Murder Trial Involving Sex and Wiccan Beliefs
Wiccan beliefs and sexual preferences will take center stage in the trial of a North Carolina man accused of killing his wife, unless the defendant has his way before the start of his trial on Halloween.
Earlier this week, Robert James Petrick asked a Durham County Superior Court judge to keep all references to his neo-pagan religion and "sexual habits" out of his first-degree murder trial for the death of his wife, Janine Sutphen, a cellist with the Durham Symphony Orchestra, in January 2003.
Judge Orlando Hudson is expected to rule on the motions before jury selection begins Monday with Petrick, a computer consultant by trade, representing himself.
In a handwritten motion submitted by Petrick, the convicted felon argued that evidence seized from his home, including "books, adult films, clothing and sexual appliances," would compromise his right to a fair trial by placing undue prejudice on him.
The accused murderer makes the same argument regarding his apparent involvement in "the practice of witchcraft, paganism, and the Wiccan religion," perhaps the most sensational elements of the case. Full Story
Related: wicca, pagan, occult
Earlier this week, Robert James Petrick asked a Durham County Superior Court judge to keep all references to his neo-pagan religion and "sexual habits" out of his first-degree murder trial for the death of his wife, Janine Sutphen, a cellist with the Durham Symphony Orchestra, in January 2003.
Judge Orlando Hudson is expected to rule on the motions before jury selection begins Monday with Petrick, a computer consultant by trade, representing himself.
In a handwritten motion submitted by Petrick, the convicted felon argued that evidence seized from his home, including "books, adult films, clothing and sexual appliances," would compromise his right to a fair trial by placing undue prejudice on him.
The accused murderer makes the same argument regarding his apparent involvement in "the practice of witchcraft, paganism, and the Wiccan religion," perhaps the most sensational elements of the case. Full Story
Related: wicca, pagan, occult
posted at 12:38 PM
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