SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A Sacramento Superior Court judge on Friday denied a defense request to continue trial proceedings, despite defense counsel arguing she lacked sufficient time to prepare a mental health diversion petition for the accused.
The accused and her codefendant were held to answer to charges at a preliminary hearing in early February, after which defense counsel agreed to a March 23 trial date. Following the preliminary hearing, Deputy Public Defender Carmen Butler was appointed as counsel for the accused.
The accused and the codefendant had shared the charges held at the preliminary hearing. At the conclusion of the hearing, prior counsel successfully moved to dismiss one of the more serious charges against the accused…