jmccann@heraldsun.com; 419-6601
DURHAM -- During a court hearing on Wednesday in preparation for Keith Kidwell's first-degree murder trial, there was some discussion about whether he should be allowed to sit in the courtroom without handcuffs.
Kidwell is charged with the fatal 2005 beating of convenience store worker Crayton Nelms at a Kangaroo on Roxboro Road.
On Wednesday, after law-enforcement personnel shuffled Kidwell into the courtroom, the defendant's attorney, Lisa Williams, asked that her client's wrists be unshackled.
"He's here to assist me. I'd like for him to be able to move freely, write freely," Williams explained.
Durham County Sheriff's Office Lt. Paul Hornbuckle, who heads up court security at the Durham County Judicial Building, said there'd been "talk" that Kidwell had gotten his hands on a key that could unlock his shackles. Kidwell's legs were loosely but securely, bound, and Hornbuckle implied Kidwell might try to escape if his wrists were freed.
District Attorney Tracey Cline noted that Kidwell tried to escape while in custody in Oklahoma, where law-enforcement officers found him in the victim's stolen truck after the murder.
Williams said those concerned with Kidwell not being handcuffed might as well get used to it since that's how it will be next week when his trial gets under way.
Cline said she would check into the situation as it relates to securing Kidwell during the trial.
But for Wednesday's proceedings, Hudson thought it best to keep Kidwell's arms and legs bound.
