Laurean Appears Before Court
April 20th, 2009 by Marcus
Via WITN.com
Accused killer Cesar Laurean made a brief court appearance in Onslow County courthouse today and will be held without bond.
Laurean went before District Judge Paul Hardison in a brief first appearance just before noon.
Laurean, wearing a bullet proof vest, was in the courtroom for less than three minutes.
District Attorney Dewey Hudson says the Marine's next court appearance in May 18th. The judge ordered Laurean held without bond.
Laurean's defense attorney says he may seek to move the trial.
Laurean in his first court appearance. Credit WITN
Well, Laurean is back in Onslow County, the home of Camp Lejeune. I can't say I'm surprised his defense attorney has said he wants to move the trial. The story of Lauterbach's disappearance and finding of her body near Laurean's home was all the local news talked about for many days.
How hard will it be for Laurean to get a fair trial in a town that wouldn't exist if not for the Marine base it houses? I would say pretty damn hard considering the tens of thousands of Marines, former Marines, civil employees, and family members connected to the Camp Lejeune area. Even moving the trial to Wilmington wouldn't quite work as the two towns are only 45 minutes away and quite a few Marines I know have retired to the area or just gotten out and moved there.
Emphasis mine:
McNeil [Laurean's attorney] said he expects to get 6,000 pages of case documents this week. He said he doesn't expect a trial until next year.
Not another eight months until Laurean faces a jury? Insanity. This really should be an open and shut case as Lauterbach's body was found in his backyard, her blood in multiple places inside the home, and the fact Laurean fled. We won't even take into account he fled to Mexico. Perhaps I'm too close to this case and am letting that blind me, but I can't honestly believe it will take until next year to prepare this case.
Tags: cesar laurean, maria lauterbach
Posted in Military Law
Open and shut is bad. We must be thorough. Otherwise, this scumbag may find someway to weasel his way out of his much deserved punishment.
Change of venue is proper here, in all honesty. Might even have to go to another state. Cross all of the t's and dot all of the i's, so this bastard can someday walk into a little room, have a needle stuck in his arm, and justice will finally be done.
Yeah, I support the death penalty. Surprised to hear that from a liberal?