http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2011/feb/09/clark-heads-back-to-court/
Nearly 17 months after his arrest, Clarks case is still in the pretrial stage, and there are no firm deadlines to bring him to trial. Joseph Lopez, one of the public defenders assigned to Clark, said that the Wednesday meeting will most likely not include any discussion on the record, but is instead one part of the ongoing pretrial procedure. Lopez said he did not anticipate Clarks appearance at the meeting, adding that only the lawyers for both sides and the judge will be present.
The [defense] lawyers decide if they need or want their client there, and then request that the judge permit him to waive his appearance, Lopez said, explaining Clarks planned absence despite being scheduled to appear. We made the request, and it has already been granted.
Clark, who has plead not guilty to the charge of felony murder for the Sept. 8, 2009, death, has not attended most of his pretrial meetings since he was taken into custody. Beth Merkin, Clarks other public defender, called a previous meeting a nonevent.
Merkin said that, although these meetings have not produced any concrete results, they are legally necessary. The pretrial procedure usually includes an attempt at a resolution before the trial, she added. She could not specify if either party was working on a plea agreement.
Things are in the works, she said.
