MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A judge has sealed all court records in the capital murder case against a former biology professor accused of killing three colleagues and wounding three others during a faculty meeting at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, one of her lawyers said yesterday.
The decision by Madison County Circuit Judge Alan Mann means the public will not be allowed to know what is going on in the case against Amy Bishop until her trial, which has not been scheduled.
Defense lawyer Roy Miller confirmed yesterday that court records had been sealed at Bishop’s request, but he declined further comment. The judge previously issued a gag order that barred anyone involved in the case from discussing evidence publicly.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
After the slayings, Bishop was also charged with killing her teenage brother in Massachusetts in a shooting that originally was ruled an accident in 1986. David Traub, a spokesman for Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey, said the Massachusetts murder case will proceed after the Alabama charges are resolved.
Miller has said the defense is planning an insanity defense in the university shooting, and Mann last month ordered a mental evaluation for the Harvard University-educated Bishop, who is being held without bond.
Authorities in Huntsville said Bishop pulled a gun from her purse and opened fire during a meeting, killing three other professors and wounding three colleagues.
