Court Defeat For Man Accused Of Killing Little Girl, Grandmother During Botched KOP Kidnapping
By Brad Segall
KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. (CBS) - A Montgomery County judge has delivered a crucial defeat to a man accused of murdering a ten-month-old girl and her grandmother during what prosecutors say was a botched kidnapping in King of Prussia in October 2012 (see related story).
Defense attorneys for Raghu Yandamuri were hoping to keep his videotaped confession away from a jury (see related story), but Judge Steven O'Neill ruled the confession was legally obtained by detectives during a lengthy interrogation at the Upper Merion Police Department.
Defense attorney Steve Heckman says the ruling will change the way they prepare for trial:
"We're going to have to really sit down and put together a strategy to deal with these issues and right now, our client is bitterly disappointed with this decision."
Heckman has called the video "damaging" with Yandamuri describing in graphic detail what happened to Saanvi Venna and her grandmother.
The judge did grant a defense motion to continue the trial. It had been scheduled for next month. Now, it appears it will be in September.