The family of Lizzi Marriott, the UNH student raped and murdered in 2012 want the New Hampshire Supreme Court to reconsider a ruling that could make public previously private information about her sexual history.
The Attorney General’s office and the Governor also want the court to rethink the ruling, which the court has temporarily stayed.
The ruling, issued last Friday, is based on a revised court rule. It comes as Marriott’s killer Seth Mazzalia’s case is headed for oral arguments before the state supreme court. The ruling’s critics, including anti-sexual violence advocates and prosecutors, say it allows a victim’s sexual history to become public, even if that information had been sealed during trial, once a defendant appeals their conviction.
As a State House press conference, Melissa Marriott, Lizzi Marrriot’s mother, said the trial judge sealed the records for a reason, and the Supreme Court ought to respect that.
"Apparently in the mind of the New Hampshire Supreme Court, you give up your right to privacy when you are a crime victim and have the audacity to become a crime victim and then win your case."
In a filing with the court, the Attorney General’s office said the ruling, “eviscerates protections” the legislature gave victims under New Hampshire’s rape shield law.>
