NBC 7’s Mark Mullen explains why Tuite’s name is known to some in San Diego.
Richard Tuite, who was acquitted in the brutal killing of an Escondido girl, was back in court Friday on trespassing charges.
Tuite pleaded not guilty to one count of trespassing on prison grounds as a felon, according to a criminal complaint filed by prosecutors.
During the hearing, ha had several startling outbursts.
Jurors acquitted Tuite in 2013, spending eight years in prison, for the killing of 12-year-old Stephanie Crowe.
Crowe was stabbed nine times in her bed and then collapsed and died in her bedroom doorway.
Tuite was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in 2004 – six years after the killing. In 2012, a federal appeals court voided Tuite's conviction and ordered a new trial in which jurors later acquitted him on all charges.
Local
In the days after Stephanie Crowe was found stabbed to death inside her Escondido home, three boys became prime suspects in the case and were actually charged with her murder.
They were Michael Crowe, Stephanie Crowe’s brother, and his friends Aaron Houser and Joshua Treadway.
A judge later threw out the charges levied against them ruling they were based on coerced confessions of teenagers.
Tuite’s plan after being released was to live with his mother and stepfather, defense attorney C. Bradley Patton.
Tuite's bail is set for $20,000 and is expected back in court on Feb. 4.
