Jaycee Dugard Update: Garridos Indicted by Grand Jury, May Move Case Along Faster, Says Lawyer
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS/AP) To the defense's dismay, Phillip and Nancy Garrido, the couple accused of kidnapping Jaycee Dugard nearly 20 years ago, have been indicted by a grand jury in a legal move that means a preliminary hearing will no longer be necessary, Nancy Garrido's lawyer said Wednesday.
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Instead the California couple, who is accused of kidnapping 11-year-old Jaycee and keeping her captive for 18 years, may be arraigned on the charges laid out in the indictment at their next court date which is scheduled for Oct. 1, reports The San Francisco Chronicle.
Grand jury charges would supercede the 29 counts of kidnapping, rape and false imprisonment the district attorney brought against the Garridos soon after their August 2009 arrests.
Jaycee Dugard was allegedly kidnapped by the Garridos in 1991 and forced to live with the Northern California couple in a backyard ramshackle compound for the next 18 years. While in captivity, she bore two daughters with Phillip Garrido.
Nancy Garrido's attorney, Steve Tapson, says he did not know who had testified at the secret hearing or what charges were alleged and is not happy about the turn of events.
"I don't like grand juries. I never have," Tapson told The San Francisco Chronicle. "We don't get to see or question witnesses, even if they're police officers."
Now, Tapson along with other defense attorneys must decide whether or not they should they try to move the trial from El Dorado County to another venue in order to eliminate any prejudice.
"Where are we going to go? It's hard to find a place where no one has ever heard of this," Tapson added.
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