The Denver Post
Judge asks Bryant to enter formal plea
Sunday, April 04, 2004 -
The prosecutor in the Kobe Bryant sexual-assault case has asked the basketball star to enter a formal plea and start the clock ticking on a speedy trial - for the accuser's benefit.
A week after the mother of the 19-year-old woman wrote a compelling letter to the judge asking him to pick up the pace to alleviate the constant stalking by the media and the defense team, District Attorney Mark Hurlbert argued in his legal motion filed Friday against further delays. "The emotional and mental toll on her is truly devastating as this case lingers on," Hurlbert wrote. Bryant's attorneys, Pamela Mackey and Hal Haddon, indicated to the court they would respond to the motion by Monday, according to court documents. Bryant, 25, has not waived his right to a speedy trial, but his defense attorneys - originally in consent with prosecutors - agreed to abide by District Judge Terry Ruckriegle's preferred protocol to enter a plea after the pre-trial hearings on various motions over evidence. Once a plea is entered, a defendant is entitled to a trial within six months. Although Bryant was arrested July 4, the ensuing months have been consumed by hearings on the admissibility of evidence, such as Bryant's statements to investigators and the woman's mental-health history. |