Utah judge denies request to close hearing in murder case

A Utah judge on Monday denied a request to close portions of a preliminary hearing to the public in a capital murder case. The ruling came during a virtual hearing and resolved two disputes ahead of a July preliminary hearing. The judge also scheduled a June 12 evidentiary hearing to determine whether prosecutors violated a pretrial publicity order through comments made to media outlets.

The defense had argued that public access to evidence could prejudice potential jurors.

Pretrial publicity order hearing The judge found that the defense had not shown a realistic likelihood of prejudice from keeping the hearing open. Less restrictive alternatives such as expanded juror questionnaires remain available, the ruling stated.

The June 12 hearing will examine whether prosecutors knew the requirements of the publicity order and intentionally violated it. Each side will have 90 minutes to present evidence.

Ongoing appeals Defense attorneys continue a separate effort to halt proceedings while seeking review from the Utah Supreme Court. No stay had been granted as of Monday, leaving the July preliminary hearing on track.