Tuesday, July 2, 1996

Prosecutors: Beck Didn't Know Drugs Were In Her Purse During Raid

DALLAS (AP) - An apparently unsuspecting Angela Beck was shocked when police pulled drugs from her gym bag during a raid on the Irving motel room where she, Michael Irvin and two others were found, prosecutors told a jury Tuesday.

In the opening prosecution statement in the Dallas Cowboys receiver's cocaine possession trial, Assistant District Attorney Mike Gillett referred to two plastic bags police pulled from a gym bag belonging to Ms. Beck.

One bag contained rock cocaine, the other contained cocaine powder, he said.

Beck claimed ownership of the drugs during the bust and was the only one arrested. A grand jury later indicted Beck, Irvin and Jasmine Nabwangu. Irvin also is indicted on a misdemeanor marijuana charge.

According to the prosecutor, Rochelle Smith, described as a close friend of Ms. Beck, will testify that Ms. Beck told her that she was had no knowledge of the drugs in her bag.

"Beck said she almost had a heart attack when it was pulled out. Michael Irvin assured her it would be OK and he couldn't forget what she was doing," Gillett said.

Gillett made his statement despite two defense objections, both overruled by State District Judge Manny Alvarez. Defense attorneys Ron Goranson and Kevin Clancy both objected to the statement as hearsay.

Gillett wove for the jurors an account of the fateful March 4 motel room encounter between Irving police and Irvin and two topless dancers, Ms. Beck and Ms. Nabwangu.

Police detected a strong smell of burning marijuana when, after assuring Irvin they knew who he was, they asked where the drugs were.

"At that time, Angela Beck hangs her head and Michael Irvin says, 'Tell them where it is,' " Gillett said.

Gillett told jurors that Irvin started reaching under a sofa on which he was sitting before officers told him to stop. The officers later lifted the couch and found, directly under where Irvin was sitting, a plate with marijuana, a bag of marijuana and a bag of cocaine.

Gillett said police also found on an end table next to Irvin was a plate with rock cocaine on it. Under a bed, they found two more bags of marijuana.

Then officers found Ms. Beck's gym bag, which also contained Cowboys' jewelry belonging to Michael Irvin. "In that bag, they found a vial or two consistent with a holder for cocaine." Gillett said.

Initially, only Ms. Beck was arrested. Irvin, Ms. Nabwangu and and Alfredo Roberts, Irvin's business partner and former teammate, went to the office of an Irvin associate, who went obtained Ms. Beck's release the next day and brought her to another hotel, where Ms. Smith met them, Gillett said.

Defense attorney Royce West dismissed the prosecution account, saying that the defense would show a comedy of errors by Irvin police.

As for Ms. Smith, West told jurors: "I suggest that she has a reason to lie." That person, he said, is her fiance, former Dallas police Officer Johnny Hernandez.

Hernandez was charged last week with soliciting the capital murder of Irvin.

"Take that into consideration when you weigh her credibility," West said. He also urged jurors to question the credibility of the lifestyles and occupations of Ms. Beck and Ms. Smith, who also is an exotic dancer.

Prosecutors said that Irvin's eyes were bloodshot when police arrived. West, a Democratic state senator from Dallas and a black man, suggested that such evidence is irrelevant. He pointed out that alcohol was present in the room and that "most African-American men have red eyes."

"I suggest to you the evidence will show that most of the cocaine was in Angela Beck's purse," West said. "Think about it: If it was in Angela Beck's purse, it's reasonable to deduce Michael Irvin did not know it was in her purse, despite their previous relationship."

Cowboys Chatroom.....Dallas Cowboys.....Back to Reporter OnLine