Apr 24, 2009 4:00 pm US/Eastern
Huckaby Appears In Court But Does Not Enter Plea
TRACY, Calif. (CBS/AP) ―
The woman accused in the rape and killing of eight-year-old Sandra Cantu was back in court today but did not enter a plea in the high-profile case.
Melissa Huckaby made her second court appearance in San Joaquin County Court after being charged with murder with special circumstances, including kidnapping and rape with a foreign object.
A conviction on any of the special circumstances would make her eligible for the death penalty.
Huckaby's defense also formally dropped their request to have Sandra's body exhumed so they could perform a second autopsy. The next hearing in the case was scheduled for May 22.
Dozens of people waited at the court house trying to get into to see today's hearing but only 30 seats were available for the hearing.
"I really want to see history in the making," said Anna Ford who is hoping to get a seat inside the court room. "I want to hear it and see it for myself, not read it from the newspaper or hear somebody talk about it where it could be misconstrued. I want to see it for myself as it unfolds."
Meanwhile, prosecutors and Huckaby's lawyer are at odds over the forensic evidence from the girl's autopsy.
Public defender Peter Fox is attacking the credibility of San Joaquin County's chief medical examiner, Dr. Bennet Omalu. Fox claims that some attorneys have complained that Omalu's opinions in other homicide cases were biased toward the prosecution.
Omalu has not responded to Fox's claims because of a gag order in the case.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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Full Coverage Of Sandra Cantu Investigation
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