Juror Dismissed From Case for Using Legal Dictionary

A juror in the murder case of a Simi Valley mechanic was removed Monday morning after she went to the law library during a break to look up a word in a legal dictionary.

The jury foreman found out, and stopped he juror from reporting her findings to the other jurors. An alternate juror was seated.

The 12 jurors have been deliberating for three days about whether to convict Edward Nishida Drake of second-degree murder or a lesser crime.

The 52-year-old auto mechanic shot and killed 17-year-old Leonard Anthony Coppola the night of Oct. 10, 1997.

After a meal of cold pizza and cognac, Drake had fallen asleep on a cot in the rear of his BMW and Mercedes-Benz repair shop on Chambers Lane in Simi Valley. A tapping on his shop window roused him from sleep, Drake has said.

Terrified that an intruder was at his gate, Drake--who had been robbed before--grabbed a .44-caliber magnum revolver and headed toward the shop door.

He threw open the door and saw a figure crouched with his hands clasped together, in what his attorney has described as a “standard combat stance.” Drake fired a single shot, which hit Coppola in the face, killing the young man Drake knew and liked.

If convicted of second-degree murder, Drake could be sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

Attorneys could not be reached Monday to say what word the juror researched in the law library.

The jury will resume deliberations today.