Judge denies release of Dugard transcript
By Sam Stanton, Sacramento Bee
The judge in the Jaycee Lee Dugard kidnap case today rejected efforts by the media to have court documents unsealed, including a grand jury transcript, in which Dugard described her 18 years of captivity.
El Dorado Superior Court Judge Douglas Phimister said he had reviewed more than two dozen of the sealed documents in the one and a half year old case but could not release them without jeopardizing Phillip and Nancy Garrido’s right to a fair trial.
“With regard to the grand jury transcripts, and Phillip Garrido’s mental health records, the court recognizes the right of access by both press and public but finds that the release of these records prior to jury selection will prejudice defendants’ right to fair trials,” the judge wrote in a ruling issued this morning.
The Bee and other media organizations have been seeking release of the records since October, and it remains unclear today whether the grand jury transcripts eventually may become public.
