Pretrial Hearing Set in Samantha Runnion Case
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From Times Staff Reports
The long-delayed DNA-evidence pretrial hearing for the accused killer of 5-year-old Samantha Runnion will start Nov. 8, the first date for which the defense says it will be prepared, a Superior Court judge ruled Friday.
Prosecutors said the new hearing date, which will be followed by a hearing on the defense team’s change-of-venue motion, means that jury selection for Alejandro Avila’s case will likely start in January.
Samantha was abducted in 2002 while playing outside her family’s home in Stanton.
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