</s>FRANKLIN POOSEVELT USPOSTAGE 6c USPOSTACE Pivi 28 FEB 1970 U.S. Dept. of Justice Washington D.C.

The trial of Sirhan B. Sirhan continued at Los Angeles County Superior Court on February 11, 1969, with Judge Herbert B. Walker denying a defense motion for dismissal of the Grand Jury indictment. The selection of all jurors was completed and further proceedings were continued until February 13, 1969.

Defense Attorney Grant B. Cooper made a motion for a mistrial based on recent articles in the local press that Sirhan might be the subject of the trial, but Judge Walker denied the motion.

On February 28, 1969, the defense opened its case at the court sessions, and Sirhan stood up in the courtroom and stated his desire to change his plea to guilty to murder in the first degree. The judge declared him incompetent to defend himself and formally sentenced Sirhan to death, ordering him remanded to San Quentin Prison within ten days.

Sirhan's notebooks were admitted into evidence, and he insisted that he be allowed to represent himself. The judge ruled that the trial would continue and admonished Sirhan that if there were further outbursts of this nature, he would be physically restrained in the court.

People involved included Sirhan Bishara Sirhan, his mother Mary Sirham, defense attorney Grant B. Cooper, and Judge Herbert B. Walker. The trial took place at Los Angeles County Superior Court, Number 107, State of California, on February 11 and 13, 1969.

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