Attorney: Keep Garrido Transcripts Sealed
PLACERVILLE, Calif. (AP) -- The attorney representing Phillip Garrido, one of two people charged in the Jaycee Lee Dugard kidnapping case, filed legal papers Wednesday seeking to keep transcripts and other documents in the case sealed.
The Sacramento Bee reports that El Dorado County public defender Susan Gellman argued in her filing that releasing the documents would "adversely affect" Garrido's right to a fair trial.
Phillip and Nancy Garrido were each indicted on 18 counts that ranged from rape to false imprisonment, plus multiple special allegations.
Authorities said the Garridos abducted Dugard, then 11, in 1991 and held her captive until she and her children surfaced at the office of Phillip Garrido's parole agent.
Nancy Garrido has pleaded not guilty to the charges, while the criminal proceedings against her husband were suspended to evaluate his mental competency.
Six news organizations are seeking to have the judge unseal grand jury transcripts and other documents in the case.
In a motion filed last month, The Associated Press, The Sacramento Bee, the Hearst Corp., the Gannet Co. Inc., the Los Angeles Times and the Bay Area News Group are all asking Superior Court Judge Douglas Phimister to unseal the documents.
The District Attorney, sheriff and Nancy Garrido's lawyer all have previously stated they oppose releasing the information.
A hearing on the matter is set for next month.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
