Politics: Onward from New Hampshire

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http://www.timesleader.com/mld/times...printstory.jsp

Punch halts murder trial

PHILADELPHIA - A man accused of raping and murdering a young girl punched his defense attorney in the face Monday, bringing his jury trial to a halt.

Court officers tackled the defendant, Malik El-Shabazz, 20, then led him quickly from the courtroom at Philadelphia's Criminal Justice Center. The attorney, public defender Fred Goodman, was not seriously hurt, officials said.

Judge Jane Cutler Greenspan immediately declared a recess and sent jurors home. It was unclear whether the attack, which was unprovoked and came without warning, would result in a mistrial.

Prosecutors planned to argue Tuesday that the trial should continue as planned.

"It's our opinion that he was trying to obtain a mistrial," Cathie Abookire, a spokeswoman for Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham, said of El-Shabazz. "I'm sure it will be the first order of business when the court reconvenes on Tuesday."

It was unclear whether the defense team would ask the judge to restart the trial with a new jury. Goodman and his co-counsel, Andrea Konow, did not immediately return phone messages Monday.

El-Shabazz is accused of murdering 6-year-old Destiny Wright during a girls slumber party at his sister's Philadelphia home in 2002.

During the trial, jurors were shown a police videotape in which El-Shabazz described in great detail how he smothered the girl and then lugged her body more than a mile to a vacant lot. Jurors on Monday also saw gruesome autopsy photographs of the girl's body.