Judge postpones Tankleff hearing 30 days

A judge ordered a 30-day postponement Friday for the hearing to determine if murder charges against Martin Tankleff will be dropped. Proceedings began just after noon, first with a hearing on camera

News 12 Staff

Jan 19, 2008, 12:11 AM

Updated 6,173 days ago

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A judge ordered a 30-day postponement Friday for the hearing to determine if murder charges against Martin Tankleff will be dropped.
Proceedings began just after noon, first with a hearing on camera access. The judge ruled that cameras will be allowed in the courtroom. Following that decision, the judge granted state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo a 30-day postponement. Cuomo, who was tapped by Gov. Eliot Spitzer to be a special prosecutor in the case, will use that time to decide in which direction he wants to take the case.
Tankleff's attorneys asked the prosecution to turn over DNA evidence that they said could prove that someone else killed the Tankleffs. The attorneys also said they?re glad a special prosecutor has been appointed, even though it is temporarily holding up Tankleff?s full release.
Suffolk County District Attorney Tom Spota said in early January that he would not seek to retry Tankleff. However, Cuomo's appointment as special prosecutor to the case put the possibility of a retrial back on the table.
Tankleff was granted a new trial in late December based on an appeals court ruling. He was later set free on $1 million bail.
Tankleff was convicted in the 1988 murders of his parents, Arlene and Seymour, in their Belle Terre home. Despite the earlier conviction, Tankleff claims one of his father's former business partners is behind the murders.
Tankleff's next court appearance is Feb. 15.
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