MIAMI COUNTY — Prosecutors and the defense are arguing over victims being recorded and shown on camera during their testimony in a Miami County murder trial.
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This has to do with Ashley Flynn’s family members.
Her husband, Caleb, is accused of killing her at their Tipp City home earlier this year.
His trial is set to start next week.
Thursday afternoon, News Center 7 got hold of filings from Caleb’s defense team.
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They were responding to two motions from the prosecutors that they filed Wednesday morning.
“One to include a motion to prohibit the reporting of victims and a motion for victims present during the trial,” Judge Jeannine Pratt, Miami County Common Pleas Court, said.
Both motions came up during a brief hearing News Center 7 was at late Wednesday afternoon.
This was after lawyers and the judge spoke privately in the judge’s chambers.
Several of Ashley’s family members, including her two children and several adult family members, are expected to testify at Caleb’s murder trial.
Prosecutors want all of those family members not to be shown on camera or audio recorded during the trial or during their testimony.
Prosecutors write in part, “The basis for their objections includes privacy concerns, unwanted publicity, safety and harassment concerns.”
Prosecutors also want all of those family members to be excluded from any separation of witness rules.
Separation of witnesses is common during trials and says witnesses can’t come into the courtroom during the trial until after they testify or are released from the list of potential witnesses.
Prosecutors want those family members to be in the courtroom for the entire trial.
The defense disagrees with that argument in its filing and also does not agree with the motion to prohibit recording of those witnesses writing, in part:
“No evidence, by motion or testimony at this juncture, has been proffered by the State to support its request. Nor has the State shown that any of the purported ‘concerns’ expressed by the Witnesses hold any merit.”
These arguments will be the subject of a hearing on Monday afternoon.
The judge also sent a filing today saying that News Center 7 has the ability to be at the hearing with our lawyers to respond to any possible restrictions on recording victims during their testimony.
The judge will make her decision after that hearing.
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