In today's hearing in which it was determined a Kansas City area jury will hear Craig Wood's murder case locally, prosecutors revealed that local middle school girls were made aware their photos and class schedules were found in Wood's home.
Judge Dan Conklin has signed an order to have the Wood case tried in Greene County, with a jury selected from Platte County.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Wood, who is charged with murder, kidnapping, rape, sodomy and armed criminal action in the death of Hailey Owens, 10, in February. Her body was found wrapped in garbage bags in Wood's basement after she was abducted from her neighborhood.
Attorneys also argued Thursday on motions regarding the shielding from view certain pieces of evidence, namely crime scene photos, child pornography writings and photos and information about local middle school girls.
A previous News-Leader storyabout the evidence said it was unclear if the girls identified in evidence were aware their photos and information had been recovered. Patterson said in court today that those girls are aware because they have been interviewed. Four photos of girls were found and two girls' class schedules.
Wood is a former teaching assistant and coach at Pleasant View Middle School.
Prosecutors are requesting an order that keeps the evidence only in the hands of people necessary for the trial, and that Wood can only view the evidence in the presence of his attorneys.
Prosecutors say the evidence includes stories of the rape of 13-year-old girls with the same names as Pleasant View Middle School girls whose photos were found in a dresser in Woods home.
"These are real little girls," Prosecuting Attorney Dan Patterson said as he argued for the evidence to be protected.
Wood's attorney, Patrick Berrigan, who is part of the state's capital defense unit, argued there is no case law that supports protecting the evidence.
He said prosecutors are implying Wood would use the evidence "to advance some prurient interest," but that the law doesn't provide for that.
Berrigan said it's Wood's right to view all evidence that might be used against him, especially in a death penalty case.
Conklin did not rule on the request for the protective order of evidence.
In the jury issue, because the jury would be from more than one county away, the state Supreme Court will have to make an official order.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed on the jury plan.
