Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-07-14
StateComp|etes
Murder Case
Against Bryant
Defense Is Rebuffed
In Effort to Question
Private Detective
D.. n
" NEIHuIu NUuyefS
StuF Staff CORRESPONDENT

DIydAL COOdy aICer giving MS
confession to the jury.
The defense Immediately moved
to have the case dismissed on
grounds the case against Bryant,
accused of shooting his eStranged
sweetheart, has not been proved.
The court denied the motion.
Howard Vogel, the Hillside
(Md0 Korea war veterans law
yer, then asked to recall prose-
cution witness.
He indicated he planned in
tensive questioning of Leonard
HARRISON, Washington private
detective who gave Bryant a lie
detector test.
Surprise to Court.
Mr.. Vogel surprised the Judge
and prosecution last night by in
sisting the lie detector test he
admitted as evidence even though
it appeared damaging to his
client.
But Mr.. Vogel had scant OPP
portunity to question the detec-
tive today. Judge James Clark
upheld multiple State objections
and Mr.. HARRISON was off the
witness stand in d short time.
The prosecution side had the
lie detector test made. But the
States lawyers say they didn't
dream it could be admitted. They
said they had no intention of
submitting it in evidence.
:. And Judge Clark said he never
heard of lie detector test adj
mitted in a Maryland court be-
fore.
Bryant, 81. is charged with
numbering Joan Marie Ruzza,
IT. year old Suitland High
School drum majorette April 8.
Her body was found near her
home, 813 Forty Ninth street,
Capitol Heights. Md.
Vogel's Contention.
Mr.. Vogel contends Bryant's
confession was not voluntary,
but was wrung from him while he
was in deep psychological shock.
The dapper defense attorney
says this shock was induced in
part by photos shown to the de-
PENDANT before he broke" The
pictures, exhibited in court, show
Miss Ruzza's body after the
medical examiners made various
ificisions.
MIR. Vogel has repeatedly de-
scribed his client as the admitted
father Of her unborn baby.
MIR. Vogel told the bench he
needed the lie detector test in
evidence to "show this jury this
confession was not voluntary"
He said it was significant his
client did not sign a confession
until after the lie detector test.
The all-male jury was out Of
the courtroom much Of yesterday
while the two sides bickered
over admitting the confession.
Bryant's fate is being decided
in Howard County because Mr.
Vogel had the case transferred
from Prince Georges.
Details of Confession.
The confession tells how Bry-
ant, Korean war veteran, stole
the gun from a friends home
and, on the night of the shooting,
hunted up Miss Ruzza. He told
police he meant to kill her and,
II had planned to shoot myself.
] don't know why I didn't"
When he drew the gun she
grabbed for it and he pulled the
trigger, the confession said.
Maj. Vincent S. Free, Prince
Georges police chief, testified
yesterday Bryant said: IF I
couldn't have her nobody could"
Mr.. Vogel brought out in tes-
timony that Bryant never re-
fused to be tested on the lie
detector.
HarrelSOn'S Testimony.
Mr.. HARRISON testified Bryant
volunteered to submit to the lie
detector Ito prove his innocence"
The private detective (who
worked for Fulton Lewis, jr., in
that broadcaster's feud with St.
Marys County politicians said
the test produced "a beautiful
chart a once-in-a-lifetime
chart"
The detective claimed the tests
showed Bryant was lying when
he denied knowing who shot the
girl: when he denied shooting
her himself: when he denied
seeing her later than he origin
ally claimed to have seen her
the night she was killed. and
when he said he told the truth
in an earlier statement denying
guilt.
Mrs. Frances Chisholm, a de-
tective bureau clerk who typed
most of Bryant's statement as he
made 1t, said he joked with her.
She testified he showed his lie
detector graph to her and told
her: This thing caught me
every time"
The court, in building put up
In 1841. was stuffy and swelter-
ing. Mr.. Vogel appeared cooler
than any one else In the room
but at times seemed hottest
under the collar.
Exchanges With Judge.
In heated tones he told the
Judge at one point: by your
tone and by your expressions.
conveying your attitude toward
me to the jury, you may be
prejudicing my case"
Another time he said: "I
want the record to show that
the judge is constantly calling
to the attention Of the States
counsel that they should object"
The Judge retorted: Let the
record show I objected to the
line of testimony on my own
motion"