‘Gag order’ imposed in cases tied to attempted murder of Judge Meyer
Ruling comes after defense ordered to remove online survey aimed at potential jurors, covers all public comments by attorneys, families. Plus, why a recount in Senate Dist. 23 could go until July.
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‘GAG ORDER’ IMPOSED IN CASES TIED TO ATTEMPTED MURDER OF JUDGE MEYER
After a judge last week chastised defense attorneys connected to cases in the Jan. 18 attempted murder of Tippecanoe Superior Court Judge Steve Meyer, frustrated over a survey meant to gauge opinion about whether an impartial jury from Tippecanoe County could be seated, a gag order was issued that prohibits anyone tied to the cases to comment publicly about them.
Cass County Superior Court Judge Lisa Swaim – assigned to oversee cases tied to an alleged plot that included the attempted murder of Steve and Kim Meyer at their Lafayette home – issued the order last week that prohibits comments, directly or through intermediaries, to the media or on social media platforms by attorneys on either side, law enforcement, court staff or family members.
Swaim granted a motion from prosecutors for broader limits on public comment after a tense hearing where the judge demanded the end to a survey circulated by defense teams that asked people to weigh in on whether they believed defendants in the alleged plot were guilty.
Swaim agreed with prosecutors that the survey could taint efforts to find a jury in Tippecanoe County when the cases – including those of Thomas Moss, 43, of Lafayette; Nevaeh Bell, 23, of Lafayette; Blake Smith, 32, of Dayton; and Raylen Ferguson, a 38-year-old Lexington, Kentucky, man accused of pulling the trigger and shooting the Meyers through their front door – go to trial.
Attorneys for Smith, who along with the others has been charged with attempted murder along with other alleged offenses, pushed back in a court filing late last week.
