Court Orders Release of Documents in Baby Kidnapping Case
In State v. Williams, Case No 16-2017-CF-00539 (4th Jud. Cir. Fla. Feb. 2, 2018), Giselle Girones and Rachel Fugate successfully obtained police reports containing witness statements, photographs of property seized after arrest, jail calls, personal records, and video recordings of witness statements associated with the Defendant, Gloria Williams, in the baby kidnapping case that occurred in Jacksonville, Florida in 1998. Giselle represented local media in seeking access to these documents the defense wished to exclude from the public. The Defendant maintained that the documents were subject to closure due to the highly prejudicial effect they would have on jury selection. The court largely disagreed with the Defendant, finding that while some of the documents casted the Defendant in a negative light, that was insufficient to warrant closure of these records.
