WOODLAND — Attorneys for a Davis teen accused of killing an elderly couple prevailed Thursday in having the boy’s trial postponed from April to June, despite objections from the case’s prosecutors.
Yolo Superior Court Judge David Reed said there was good cause to grant the two-month continuance in Daniel Marsh’s trial, citing the defense’s ongoing investigation as well as discovery — including more than a dozen DVDs — that prosecutors handed over to Marsh’s defense lawyers within the past few weeks.
Marsh, 16, is being tried as an adult for the April 14, 2013, stabbing deaths of Oliver “Chip” Northup, 87, and his wife, 76-year-old Claudia Maupin. He has pleaded not guilty.
Although prosecutors say much of the DVDs’ content — mostly surveillance footage from businesses surrounding the Cowell Boulevard crime scene — contains little if any admissible evidence, Reed said a “diligent and competent” attorney would still need to review the recordings and consider their relevance.
Marsh’s lead attorney, Deputy Public Defender Ron Johnson, also submitted a declaration in support of his motion for a continuance, which Reed reviewed in court and ordered sealed in order to protect the attorney-client privilege.
Reed then set a new trial date of June 16, preceded by an April 29 status conference and June 9 trial-readiness conference.
— Reach Lauren Keene at lkeene@davisenterprise.net or 530-747-8048. Follow her on Twitter at @laurenkeene