Defense Seeks Review of Judge’s Refusal to Recuse
VENTURA, Calif. – Lawyers for a Ventura County teenager say a judge should recuse himself from their client’s retrial on charges of killing a gay classmate.
Brandon McInerney’s attorneys argued that Judge Charles Campbell was biased against them and they could not get a fair trial in his courtroom.
They asked Campbell to recuse himself from a second trial after McInerney’s first trial in September ended in a hung jury.
Campbell denied the motion, citing insufficient legal arguments.
The Ventura County Star reports that McInerney’s lawyers filed a writ with the Court of Appeals on Friday to review Campbell’s decision.
A mistrial was declared after jurors couldn’t reach a unanimous decision on the degree of McInerney’s guilt for killing 15-year-old Larry King.