Judge presiding over Capital Gazette shooting case lays out picture of trial
The Anne Arundel County judge presiding over the Capital Gazette murder case laid out coronavirus safety protocols Tuesday for the sanity phase of the killer’s trial — if it happens as scheduled over the summer.
Circuit Judge Michael Wachs described a courtroom divided by various Plexiglas barriers, where attendance will be limited and participants will at times trade face masks for clear face shields.
Only those obligated by law will be allowed in, Wachs said. The public will watch what Wachs classified as a “complicated, lengthy trial of magnitude we haven’t seen” from overflow locations yet to be determined and listen over a phone line.
But for a few minor discretionary decisions, Wachs’ message was clear: an order by Maryland’s top judge outlining various measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus is the law, and he has no authority to go against it.
The deliberation in court Tuesday responded to motion objecting to a range of the issues mandated by Maryland Court of Appeals Chief Judge Mary Ellen Barbera, such as mask wearing in certain contexts, filed by the lawyers representing the man who fatally shot Gerald Fischman, Rob Hiaasen, John McNamara, Rebecca Smith and Wendi Winters in the June 2018 attack on the Annapolis news organization, which is owned by Baltimore Sun Media.
Ramos’ lawyers argued some of the precautions could infringe upon his rights. They also contended some of the precautions are unnecessary and would complicate trying the case over three weeks beginning in late June.
Wachs said Ramos’ public defenders had “used every word but postponement” in their coronavirus-related pleading.
If the attorneys want a delay, Wachs said they should ask for it by noon Friday, a deadline that holds little weight, as Wachs acknowledged he’s obligated to review a motion for postponement whenever he files it.
On Friday, courthouse personnel will send out 300 court summons to potential jurors, requiring them to come to the courthouse to fill out a questionnaire — the first step in a jury selection process that’s slated to be finalized over three days in June.