LOUISVILLE, Ky.—A newspaper is seeking a judge’s permission to inspect the juvenile court file of an Iraq war veteran now charged with murder in an Army comrade’s death.
Juvenile court records are normally sealed, but an attorney for The Courier-Journal of Louisville asked Jefferson County District Judge Angela McCormick Bisig to open Kenneth Eastridge’s file.
Eastridge, formerly of Louisville, was 12 years old in 1996 when he was convicted of reckless homicide in juvenile court in Jefferson County. He was convicted in the shooting death of Billy Bowman, who was also 12.
Now 24, the former Army private is charged in Colorado Springs, Colo., along with two other members of his former unit in the death of Spc. Kevin Shields.
Eastridge has pleaded not guilty to Shields’ slaying. He is being held in a Colorado Springs jail in lieu of a $350,000 bond and is scheduled to be tried in July.
The newspaper wants Eastridge’s juvenile file opened so media can explore decisions made in the case 12 years ago and whether Eastridge completed his treatment program.
The newspaper’s attorney, Jon Fleischaker, said Kentucky law allows judges to open juvenile records for “good cause,” and he said there is substantial public interest in the case.
Public defender J. David Niehaus, appointed to represent Eastridge, said state law requires that juvenile records be sealed to give juveniles “a chance to make a comeback.” He said the state should not open files just because a case later becomes “hot in the media.”
Eastridge also sent a letter to the court asking that his juvenile file remain sealed, the judge said.
Chief juvenile prosecutor Paul Richwalsky Jr. said he didn’t oppose the newspaper’s motion because the county office believes most juvenile court proceedings should be open so judges and prosecutors can be held accountable.
Bisig said she would rule within a couple of weeks, although in response to Niehaus’ argument, she noted that Eastridge is no longer a juvenile trying to rehabilitate himself.
Parents of Bowman and Eastridge attended the hearing but did speak to the judge. In an interview with the newspaper, Bowman’s father, William Bowman Jr., said he favors opening the record.
Eastridge’s public defender has said he suffered a serious head injury on his first tour in Iraq, for which he was awarded a Purple Heart, and returned from his second tour with a post-traumatic stress disorder. He was less than honorably discharged from the Army about a month before the killing for threatening commanders in Iraq.
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Information from: The Courier-Journal,
