KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee judge says a toddler who witnessed her mother's death will not have to testify in her father’s murder trial.
The Knoxville News Sentinel reports Knox County Criminal Court Judge Steve Sword ruled the child would not have to testify about the 2015 death of her mother.
Jury selection was scheduled this week in the trial of the child's father, who is accused of killing his ex-wife and kidnapping their daughter and fleeing to Ohio.
Prosecutors wanted to use tapes of an interview with the then 2-year-old girl as evidence. They said they would need the now 4-year-old girl to introduce the tapes from the witness stand.
Sword listened to the interview and ruled the girl was unable to describe a “coherent historical recitation” of what she saw.
- Posted September 26, 2017
- Tweet This | Share on Facebook
Toddler won't have to testify in father's murder trial
headlines Macomb
- Former public defender moves on to private sector
- Governor signs legislation reforming Michigan’s juvenile justice system
- Michigan voters start casting cast ballot in person at early voting sites
- Chinese National pleads guilty in $80,000 fraud scheme targeting Macomb senior
- Macomb County board of commissioners adopts resolution authorizing intervention in DTE Electric Co. rate increases
headlines National
- How to use AI but steer clear of hallucinated cases
- Lawyers for low-income clients strike in NYC
- Top prosecutor for International Criminal Court accused of sexual misconduct
- Big Tech companies facing new wave of lawsuits over copyright and AI
- Lawyer says he was ‘manic’ when he bought Cape Cod mansion in danger of falling into ocean
- Judge regrets ‘entitled little snot’ comment but still fit for the bench, lawyer says
