Authorities in the Kerrigan Case Are Still Searching for Answers : Investigation: They say they will work through weekend to decide if Harding should be charged in Jan. 6 attack.
PORTLAND, Ore. — Even though authorities expect no arrests this weekend, they said Friday that they plan to work through the weekend in hopes of finding some resolution to the bizarre case surrounding the attack on figure skater Nancy Kerrigan.
A top official said that he expected the case to wrap up next week, which will finally settle the question of whether national champion Tonya Harding was involved in the plot to harm Kerrigan in the Jan. 6 assault.
Earlier Friday, presiding Judge Donald H. Londer granted a request by Multnomah County prosecutors to give the grand jury until Feb. 3 to issue their report on the four men who already have been arrested. But the grand jury, which a spokesperson said adjourned for the weekend, can return indictments or clear the accused at anytime before then.
“The aim is to get all the indictments that are going to be done in one swoop,†said Bart Gori of the FBI.
Meanwhile, Harding continued to skate at a nearby rink in preparation for the Winter Olympics, which begin in three weeks in Lillehammer, Norway. The U.S. Figure Skating Assn. has to name the Olympic team with alternates by Jan. 31. After that deadline, the U.S. Olympic Committee has until Feb. 21--the day of the women’s draw--to decide who is going to skate. If Harding is replaced, it would be first alternate, Michelle Kwan, 13, of Torrance.
No charges have been filed against Harding, and Friday she once again proclaimed her innocence.
“I know that what I have done, I haven’t done anything wrong,†Harding said. “The whole thing is frustrating.â€
Harding skated well in front of a crowd of about 100, which included a surprise visit from her mother, LaVona Golden. When Harding spotted her standing at the rail, she skated over to her and gave her a hug. Their rocky relationship has been chronicled for years.
“For 18 years I gave up everything to get her what she wanted,†Golden said. “She has spent 18 years trying to fulfill her dream. Now it’s ruined.â€
Harding, though, doesn’t agree.
“I don’t think anything is ruined,†she said. “I’m not concerned about it at all. . . . I don’t care if I wasn’t going to get one endorsement, I just want to skate the best I can.â€
So far, the only one to implicate Harding publicly in the conspiracy is Shawn Eckardt, her former bodyguard. If the case hinges on his testimony, attorneys realize Eckardt’s credibility will be on the line. Eckardt’s attorney, Mark McNight, says he is working on getting evidence against Harding.
“We are aware his credibility is at issue and corroborating facts are necessary or he will be torn apart,†McNight said. “Shawn is conveniently placed in the scheme in the alleged conspiracy. He’s at the center of a four or five-link conspiracy.â€
Eckardt, along with Shane Stant, Derrick Smith and Jim Gillooly, Harding’s former husband, have been arrested. Stant, Smith and Eckardt have confessed and are reportedly trying to arrange plea bargains. An authority involved in the case said there are no new names being investigated, which means that only one question remains--Was Harding involved?
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