State Supreme Court gives Bell’s attorneys two days to prepare

• By STEVEN WARD
• Advocate staff writer
• Published: Apr 15, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:29 p.m.

• Print
• Email
• Save
• Share

• Del.icio.us
• Digg
• Facebook
• Reddit
• 

The Louisiana Supreme Court has ruled that Anthony Bell’s defense attorneys can have two days to prepare for the penalty phase of his capital murder trial.

The written ruling was sent to the 19th Judicial Court just before noon and stated “counsel may have an additional two days in which to prepare for the penalty phase of trial which is to begin on Thursday, April 17, 2008.”

Prior to the Louisiana Supreme Court handed down its ruling, attorneys for Bell filed a motion asking for a mistrial, according to 19th Judicial District Court documents.

According to the motion filed about 10:20 a.m., Bell’s attorneys Greg Rome and Margaret Lagattuta say Bell “feels that the sequestered jurors may feel he is the cause of the delay and the continued burden of the jurors being sequestered.”

The motion also states that Bell “feels that the sequestered jury may rush to judgment at the close of all of the evidence simply to be relieved from the order of sequestration to return home to their families.”

Bell, 27, was convicted Friday night of five counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

The penalty phase of the trial was set to begin Saturday at noon. It was postponed until 8:30 a.m. Monday after Bell, who represented himself during the guilt phase of the trial, asked that the court-appointed attorneys he fired in February be reappointed.

State District Judge Todd Hernandez granted that request.

During the penalty phase of the trial, the same jurors who convicted Bell will hear evidence for and against the death penalty.

Rome and Lagattuta asked Hernandez for 60 days to prepare for the penalty phase. Hernandez denied the request.

Rome and Lagattuta asked the 1st Circuit of Appeal and the Louisiana Supreme Court to review Hernandez’s ruling.

The 1st Circuit denied the defense request Monday morning but the state Supreme Court issued a stay of the trial later that day.