman and Sandra Green at Williams Tire Service. Jesse Dwight Bingham was critically wounded. Barnwell, 29, opened fire about 3:30 a.m. on Dec.