ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Latest on the investigation of Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens (all times local):
5:55 p.m.
A St. Louis judge has ruled that the woman involved in an affair with Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens can be referred to by her name in court.
Judge Rex Burlison issued the ruling during a hearing Wednesday, a day before jury selection begins in Greitens’ felony invasion of privacy case. He’s accused of taking a partially nude and unauthorized photo of the woman during an affair in 2015, before he was elected.
Until now, the woman has been referred to only by her initials in court and in court filings. Prosecutors sought to refer to her as the “victim.” Defense attorney Jim Bennett told Burlison that term is prejudicial.
Burlison, noting the woman never filed a police report, agreed with Bennett’s request to allow her to be referred to by name. Her ex-husband, whose name also has not previously been used, also can be referred to by name.
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5:35 p.m.
The judge in Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens’ invasion of privacy case has not ruled on whether the sexual history of the woman who had an affair with Greitens is relevant for trial.
Judge Rex Burlison said at a hearing Wednesday that he didn’t want to discuss the issue in open court. It’s unclear when he will rule.
Jury selection begins Thursday in the Republican governor’s felony case. St. Louis prosecutors want to exclude the woman’s sexual and counseling history from the trial. Greitens’ attorneys filed a motion Tuesday saying the woman’s sexual history is “a very relevant issue to her credibility.”
Greitens and his St. Louis hairdresser had a monthslong affair in 2015, before he was elected. He’s accused of taking a compromising and unauthorized photo of her. He has admitted to the affair but denied criminal wrongdoing.
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4:45 p.m.
The judge in Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens’ invasion of privacy case is allowing news organizations to take photos for 10 minutes at the beginning of the first day of the trial.
Rules for media coverage were posted to the circuit court’s website Wednesday.
Jury selection begins Thursday in the Republican governor’s felony case. The trial is set to start Monday. Greitens is accused of taking a photo of a partially nude woman without her consent during a sexual encounter in 2015, before he was elected. Greitens has acknowledged the affair but has refused to say whether he took the photo. He denies criminal wrongdoing.
Judge Rex Burlison previously banned video cameras from the courtroom. He’s also barring sketch artists, laptops, smartphones and digital recorders.
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4 p.m.
St. Louis Sheriff Vernon Betts says security will be heightened during Gov. Eric Greitens’ felony invasion of privacy trial, but only minimally.
Jury selection begins Thursday in the case against the 44-year-old Republican governor. Prosecutors say Greitens took a photo of a partially nude woman without her consent during a sexual encounter at his home in 2015. Greitens has acknowledged the affair but has refused to say whether he took the photo. He denies criminal wrongdoing.
Betts says barriers will go up along the east side of the courthouse and parking will be prohibited on that side.
But Betts says precautions will be nothing like those in place last September during the trial of a white St. Louis police officer charged in the death of a black suspect.
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3 p.m.
The judge in Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens’ invasion of privacy case will decide whether the sexual history of the woman who had an affair with Greitens is relevant for trial.
Jury selection begins Thursday in the Republican governor’s felony case. St. Louis prosecutors want to exclude the woman’s sexual and counseling history from the trial. Greitens’ attorneys filed a motion Tuesday saying the woman’s sexual history is “a very relevant issue to her credibility.”
The issue is among many last-minute details Judge Rex Burlison will consider at a hearing Wednesday afternoon.
Greitens and his St. Louis hairdresser had a monthslong affair in 2015, before he was elected. He’s accused of taking a compromising and unauthorized photo of her. He has admitted to the affair but denied criminal wrongdoing.
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1:15 p.m.
For all of the sensational allegations in Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens’ invasion-of-privacy case, the verdict may come down to the technical workings of the iPhone, the definition of “transmission,” and the whereabouts of a photo that may or may not exist.
Jury selection begins Thursday in Greitens’ trial.
The 44-year-old Republican is accused of taking an unauthorized, compromising photo of a woman with whom he was having an affair.
But prosecutors said earlier this week that they have not found such a photo. A forensics examiner has been looking at Greitens’ cellphone.
Under Missouri law, transmitting a photo involving nudity is a felony punishable by up to four years in prison.
Prosecutors contend that the process of taking a cellphone picture instantaneously moves it to the phone’s computer, constituting “transmission.” Greitens’ attorneys ridicule that idea.