Once again, there’s an attempt in Newport News to block the media from attending a court hearing that would otherwise be open.
This time, it’s not for a police officer charged with murder, but for a man accused of killing a Newport News police officer early last year.
It began when a lawyer for Vernon E. Green II — charged with second-degree murder in the January 2020 slaying of Officer Katherine M. “Katie” Thyne — filed a motion in early August asking that certain evidence be barred from Green’s trial.
They assert that the media should be excluded because it’s a “high-profile case,” and “permitting the media to report on the proceedings would be prejudicial to Green and may result in further public hostility toward Green.”
“Such coverage serves no public interest and can only lead to circumstances that will impede justice and prevent Green from receiving a fair trial,” the joint motion maintains.