The Region : Fired Jury Foreman Raps D.A.’s Power

The man who was replaced as foreman of the Los Angeles County Grand Jury after he urged an inquiry into the 1962 death of actress Marilyn Monroe said he will not serve out his term as a jury member because “I would be apprehensive about being in there where the witnesses are all controlled by the district attorney.” Sylmar businessman Sam Cordova, 53, said Dist. Atty. Ira Reiner has too much power in the jury hearing room and “I just wouldn’t feel safe.” Cordova’s initial declaration that members of the jury’s criminal justice committee were investigating the Monroe death was called irresponsible and false by Reiner, who said there are no grounds for another such inquiry. Supervising Superior Court Judge Thomas T. Johnson removed Cordova for reasons he and Reiner said were unrelated to the Monroe case.