Community Corner
Child Porn Defendant Scheduled for January Trial
Alexander Richter could go to trial Jan. 27 to face the 49 child sex assault felony charges against him.
The child porn cases against Alexander Richter could go before a jury in January.
He is charged with 49 counts of child sex crimes - including child sex assault, child pornography and exploitation of children/filming - after police say they found videos in Richter's apartment showing him having sex with children he was babysitting.
Authorities say six children have been identified as victims; all of whom are the kids of some of Richter's classmates from Gateway Technical College.
Richter was formally charged in November and faces over 1,000 years in prison if convicted. He plead not guilty on Nov. 22 to all the counts against him.
During a status conference Friday that lasted just a few minutes, Richter's defense attorney, Margaret Johnson, asked for an additional status hearing and to schedule a trial date. Richter did appear in person.
He will next have an update on Aug. 23, and his jury trail is scheduled to begin on Jan. 27 at 1:30 p.m.
Outside the courtroom, Johnson told reporters the defense investigation hasn't quite wrapped up so the additional status hearing is needed. She would not comment on whether or not she will mount a formal defense or if going to trial is a realistic expectation in this case.
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