A Santa Monica judge recently agreed to release to the public a 914-page police report that details the events surrounding the July 16, 2003 Farmers’ Market tragedy in Santa Monica.
Criminal lawyers — those who are prosecuting 87-year-old Russell Weller, who killed 10 people and injured 63 others — as well as his defense attorneys, argued the report should be sealed in an effort to give him a fair trial.
But the First Amendment won out and the judge ordered that the report be made public.
However, Weller’s statements, as well as his those of his wife, remain sealed.
So this week, Q-Line wants to know, “Do you agree with the judge’s decision to keep Weller’s statements private? If you were a juror, would it change how you looked at the case?”
Call (31) 285-8106 with your responses by Friday at 5 p.m. We’ll print them in the weekend edition. Please limit your comments to a minute or less. It might help to think first about the wording of your response.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 26, 2004. Read the original PDF.