Defense Team Gets More Prep Time For Montco Kidnap-Double Murder Case
By Brad Segall
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (CBS) -- A Montgomery County judge has delayed the start of a trial for a King of Prussia, Pa. man accused of murdering an infant and her grandmother in their Upper Merion apartment last year in what prosecutors say was a planned kidnapping gone wrong (see related stories).
Raghu Yandamuri's murder trial was scheduled to begin September 9th, but that has been put off to give his defense attorneys additional time to prepare their case.
Prosecutor Kevin Steele told the judge they were ready to move forward but did not oppose the defense request.
Defense attorney Steve Heckman says his 27-year-old client will also undergo a mental health evaluation.
"We have so much investigation still needing to be done, especially on issues concerning mitigation," Heckman tells KYW Newsradio, "but having our expert go to India to dig up some information for us, plus just going over the vast amount of discovery, is taking a lot of time."
He says they are trying to find out everything they can about their client from the time he was born until he left India.
Yandamuri is facing the death penalty if he's convicted of first-degree murder in the killings of Saanvi Venna and her grandmother.
