The World has two good pieces up, the first reveals more specifics about the process of bringing charges against Nicholas McGuffin and moving forward.
Although McGuffin hopes to be released while he awaits trial, Frasier said he can’t recall a single case in his 26 years in prosecution in which a judge released a homicide suspect on his own recognizance.
He also said a motion for a change of venue from the defense would be expected in such a case. However, he has withheld information – including Leah’s cause of death – to improve prospects of gathering an impartial and fair jury.
“The more I talk about the facts – the more people learn – it becomes harder to pick a fair and impartial jury,” Frasier said.
The second article also takes note of the exchange between McGuffin’s mother and Cory Courtright, mother of the victim.
On Tuesday prior to McGuffin’s arraignment, Courtright was waiting outside Judge Michael Gillespie’s courtroom when she saw corrections officers lead McGuffin to the defendant’s table. She began to shake and cry.
From behind her, Kathleen McGuffin – the defendant’s mother – said, “Cry all you want, Cory, he’s innocent,” in front of family members and some reporters.
“Don’t talk to me ever,” Courtright recalled responding.
Thank goodness I am not the only person writing about or recording the arraignment to witness it. This makes three different references to the exchange besides this blog so clearly I am not alone in questioning the conduct of Kathleen McGuffin.
