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Post by Charlene on Dec 22, 2003 5:47:32 GMT -6
Judge delays trial for murder of 5-year-old Samantha Runnion In Santa Ana, an Orange County judge on Friday delayed the trial of the man charged with sexually assaulting and murdering 5-year-old Samantha Runnion last year. Alejandro Avila, 28, could face the death penalty if convicted of Samantha's murder. His trial was supposed to start Jan 12, but defense attorneys asked for the delay, saying they needed more time to review new DNA evidence and procedures. Superior Court Judge William R. Froeberg scheduled an April 12 pretrial hearing on defense motions to question the validity of 2 DNA tests that allegedly link Avila to the murder. The judge said he will select a new trial date sometime during that hearing. Defense attorneys have asked the trial be delayed until next fall, when they say their DNA experts will be available to testify. "What the defense is asking for is ludicrous," Samantha's mother, Erin Runnion, said after the hearing. Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said he will urge the judge to set a trial immediately after he rules on the DNA evidence. "The length of time we have already had to wait for trial has been too long," Rackauckas said. "I am confident we will get this case before a jury in the spring." Avila has pleaded innocent to killing Samantha after kidnapping her as she played outside her home on July 15, 2002. According to prosecutors, Avila lured Samantha close by asking for help in searching for his lost puppy, then grabbed her and carried her kicking and screaming to his car. They say he drove off with her in his 1994 Ford Thunderbird and later sexually assaulted and strangled her before dumping her body along a highway between Orange County and the Riverside County community of Lake Elsinore, where he was living.
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Post by edina dumb blonde on Jan 14, 2004 8:29:25 GMT -6
Charlene--THIS MAKES ME CRAZY. That poor family will have to wait YEARS for justice. My heart breaks for them. Dare we hope for some "prison justice" here? Do
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Post by beachlover1978 on Feb 19, 2004 16:19:15 GMT -6
Stupid California judges! That case hit close to home for me, mainly because my uncle was one of the FBI agents who worked this case. This case is a good reason for re-opening Alcatraz! I can't think of a better place to put child killers than in the middle of shark infested waters. And yes there are sharks in the San Francisco bay. I have seen them while on boat rides in the Bay.
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