Judge Challenges Attempt to Remove Him From Trial
VAN NUYS — Responding to a defense effort to remove him from the case, the judge presiding over the murder trial of a woman accused of killing her four daughters through arson has filed court papers arguing that he should remain.
“I am not prejudiced or biased against or in favor of any party to this proceeding or their counsel,†wrote Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge L. Jeffrey Wiatt, in a signed statement dated Friday.
Two weeks ago, Deputy Public Defender Howard Waco, who is representing Sandi Nieves, filed a motion to disqualify Wiatt, saying the judge has shown favoritism to prosecutors, rebuked him in front of jurors and did not treat some defense witnesses well. So far during the trial, Wiatt has sanctioned Waco at least seven times, and has fined him more than $3,000.
Nieves, 36, allegedly started a fire in the early morning of July 1, 1998, as her five children slept in their Saugus house. Her four daughters died of smoke inhalation. Her teenage son, David, survived. The mother is charged with four counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder and arson.
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