No court action in Warren Country buried baby case

A Carlisle teen accused of killing her infant and then burn- ing and burying the body in the back yard of her home was at the courthouse Tuesday while attorneys met in chambers, but there was no courtroom action.

Prosecutors and attorneys for Brooke Skylar Richard- son met for a pre-trial confer- ence for the first time since the defense filed for a change of venue to have the trial moved. After about 30 min- utes, bailiff for Judge Donald

Oda II reported there would be no hearing in open court.

A hearing in the case is scheduled for March 14.

In the motion for change of venue, defense attorneys Charles H. Rittgers and Charles M. Rittgers included a memorandum of support. That memorandum appar- ently was four pages long and contained specifics of the case. Last year, Oda issued a gag order prohibiting all parties involved in the case from making public state-

ments 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.” The judge ordered the memorandum of support stricken from the change of venue motion.

The Rittgers then 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.

Oda has not yet made a decision on the actual change of venue request.

Richardson’s trial is scheduled to begin April 16.