Johnson murder trial rescheduled to
Feb. 1
Judge clears up misconceptions about
Monday comments
By GREG STAHL
Express Staff Writer
Just two days after denying a motion to
postpone the trial for alleged teenage murderer Sarah M. Johnson, 5th District
Judge Barry Wood on Wednesday rescheduled the trial for Feb. 1.
In rescheduling it, Wood reiterated that
this is the fourth time a trial date has been set in the case. Before granting
the extension, he asked again: "Where do you want to draw a line in the sand?"
Sarah M. Johnson
Wood also took the opportunity to attempt
to clear up a misconception that arose from a Wednesday, July 21, article in the
Idaho Mountain Express. Restating his point from the Monday hearing, which was
quoted in the July 21 newspaper, Wood said that if the defense is arguing its
case based on factual innocence, and if defense attorneys were to successfully
convince a jury, then an innocent girl is sitting behind bars.
The underlying question was, why postpone
the exoneration of an innocent person if she truly has not committed a crime.
Wood was clear at both the Monday and
Wednesday hearings that he was stressing his use of the word, "if." Also, his
comments did not endorse positions for the prosecution or for the defense.
"I don’t have a stake in this thing, but
we need to get it done," he said Monday.
Johnson, 17, is accused of murdering her
parents, Alan and Diane Johnson, on Sept. 2, 2003, in their Bellevue home. She
was 16 at the time of the murders. Since her Oct. 29 arrest, she has been
incarcerated at the Blaine County Jail in lieu of a $2 million bond.
Before rescheduling the trial date, Wood
was sure to ask Johnson if it was her wish to do so. Her answer was short and
to-the-point.
"Yes," she said.
The reason for the extension is a position
maintained by both the prosecution and defense attorneys. A significant amount
of evidence in the case has only recently been returned from laboratories around
the country. Defense attorneys are still examining evidence and determining if
they wish to do further testing themselves.
Also, once defense attorneys compile their
case, they must share with prosecutors any information they discover that would
explicitly exonerate Johnson.
The anticipated Sept. 27 trial date would
leave little time to accomplish those tasks, said Blaine County Prosecuting
Attorney Jim Thomas.
The next hearing in the case is scheduled
for Aug. 10.