Maine
Portland man's sentencing for girlfriend killing is delayed
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - The sentencing of a Portland man who pleaded guilty to the strangulation death of his girlfriend was delayed Monday because of the state court system's response to the new coronavirus.
Gregory Vance, 62, was supposed to be sentenced after pleading guilty to murder under an agreement that caps his sentence at 35 years. His attorney will press for 25 years at the hearing in superior court.
The hearing was delayed indefinitely after most routine court proceedings were ordered postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Vance told police the victim, 59-year-old Patricia Grassi, was "tormenting" and "slapping" him, according to court documents.
He's been held without bail since his arrest on March 17, 2019, the day Grassi's body was found. Defense attorney Tina Heather Nadeau said Vance has always been remorseful and that it's "a tragic case for everyone involved."
California
Trial of Robert Durst delayed for 3 weeks amid virus fears
LOS ANGELES (AP) - A Los Angeles judge on Sunday postponed the murder trial of multimillionaire New York real estate heir Robert Durst for three weeks over fears of the transmission of the new coronavirus.
Superior Court Judge Mark E. Windham announced that the trial, which had been underway for six days and is expected to take five months, will stand adjourned until April 6.
On Friday, Windham had established a plan to have the 12 jurors and 12 alternates in the case use gallery seats to sit apart from one another in an effort to avoid virus transmission. But before the plan could be enacted, he decided to delay the proceedings instead.
The head judge in Los Angeles County has recommended that all trials in the county be delayed for 30 days where it is legally possible, and has ordered that no new jurors be summoned for the same period.
Durst is on trial for the killing of his friend Susan Berman in her home in December 2000. Prosecutors argued in opening statements that Durst shot Berman because she knew Durst had killed his wife, who disappeared in 1982. Durst has denied having any role in either death.
The long-awaited trial had been in the works for five years, since Durst's arrest in the case on the eve of the airing of the final episode of "The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst." The HBO documentary included interviews with Durst that helped lead to his being charged.
Arizona
ACLU objects to cameras in Pinal County jail interview rooms
FLORENCE, Ariz. (AP) - The Arizona chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union has problems with Pinal County installing cameras in lawyer-inmate interview rooms at the county jail.
According to the Casa Grande Dispatch, the county attorney's office says cameras were installed last month in rooms that defense attorneys use to speak privately with their clients to prevent contraband from being passed.
Twice since the installation, public defenders have asked county Superior Court judges for continuances because they haven't been able to have private discussions with their clients due to the presence of the cameras.
County Sheriff Mark Lamb and County Attorney Kent Volkmer maintain the cameras don't record audio and are pixelated so documents or lips cannot be read from the video.
"In our view, this is very problematic that they are recording these interactions," Jared Keenan, ACLU of Arizona criminal justice staff attorney, told the Dispatch. "The conversations between an attorney and client is protected and supposed to be private. Even if they are not recording sound, there are still a lot of things that they would be able to see."
Keenan said if attorneys and inmates meet after a court hearing, jailers might be able to detect subtle clues from body language or facial expressions of the attorney or the client.
Once video is allowed into this sensitive meeting area, Keenan said it's possible the video and audio quality could be upgraded and improved in the future.
"Any interaction that is recorded violates the attorney-client privilege," he said. "The reason that privilege exists is to encourage frank communication between attorney and client. If you stick a camera in what should be a private meeting room between attorney and client, it likely will have a chilling effect on what types of conversations occur in that situation."
Another area the ACLU is concerned about is if these videoed interactions between attorneys and inmates end up on a national television show, Keenan said.
But Volkmer said the way everything is set up, video of attorneys talking to clients cannot be used on one of the national shows.
He said the video is taken from the ceiling looking downward and faces cannot be seen, unless the defense attorney looks up at the camera. The inmate's face will not be recorded by the new cameras and the inmate cannot see the surveillance camera.
"They can't see it. I would tell them that it is there if I were the defense attorney. They should have the right to know that," Volkmer told the Dispatch.
Utah
Tech giant sues band's agency over postponed summit
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A Utah technology company has sued the booking agency for The Killers, claiming the rock band wants to be paid for a scheduled show at the firm's annual conference which was canceled because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Qualtrics LLC filed its lawsuit against Los Angeles-based SME Entertainment Group, The Deseret News reported Friday.
SME didn't return a message Friday for comment.
Qualtrics, a software firm based in Provo and Seattle, canceled its annual X4 user summit slated for last week at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City. The event was to feature former first lady Michelle Obama among others. Qualtrics has not rescheduled the conference.
According to the company's court filing, SME contends the coronavirus does not pose sufficient health risks to force a cancellation. But most scheduled participants and presenters supported the firm's decision, Qualtrics said.
SME books bands, celebrities, keynote speakers and athletes for a variety of events.
Qualtrics said its decision to postpone came after considering information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Utah Department of Health, the World Health Organization and other experts on epidemiology and disease prevention.
Published: Tue, Mar 17, 2020
