Autopsy report, absence causes delays in case of Texas woman accused of infanticide in Nunn – Greeley Tribune

The 18-year-old woman accused of stabbing and killing her newborn baby girl in Nunn last month will have to wait until mid-September for progress on her case as prosecutors and public defenders await the autopsy report.

Leiyla Cepeda, who is being held without bail in the Weld County Jail on first-degree murder charges, appeared before Judge Julie Hoskins for a hearing Friday afternoon with public defenders Reshaad Shirazi and Megan Bishop.

Although Hoskins granted a motion asking certain people involved in the case to testify, she denied other motions calling for the preservation and production of correspondence between law enforcement and the prosecution, as well as one requiring the defense to provide a Experts will oversee all tests that would destroy evidence.

Hoskins said the court does not have the authority to order prosecutors to turn over notes and correspondence with law enforcement to the defense. Weld Assistant District Attorney Ashley Fetyko argued that keeping all this correspondence was too much of a hassle, especially given some of the smaller agencies involved in the case. Hoskins ordered that all officers’ written notes be retained but not turned over at this time.

Hoskins said she doesn’t believe an evidence review would completely destroy a piece of evidence, noting that prosecutors must give the defense seven days’ written notice prior to such a review. If the defense is concerned, they can make a request at this point.

Shirazi noted that the defense still doesn’t have an autopsy report for the newborn, which Fetyko said prosecutors were also waiting for his arrival. A consulting witness told Fetyko the delay could be 10 to 12 weeks.

With Shirazi unavailable for a court date in mid-August, Hoskins scheduled the next hearing for September 14 at 4 p.m.