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Judge rules against Couey on two matters
By Times Staff Writer
Published September 16, 2005
INVERNESS - A judge sided with prosecutors twice at a Thursday afternoon hearing for John Couey.
For a second time, Circuit Judge Ric Howard refused to grant Assistant Public Defender Daniel M. Lewan's request for a new judge in the case. The judge said the motion was "legally insufficient." Howard also granted prosecutors' motion to quash a subpoena requesting records from a Lake County agency. The judge told Lewan he had violated procedural rules by sending the subpoenas without the judge's approval.
Couey, 46, is accused of kidnapping, sexually assaulting and killing Jessica Lunsford. He has pleaded not guilty and awaits trial at the Citrus County jail. For the first time since his arrest, a Lunsford family member attended a court hearing in the case. Ruth Lunsford, Jessica's grandmother, sat on a bench behind the prosecutors' table. Sheriff's Detective Gary Atchison, one of the lead investigators in the case, put his arm around her as Couey entered the courtroom. Lunsford, 73, wore a necklace with Jessica's photo on it. Couey's next court appearance is scheduled for 2 p.m. Oct. 13.
[Last modified September 16, 2005, 01:35:22]
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