Judge Sirica dies

WASHINGTON (Reuter) - Judge John Sirica, 88, a central figure in the Watergate scandal of the 1970s, died on Friday. He presided over the 1973 trial of the men accused of breaking into the Democratic Party headquarters during the 1972 presidential election campaign.

Judge Sirica's unrelenting pressure on the defendants helped to reveal a web of conspiracy spun by senior members of then president Richard Nixon's staff. By 1974, evidence of efforts to cover up White House involvement led back to the president, who resigned under threat of impeachment.