By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com
Hundreds of stories have appeared in local newspapers about the Sacramento teen who was shackled and tortured by at least three people in Tracy - not to mention the stories that have aired on television stations or the reaction that has surfaced on the Internet from as far away as Japan.
But that's not enough to move the trial of Anthony Vincent Waiters, the final defendant facing torture charges in the case, out of Stockton, a San Joaquin Superior Court judge ruled this morning.
Judge Terrence Van Oss denied the motion by Waiters' defense attorney, arguing that the San Joaquin jury pool was no more tainted by publicity surrounding the case than it would be in other locations.
"It's everywhere," Van Oss said of the publicity. "You can't get away from it."
He also argued that potential jurors must be made aware of the charges in the case, and the reaction to those charges - he called them "inflammatory" - would be about the same no matter the venue.
"That's going to be true whether the trial was held here or in San Diego or in Crescent City," he said.
Waiters' attorney, Allan Jose, had argued that the continued coverage by the media - from the Bay Area to Sacramento - had tainted San Joaquin County's jury pool and prevented his client from receiving a fair trial.
Deputy District Attorney Angela Hayes countered that bias already had been weeded out through the jury-selection process. About 40 percent of the potential jurors in the case - there were 207 questioned - admitted to having some opinion about Waiters' perceived guilt, and had been dismissed.
The case is scheduled to continue with Hayes' opening statement at 1:30 p.m.
After more than a year of captivity, the victim escaped from the home of Kelly Layne Lau and Michael Luther Schumacher in December 2008 by unclasping a shackle around his ankle and running to a nearby health club.
The victim, now 17, has not been publicly identified.
Lau, 32; her husband, Schumacher, 36; and their friend Caren Ramirez, 45, pleaded guilty earlier to a variety of charges, including false imprisonment and inflicting corporal injury on a child.
Lau was sentenced to 33 years in prison, Schumacher to 30 years and Ramirez to 34 years.
Call The Bee's Kim Minugh, (916) 321-1038.
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