A judge has rejected a request by a Connecticut man charged with a deadly home invasion to ban the use of Twitter during his upcoming trial, The Associated Press reports.
New Haven Superior Court Judge Jon Blue denied the motion Tuesday by attorneys for Joshua Komisarjevsky.
Authorities say Komisarjevsky and Steven Hayes killed Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her daughters, 11-year-old Michaela and 17-year-old Hayley, in 2007. Hayes was sentenced to death last year.
Komisarjevvsky’s attorneys say during Hayes’ trial, sudden typing of tweets by reporters and spectators signaled to the jury what evidence observers believed was significant.
Blue rejected a defense claim that a broadcasting ban in the case applies to Twitter. Blue said he still can ban Twitter if it becomes disruptive.
Jury selection for Komisarjevsky’s trial starts March 14.
