From WRAL.com (10/6/09): A North Carolina appeals court has ruled a Wake County judge could temporarily block the release of search warrants and related documents in a high-profile murder investigation.
A three-judge panel of the state Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday against media organizations that argued that as public records, the documents had to be disclosed.
The court said releasing even edited versions of what police were looking for and what they found could jeopardize the investigation, undermine prosecutors, or hurt a suspect’s right to a fair trial.
Brad Cooper has been charged with the first-degree murder in the death of his wife last year. Nancy Cooper’s body was found at a construction site days after he reported she went for a morning jog.