Not guilty plea in Yale murder
Additional charge added
Updated: Tuesday, 26 Jan 2010, 9:08 PM EST
Published : Tuesday, 26 Jan 2010, 5:28 AM EST
<snipped>
News Channel 8 asked Criminal Defense Lawyer John Walkley if it's unusual to file more charges.
"Really isn't unusual to add on [charges] at any point even up to the point of trial depending on what they feel the facts are going to be," said Walkley.
Clark pleaded not guilty to both the felony murder and murder charge.
Clark is asking for a jury trial that is months away.
"In a murder case it could easily be another year; I would think a year and a half before that case is ready for trial," Walkley said.
Both murder and felony murder carry up to 60 years in prison.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbtr8N1pH2Q[/ame]
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgRgqYyCuTY[/ame]
Article:
http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/crime/le-murder-suspect-expected-in-court-yale
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Clark pleads not guilty
Published Tuesday, January 26, 2010
<snipped>
The felony murder charge was new Tuesday. It means that, if a jury concludes Le's death was unintentional, the prosecution can still get a conviction if it shows that Clark killed her in the course of another major crime, such as kidnapping, robbery or rape.
The prosecution has not presented any likely motive.
Clark spoke only a few words at the 10-minute hearing. He confirmed that he voluntarily chose to follow his lawyers' advice in skipping the probable cause hearing, in which state prosecutors would have to prove they have enough evidence to charge him.
The seal on the remaining search and seizure warrants that have not yet been released to the public will remain in effect until the next pre-trial hearing scheduled for Wednesday, March 3, at 2 p.m.
Article:
http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/university-news/2010/01/26/clark-pleads-not-guilty/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Middletown man accused of killing Yale grad student enters not guilty plea
Published: Wednesday, January 27, 2010 2:13 AM EST
<snipped>
Four months after he was arrested and charged in the slaying of Yale graduate student Annie Le, Raymond Clark III today entered a not guilty plea in Superior Court.
During previous pretrial proceedings, Lopez and Merkin said they needed more files from prosecutors to decide about the probable-cause hearing. Although both attorneys, who are public defenders, are busy with the trial of a Meriden man charged with murder, they said Monday they have had enough time to go through the most important information in the state’s Clark file.
The defense attorneys were also expected to ask Judge Roland Fasano to extend an order sealing one of the search warrant affidavits.
Other affidavits were unsealed in December, but Merkin said the warrant she and Lopez want to keep confidential is a later one. She said she could not say anything else about it because it’s sealed.
Article:
http://www.middletownpress.com/articles/2010/01/27/news/doc4b5fb8f59d5b3332109424.txt
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Clark pleads not guilty
Published Wednesday, January 27, 2010
<snipped>
Also at the hearing, Judge Roland Fasano said the remaining search and seizure warrants that are still under seal will be discussed at the next pre-trial hearing, scheduled for March 3.
Beth Merkin, one of Clark’s two public defenders, said the additional charge of felony murder allows the prosecution to construct a number of possible scenarios in which Clark could have caused Le’s death.
“In any hypothetical homicide, felony murder ensures the prosecution won’t get boxed-in,” she said. “It provides for alternate theories to be made about the crime.”
Jack Ford ’72, a prominent legal commentator and retired trial lawyer, said the decision to plead not guilty does not preclude Clark from later pleading guilty and seeking a plea a bargain at some point during the trial process.
With regard to the court documents that remain sealed, Merkin said she is confident some new information will be released at the next pre-trial hearing in March. She added, however, that she expects any information already redacted in the materials, originally released in November, will remain unavailable to the public, as will any content related to the redactions.
One of the defense’s worries with the release of the remaining sealed documents is that the details contained in them may affect the defense’s ability to select an unbiased jury if Clark’s case goes to trial, Merkin said.
But in the actual legal proceedings, Ford said, the defense should not be so preoccupied with keeping certain information from a potential jury pool.
Article:
http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/city-news/2010/01/27/clark-pleads-not-guilty-tuesday/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Raymond Clark Pleads Not Guilty In Le's Death
Clark Waives Right To Probable Cause Hearing
POSTED: 10:15 am EST January 26, 2010
UPDATED: 9:30 pm EST January 26, 2010
<snipped>
Former prosecutor Jeff Meyer, who now teaches law at Quinnipiac University, said felony murder carries the same penalty as murder, but does not require proving Clark intentionally tried to kill Le. Instead, they would have to convince a jury that Clark, while committing a felony, caused the death of Le.
Prosecutors, however, tell Eyewitness News that because the investigation is ongoing, they will not say what underlying felony they plan to charge Clark with.
Both crimes carry 25 to 60 years in prison on conviction.
Video: Raymond Clark III Enters Not Guilty Plea
http://www.wfsb.com/video/22348744/index.html
Article:
http://www.wfsb.com/news/22342766/detail.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Suspect In Killing Of Yale Student Now Faces A Charge Of Felony Murder
January 27, 2010
<snipped>
Former Yale University lab technician Raymond J. Clark III now faces two murder charges in the slaying of graduate student Annie Le.
Prosecutors recently added the charge of felony murder to the charge of murder that Clark already faces. Clark entered not-guilty pleas in Superior Court to both charges during a brief appearance Tuesday.
Neither prosecutors nor Clark's defense attorneys would say Tuesday what felony Clark is alleged to have committed. No information about the new charge was available in Clark's court file.
Article:
http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/yale-annie-le/hc-clark-plea-0127.artjan27,0,4581839.story