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‘Choker’ trial proceedings to beginBy DEE STEERSporting t fwn haircut, Thomas Earl Grettenberg. suspected of be* tag the “Choker** rapist, was transferred Saturday from Travi* County to the McLennan County Jail for trial Monday Jury selection and debate on three pretrial motions are expected to be completed Monday in 54th District Court in Waco Grettenberf was indicted in September on three charges of aggravated rape and two charges of burglary of a habitation in canmc turn with 10 assaults, nine of them involving University coeds THE ASSAULTS, which took place over a four month period ending in August, were characterized by victims who were choked un conscious by an electrical cord, then raped or burglarized Travis County Asat Dist Attys Steve Edwards and Rosemary Lehmberg have not said which charge will be tried but have subpoenaed witnesses for two of therape cases,The trial was moved to Waco on a change of venue granted by 187th District Court Judge Tom Blackwell of Austin after defense attorneys Herman Gotcher and Dam Whitworth objected to the excessive ‘ publicity surrounding the caseProsecutors did not object to the move because they were afraid Grettenberg could not be tried fairly in Austin.ONCE JURY selection is completed Monday debate on three pretrial motions will ensue after the jury has been removed from the courtroom.The first motion asks Judge Carl Anderson to restrict and regulate news accounts, comments and editorials regarding the case. It asks that all Travis and McLennan County media be prohibited from identifying Grettenberg as the suspected “Choker rapist, from saying Grettenberg confessed to any crime and from printing the text of any confession he may have givenIt alto asks that the media be prohibited from publishing any pretrial testimony that sound, broadcasting and television equipment be banned within the courthouse and the adjoining grounds, and that news accounts be limited to testimony given in the jury’s presence THE SECOND motion seeks to suppress any confession, either written or oral, that Grettenberg has made since his arrest. The motion alleges the confession was “involuntary and was coerced and enticed” from Grettenberg The third pretrial motion seeks to suppress the alleged identification of Grettenberg as the “Choker” in a Sept 6 police lineup According to the motion, all the witnesses viewed the lineup together and the lineup was composed of persons “markedly different physically*' from Grettenberg, therefore, any identification was illegal.Anderson ts expected to rule on the motions Monday with testimony beginning Tuesday.
Newspaper Details
Austin Daily Texan
Austin, Texas, US
Mon, Nov 14, 1977
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Jared T.
NA, NA 14 Aug 2023
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