A judge in Polk County has ordered that a young girl’s statements from her hospital bed can be used as evidence against Bryan Riley, who is accused of killing four of her family members in September 2021 at their North Lakeland home.
Circuit Judge Kevin Abdoney wrote in his Sept. 3 order that if the girl appears as a witness, the statements she made to a Polk County sheriff’s detective “are admissible as substantive evidence at trial.”
He also wrote that “several statements of the child likely consist of the hearsay statements of others and that redactions would be appropriate.” He left it to the attorneys to agree “on the issue of necessary redactions” and set a hearing if they disagreed.
“In the event the child is declared unavailable,” Abdoney wrote, “the Court reserves ruling as to the admissibility of ( redacted ) statements to Detective (Brittany) Wright.”
Riley faces a possible death sentence if convicted of first-degree murder charges and various other crimes in connection with the brutal attack that killed four people and their dog. His defense team has filed its intent to pursue an insanity defense.