By Alexandra Zayas, Times Staff Writer
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Luis Munuzuri-Harris is seated in court with assistant public defender Chuck Traina and public defender Maria Pavlidis Thursday.
TAMPA — Will the Bayshore rape trial continue?
Who will represent Luis Munuzuri-Harris, who gave up his attempt to defend himself Wednesday, calling it a "tremendous error in judgment"?
That question loomed Thursday morning amid a closed-door hearing in which Hillsborough County's public defender, a lawyer with the regional conflict office and Circuit Judge William Fuente — new to the case — attempted to sort out the legal tangle.
Circuit Judge Chet A. Tharpe and the defendant have engaged in several heated exchanges this week. Tharpe admonished Harris in front of the jury after a string of inappropriate questions. He denied Harris' motion to recuse himself.
Tharpe and all other parties involved asked Fuente to make findings about whether the Public Defender's Office ...