Judge denies request by Strohmeyer defense

Defense attorney Richard Wright argued Monday that special efforts must be made to ensure that an untainted jury is selected.

Strohmeyer, 19, is charged with the May 25, 1997, sexual assault and murder of 7-year-old Sherrice Iverson. The girl was found in a restroom at the Primm Valley hotel-casino.

Wright told Chief District Judge Myron Leavitt that 150 news articles have been printed about the Long Beach, Calif., defendant.

Wright said there was a need to determine whether the prospective jurors had been exposed to "dangerous, prejudicial, inflammatory things published in the media that won't be admitted into evidence."

He noted that transcripts of Strohmeyer's confessions have been posted on the Internet, along with grand jury proceedings that resulted in his indictment.

But Leavitt said he wasn't willing to go along with Wright's suggestion, which likely would have resulted in jury selection plodding on for weeks.

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