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But that also seemed dubious. His former lawyer
remembered using his client's phone only once, and his
former personal assistant testified that he had dialed
Puffy literally thousands of times and Puffy was the
only one to ever answer the cell. It's conceivable the
jury suspected he was trying to buy witnesses, but had
no proof. I mean the records don't show what was
being said or even who was doing the talking.

 ranja015: Was Shyne angered when Puff was acquitted ?

 Harriet Ryan: Who knows? The boy never shows emotion. He
just kept looking straight ahead at the wall. No
reaction at all. He seemed relaxed and upbeat when I
talked to him before the verdict, but he's only a kid,
and it might take a while for reality to sink in.
Think about it, today he was standing in the courthouse
hall, hobnobbing with Puffy and his friends, and now,
he's in lock-up in a jumpsuit with no friends, no mom,
and Puffy and his crew are out celebrating
somewhere.

 emaildegreen: There are reports of some of the
members of the jury crying. What's that all about?

 Harriet Ryan: Four women, including the jury forewoman,
were wiping tears away. I think they appreciated the
gravity of what they were doing, and they had been
deliberating for 3 days�23 hours total�and hearing evidence
for two months. I think they were almost tears of
stress and release. One juror, as I mentioned, smiled at
Puffy, but the others just stared at their feet.
Perhaps, they thought that he had some involvement, but
there just wasn't proof beyond a reasonable doubt. They
weren't treating him like someone they loved and admired
as they walked out. They just looked like they
wanted to get away from him, the courtroom and the mob
of reporters.

 justice4one2000: How
significant was Johnnie Cochran's role during the trial?

Harriet Ryan: Johnnie, the most famous lawyer on
the planet according to one of the prospective
jurors. He played second chair, no doubt. Benjamin
Brafman was the lead. Cochran questioned a handful of
witnesses, but it was clearly Ben's case. I think Cochran
helped prepare Puffy to testify and is a good schmoozer,
but NYC criminal defense work is not his specialty.

 ranja015: Why do you think Scar didn't testify ?

 Harriet Ryan: Good question. I was assured by the
prosecution side that he is a "good guy" who would've made an
excellent witness, but there were clearly some problems
with his testimony. Some people say he was going to
accuse Puffy of putting a hit out on him, others say he
just was a jerk who wouldn't cooperate. But the theory
I subscribe to: he was going to take the Fifth if
asked whether he had brought a gun to the club that
night. And you can't put a witness on the stand knowing
that he'll invoke his right against
self-incrimination. His statement (also on our site) was read to the
jury, but in it he never says whether he was armed or
not, and neither side asked the detective who
interviewed him whether he was ever asked about weapons.

 justice4one2000: Puffy got "the benefit of a doubt". Most
minorities don't get that unless you can pay for a hell of a
defense. Do you agree?

Harriet Ryan: Wow, let's see... I tend to see
things in terms of class, not race. If you have money,
you have fewer problems. Unless you're a Kennedy, but
that's another chat. I think Puffy got a great and
ultimately winning defense because he could cut them a check
for a couple million with no problem. This jury was
racially mixed�seven blacks, five whites. The woman who
seemed to favor the defense the most was white and
upper-middle class. As Puffy would say, it's all about the
benjamins.