Vermont Supreme Court to hear speedy trial violation case

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - What’s too long in the wait for a “speedy” trial? The Vermont Supreme Court is hearing arguments Tuesday.

The case centers around Larry Labrecque, who was convicted in 2022 of sexually assaulting a teenager. While in jail without bail, he filed several appeals arguing his right to a speedy trial was being violated.

His trial eventually happened four years after he was first charged and he was convicted. He appealed that ruling and a criminal court agreed his right to a speedy trial had been violated.

The State is now arguing before the Vermont Supreme Court that this was not the case.

Jessica Brown is the Associate Director of the Center for Justice Reform, she said the pandemic is a main argument for the delay and could inform future trials.

“This was a pretty unique and novel decision by the trial judge to find that, although the pandemic was not the prosecution’s fault, it was still the prosecution bears the responsibility of that prejudice. So it will be interesting to see how judges continue to interpret that clause given situations like the pandemic,” said Brown.

The justices are hearing the case as part of their “On The Road” series at the Vermont Law School.

Brown said it typically takes the state Supreme Court a few months to come up with a decision, so we could hear by June.

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