Sex and the City Star Sarah Jessica Parker and husband Matthew Broderick will not be present for the trial of Martins Ferry Police Chief Barry Carpenter, reports E! News. Carpenter is facing multiple felonies including burglary and receiving stolen property for allegedly orchestrating a break-in at the Ohio home of the woman carrying Parker and Broderick’s twins.
Jury selection began Monday. Reportedly, only one of the 70 potential jurors in attendance claimed not to be aware of the case.
Bridgeport Sheriff Chad Dojack will stand trial Jan. 12 on similar charges in connection with the incident, while Bruce Callarik will be booked on a lesser charge of receiving stolen property.
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Prosecutors have claimed the late Anna Nicole Smith may have had a sexual relationship with Dr. Khristine Eroshevich, reports Perez Hilton. Eroshevich, Howard K. Stern and Dr. Sandeep Kapoor are all currently on trial for allegations that they illegally provided prescription drugs to the reality TV star who died in February 2007.
While lawyers are suggesting the relationship served as Eroshevich’s motivation for providing the medication to Smith, the judge said the claim was irrelevant and he will not allow any further discussion of the topic. He said he did not want the trial to turn into a “circus sideshow.”
A trial date has been set for the two Ohio police chiefs accused of planning a break-in at the home of Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker and husband Matthew Broderick’s surrogate mother. The crime happened in June just before the woman gave birth to the couple’s twin daughters, reports E! News.
Chief Barry Carpenter of Martins Ferry will be tried Nov. 16 and Chad Dojack, chief of the Bridgeport Police Department’s trial is scheduled for Jan. 12. Each faces a number of charges including allegedly breaking into a residence to collect information on Parker and Broderick with the intention of selling it to the tabloids. Carpenter faces a total of 21 years in jail, while Dojack could go away for 14 years if convicted of all charges.
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After less than a day of deliberations, a jury acquitted R. Kelly of all 14 counts of child pornography charges, reports E! News.
“R. Kelly was found not guilty, because they had the best jury that Cook County could produce,” Kelly’s attorney, Sam Adam Jr. said outside the courtroom.
Although it took more than six years for the case to go to court, the trial only began last month and lasted four weeks.
R. Kelly was charged with allegedly videotaping himself having sex with a girl prosecutors claimed was a minor at the time. The alleged victim, now 23, refused to testify against Kelly.
If convicted, the R & B singer could have faced a minimum of four years in prison and a maximum of 15 years and would have had to register as a sex offender in Illinois.
Kelly did not testify during the trial.
R. Kelly’s trial is full of allegations, with the newest claim coming straight from the defence lawyers.
According to the singer’s lawyers, the people who testified they had a copy of the sex tape, which R. Kelly is accused of making with an underage girl, should be guilty of child pornography for not turning the tape into authorities. At the same time, the defence argued that the tape may have been doctored and that the sexual encounter between the R&B singer and the underage girl never even occurred.
Although the jury had the day off, Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan heard arguments all day Friday, from both sides, after being informed that R. Kelly’s lawyers wanted to bring charges against some of the prosecution’s witnesses.
A judge denied media request to get access to sealed documents in the R. Kelly child-pornography trial.
“Of paramount concern is that the defendant gets a fair trial,” Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan wrote. “The torrent of media interest in this case has prompted entry of the order which prevents the serious and imminent threat that this case would be tried in the media.”
Arguing that the public has a constitutional right to observe the court proceedings, the Chicago Sun-Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Associated Press and Chicago Public Radio asked for access to records of the closed-door hearings in the case.
Although judge Gaughan acknowledged the need and importance of media coverage in covering criminal justice, he said his ruling is “narrowly tailored” to preserve Kelly’s rights to a fair trial, citing the 2004 ruling in the Michael Jackson criminal case as precedent.
Kelly, who has pleaded not guilty, is charged with videotaping himself having sex with an underage girl.
The jury is complete for the R. Kelly child-pornography trial.
Both the prosecution and defense have chosen and agreed upon twelve jurors—one of whom is a rape victim – and four alternates. The jury consists of mostly men – with eight men and four women – while two men and two women will serve as alternates. Eight of the jurors are white; four are black. Two alternates are black, one is white and one is Latino and, age wise, the jury is said to be split even between young and middle-age adults.
Opening statements in the case are to begin Tuesday.
Kelly, who denies the charges, stands accused of videotaping himself having sex with an underage girl.
A violation of police protocol may save Chad Kroeger from spending up to six months in jail, reports the Surrey Leader.
Chad Robert Turton, a.k.a. Chad Kroeger, plead not guilty to impaired driving on June 22, 2006. The results of his breathalyzer test may be thrown out if Judge Peter Gulbransen finds that the Surrey RCMP violated Kroeger’s rights. Defence lawyer Marvin Sterns claims that Kroeger’s belongings were illegally searched and seized during his arrest.
In addition to jail time, Kroeger would have to pay a $600 fine and one-year driving prohibition if convicted. The trial was originally slated for Nov. 23 and 24 of last year, but will be postponed until Feb. 20 while the judge makes his decision.
