Raymond Daniel Posey III
La Plata, MD – Lawyers for Raymond Daniel Posey III, 24 of Nanjemoy, still don’t have a trial date. This makes the road to getting one far from smooth.
One of Posey’s defense team lawyers, Kevin Collins, asserted before Charles County Circuit Court Judge H. James West Tuesday, Sept. 27 that the Charles County State’s Attorney’s Office was delaying the trial.
Assistant State’s Attorney Francis Granados deflected the accusation back to the defense, asserting that they were the ones dragging their feet.
“It isn’t the state who asked for a continuance,” Granados stressed. “All delay is directly attributed to the defense. Back in February there was a status hearing, it was the defense who asked for a delay. The state has done nothing to drag this case out.
“It was due to the actions of the defense that your honor had to dismiss an entire panel of jurors because Mr. Posey’s attorneys violated the 14th Amendment,” he said. “We all came to trial prepared to proceed. The court opted to dismiss the entire jury. It was the defense’s actions which is causing this trial to be continued now. We have been ready to go.”
“This is a very serious case,” West admitted, saying his thought is to get another panel of about 80 potential jurors, which is an easier number to work with.
If only picking the date could be as easily reckoned.
Schedules of the state prosecutors, the defense team, the witnesses (two of whom were flown in from out west last week for the trial that never took place) and the judge himself, could push the trial back to January 2017. Both the state and judge admitted it could be as far out as April.
Collins has filed a motion for a speedy trial, asking that proceedings begin before that time.
Several factors, including a possible date this October, hinge on other factors, West said.
Acknowledging that the trial could well be pushed into next year, West agreed to hear the defense’s motion Nov. 22.
In the meantime, attorneys on both sides of the ailse will continue to try and sort through schedules to come up with a date when Posey, facing first-degree murder charges in the 2012 death of 26-year-old Crystal Anderson, will go to trial.
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Contact Joseph Norris at joe.norris@thebaynet.com
