Lawyers For Upper Merion Man Accused Of Murdering Baby, Grandmother Want To Keep Key Evidence Away From Jury
By Brad Segall
KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. (CBS) -- Defense attorneys for the Upper Merion man accused of murdering a ten-month-old girl and her grandmother in King of Prussia in October of 2012 are asking a judge to rule on their motion to keep key pieces of evidence away from a jury.
Defense attorney Steve Heckman argues the statements and confessions that his client Raghu Yandamuri gave to detectives were obtained in violation of his rights.
The most compelling piece of evidence is a videotaped confession where the 27-year-old man describes what happened inside the apartment. Heckman argues Yandamuri was psychologically coerced into making the statements (see related story), but prosecutor Samantha Cauffman doesn't buy it.
"This was not a case of psychological coercion at all…this defendant has demonstrated throughout all of his statements and through his testimony that his will was not overborne," Cauffman says.
Heckman claims his cell phone was seized without a warrant, and his client was effectively arrested without probable cause. There is no word on when the judge will rule on the motion.