Consideration underway to move re-trial in fatal Halfmoon accident out of area

Maria Lentini | Photo: File / WNYT.

August 20, 2018 05:01 PM

NewsChannel 13 has learned there's another twist in the case of the Saratoga Springs woman convicted of leaving the scene of a fatal accident in Halfmoon.

Maria Lentini's re-trial was supposed to begin Monday. However, Mark Mulholland reports that an appellate judge put the trial on hold until the higher court decides if it should be moved out of the Capital Region. Lentini's attorney says his client, who was found guilty of failing to report that she struck and killed Patrick Duff as he walked along Route 9, can't get a fair trial here because of news coverage of the case.

Advertisement – Content Continues Below

The district attorney opposes moving the trial to a new venue.

Lentini was granted a new trial after a higher court found that jurors shouldn't have been allowed to hear testimony that she refused to answer questions about the crash until she spoke with an attorney.