A TAPED CONFESSION BY THE ACCUSED KILLER OF LATE PRESIDENTIAL CONFIDANT ALFRED BLOOMINGDALE'S MISTRESS WAS MADE VOLUNTARILY AND WILL BE ADMITTED AS EVIDENCE AT HIS MURDER TRIAL

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000404390001-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 21, 2010
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: May 15, 1984
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

STAT Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/21 : CIA-RDP90-00552R000404390001-2
4 UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL
15 May 1984
BY MICHAEL D. HARRIS
LOS ANGELES
A taped confession by the accused killer of late presidential confidant
Alfred Bloomingdale's mistress was made voluntarily and will be admitted as
evidence at his murder trial, a judge ruled Tuesday.
Attorneys for Marvin Pancoast argued during a weeklong pretrial hearing that
a total of five incriminating statements to police and a newspaper reporter
should be suppressed as evidence on grounds Pancoast did not have an attorney
present and'did not make the statements voluntarily.
'The court finds ... beyond a reasonable doubt that the statements were made
voluntarily by Mr. Pancoast, that he waived his Miranda rights and that they
will be admitted,'' Superior Court Judge David Horowitz ruled.
Police officers testified last week that Pancoast walked into a police
station the night Vicki Morgan was beaten to death with a baseball bat and
confessed to the murder. On tape, he told police Miss Morgan wanted to die
because she was about to be evicted from her condominium.
Pancoast, 34, has pleaded innocent and innocent by reason of insanity to the
July 1983 baseball bat slaying of the 30-year-old woman, who had lost a
multi-million palimony suit against the department store heir's estate.
The judge said his ruling was not a determination of whether Pancoast was
legally insane at time of the murder, whether he was guilty or innocent or
whether the statements were true.
'What this means is that the people (prosecutors) will be asked to prove
that these statements are truthful and the people have absolutely no evidence to
prove that,'' defense attorney Charles Mathews said.
"In fact,'' he added, ''they have a volume evidence to prove these
statements are full of untruths. I don't think Marvin knew what he was saying.''
Before the ruling, defense attorney Arthur Barens said he will renew efforts
to force the FBI an o re ease any video tapes they may have showing top
government officials at sex orgies.
"We're going to start contacting those agencies again tomorrow to see if
the l voluntarily respond to our subpoenas, " Barens said. "If not, we will
seek the judge's help to order them to comply w1 the subpoena.''
Continued
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/21 : CIA-RDP90-00552R000404390001-2
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/21 : CIA-RDP90-00552R000404390001-2
a.
Court documents revealed last week that Barens had subpoened several agencies
for any documentser or showing rneyeGxeneral
nominee Edwin Meese,
parties.
Pedcost'attorneys have said the subpoenae'documents and video tapes are
needed t to prove to kill Vicki Morgan.'' refus The CIA so far hI- i- reeated to has turned
over on y mi a ma
prostitution related investigation of Bloomindale.
Attorney Robert K. Steinberg,
sex b tapes, hthenlsaid they had been stolen,jail, claimed
he viewed the purported
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/21 : CIA-RDP90-00552R000404390001-2