Driver In Rt. 80 Bus Crash Wants Trial Moved Out Of Morris Co.

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — Citing intense media scrutiny, lawyers for Hudy Muldrow Sr., the driver in a bus crash that killed a teacher and a student, want his trial moved out of Morris County.

In a motion filed in July, lawyer Matthew Reisig said it would be impossible for Muldrow to receive a fair trial in the Morris/Sussex County courts due to "pretrial publicity and inflammatory public opinion." They also ask that the trial not be moved to Bergen County, where Paramus student Miranda Vargas and teacher Jennifer Williamson were from.

Muldrow, 78, faces two counts of reckless vehicular homicide and 25 counts of assault by auto. If convicted of all the charges, he faces a prison sentence that would effectively last the rest of his life.

The case has been heavily covered by local media outlets, including Patch, and has garnered significant public interest across northern New Jersey.

"The small-town coverage in the local media plays an outsize role in information gathering. Picking an impartial jury in these counties would be extraordinarily difficult in a perfect world. Alas, we do not live in a perfect world. In the real world that we all find ourselves living in, it would be impossible," lawyers wrote.

Reisig specifically noted a comment made by Sheriff James Gannon to the Daily Record, where Gannon was reportedly quoted saying, "It's a sad day that we're here, going through the proceedings with survivors and surviving family members in remembrance of two people who love their lives on that tragic day," adding, "I hope that justice will prevail."

"Justice, in the context of that comment, can only be interpreted as the future conviction and imprisonment of [Muldrow]," Reisig said.

Sheriff's office officials defended his presence in the courtroom, saying in a statement sent to Patch, "Sheriff James M. Gannon is responsible for the safety and security of everyone — judges, attorneys, the public, litigants, plaintiffs and defendants — at the Morris County courthouse. In all high profile cases, including the case involving Mr. Muldrow, the Sheriff wants to ensure that the court rooms are secure and orderly for all parties. It is customary for him to go in and out of court rooms which are fully open to the public."

"As most people would, I still have sympathy for the victims of the crash and for their families, and I still have full faith in the criminal justice system," Gannon said in a statement.

A hearing on the motion will be held later in August.

A trial was originally scheduled to begin in Morris County on Oct. 7, the Morris County Prosecutor's Office said in April, and is expected to last 5-7 weeks. Judge Stephen Taylor said he set the trial date so far in advance because of the length of the trial and "the importance of the case."

Authorities allege that Muldrow's "reckless operation" of the bus caused the deaths of teacher Jennifer Williamson-Kennedy and 10-year-old student Miranda Faith Vargas, and injured 40 other passengers on the bus and the driver of the dump truck that crashed into the bus. They were on their way to Waterloo Village in Byram Township on a field trip.

Officials say Muldrow caused the crash when he cut the school bus across three lanes of Route 80 traffic in an attempt to reach an official use only turn-around point in the median. Through a lawyer, Muldrow has maintained his innocence.