The attorney for the man accused of killing Jeanine Harms of Los
Gatos on Friday withdrew his request for a bail hearing for his
client, 41-year-old Maurice Nasmeh. Nasmeh remains in Santa Clara
County Jail in San Jose, where he has been housed since his Dec. 16
arrest.
``We feel a bail hearing would be fruitless,'' said San Jose
attorney Daniel Jensen outside the courtroom. ``We're real skeptical
that a judge in this county would approve it in a case with a
pending murder charge.''
Jensen is working with high-profile San Francisco attorney Tony
Serra on the case. He said the two discussed the case Thursday and
decided not to move forward with the bail hearing.
``It's a win; he is still behind bars,'' Harms' mother, Georgette
Sanchez, said after learning there would be no bail hearing.
Two previously scheduled hearings for Nasmeh had been continued
at his lawyers' request.
Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Paul R. Bernal set May 6
at 9:30 a.m. for a brief appearance to determine when a preliminary
hearing in the case will begin.
Nasmeh, an architect, has pleaded not guilty to killing the
42-year-old Harms. Nasmeh did not appear in court on Friday.
Harms disappeared on July 27, 2001, after a late-night date with
Nasmeh, who police say was the last person to see her alive. Her
remains have not been found. Police investigators connected Nasmeh
to the alleged crime through fibers from a yarn crafts project of
Harms' that were found inside the cargo area of Nasmeh's SUV.
Contact Connie Skipitares at
cskipitares@mercurynews. com or (408) 920-5647.