LEBANON, Ohio -- The judge and attorneys in the case of a Carlisle 18-year-old accused of killing her infant and then burning and burying the body in the backyard of her home are due in court Tuesday for a pre-trial conference following some strongly worded filings in the last month.
WCPO news partner The JournalNews reports that attorneys for Brooke Skylar Richardson filed a motion for change of venue earlier this month, which included a memorandum of support.
That memorandum apparently was four pages long and contained specifics of the case. Last year, Warren County Judge Donald Oda II issued a gag order prohibiting all parties involved in the case from making public statements about the case.
In his response to the change of venue motion, Oda said, “This case is not going to be tried in the press.”
Richardson’s attorneys, Charles H. Rittgers and Charles M. Rittgers, filed their own response.
“The court’s order, which is now in the public sphere, is casting doubt as to the defense counsel’s sincerity, credibility, and truthfulness by indicating that the court is troubled by the defense memorandum,” the Rittgers team stated in the motion.
A hearing is set for March 14, and Richardson’s trial is scheduled to begin April 16.
