CLEVELAND, Ohio — A Cuyahoga County judge Thursday delayed the initial court appearance for two children accused of torturing and raping a 5-year-old autistic girl last month.
Juvenile Court Judge Kristin Sweeney reset the hearing for Nov. 3 amid disputes over whether the proceedings should be open to the public. Attorneys for the accused — a 10-year-old girl and a 9-year-old boy — argued in filings to the court that public scrutiny of the case would be harmful to their clients.
The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com intend to argue at the hearing that this case raises serious questions for the public about juvenile justice, so keeping the hearings open is in the public interest…