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Judge Refuses To Toss Out Charges In Double Murder

VENTURA (AP) — A California judge has denied a defense bid to toss out grand jury murder indictments against a man charged with the stabbing deaths of a couple and their unborn child in their Ventura County beach house.

The lawyer for 21-year-old Joshua Graham Packer alleged misconduct by prosecutors, saying the defense wasn't told about a crime scene fingerprint lifted from a plastic motorcycle helmet visor until Feb. 1. The print didn't match Packer or victims Brock and Davina Husted.

The Ventura County Star says Superior Court Judge Patricia Murphy denied the defense motion on Tuesday and set an April 1 trial date. Another hearing is set for March 4.

Packer is charged with killing the Husteds and their unborn child at the family's Faria Beach home on May 20, 2009.

(© Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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