A hearing to discuss moving the capital murder case against Courtney L. Lockhart of Smiths Station out of Lee County was scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday this week. But a gag order, imposed the month after Auburn University freshman Lauren Burk was killed in March 2008, is preventing anyone involved with the case from confirming if the hearing happened.
The public and media were prohibited from attending the two-day hearing after Lee County Circuit Court Judge Jacob A. Walker III filed an order Dec. 30 granting the defense counsel’s motion to close it. Attorneys were expected to argue defense motions for suppression of evidence and change of venue.
Lockhart, 25, faces capital murder during a kidnapping, capital murder during an attempted rape and capital murder during a robbery in connection with Burk’s death.
Defense attorneys Joel Collins and Jeremy Armstrong have claimed from the beginning of the case that the extensive local and national media coverage generated from Burk’s murder tainted the local jury pool, and requires a change of venue. They had a gag order instituted in April 2008 and the case file sealed in July 2008 as efforts to control pretrial publicity.
Lockhart’s case is expected to go to trial this year, but likely not until after the three-week criminal term, which begins March 29.
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